Boss Cooper hails Forest defender Worrall

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Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper hailed the towering performance of Joe Worrall after the centre-back put a family bereavement behind him to inspire a first win at Chelsea in 28 years.

Worrall was outstanding as Forest frustrated Chelsea less than a week after his uncle, Graham Saville, a policeman in Nottingham, was killed trying to rescue a distressed person on a train track.


The 26-year-old found out the news after playing against Manchester United and has spent the week consoling his family.

“I’ve personally known what was going on before it became public, and he’s put himself second to his family,” Cooper said.

“I think the football club have given him great support and the guys have just showed him a great lot of respect in the dressing room after what he has been through. I cannot speak highly enough of the man.

“I know how important today would have been for him and would have given him and his family some respite, but nothing can make what happened any better.

“But it would have given him some nice feelings for a short while and a lot of that result was for them.”