The best wishes of everyone at the club have been with Forest U21 skipper Sam Collins from the moment he was stretchered off the pitch on Tuesday night, and even more so when the player himself confirmed on social media on Wednesday afternoon that he’d suffered a broken tibia.
“It’s horrible for the lad,” manager Paul Simpson said. “I went to visit him in hospital yesterday [Wednesday] because he was still in Carlisle.
“I spoke with their coach [Warren Joyce] because he was angry at the end of the game and I wanted to know if there was something we’d done as a football club, which it wasn’t, which I was pleased to hear.
“I found out that Sam was still in Carlisle waiting to be transferred to Leicester hospital so I went and visited him. He was struggling to get a bed, then there was a struggle with transport, but he was hoping to be moved today. I don’t know if he has been or not.
“I just wanted to wish him all the best, and he seemed in good spirits. He’s obviously not happy that he’s broken his leg, but he seemed in a good place, he’s a really bright kid, and we all just wish him a speedy recovery.”
United midfielder Owen Moxon was one of the first to go to see the player after the game, moments before he was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary.
“I know Mox was in touch with him by text yesterday as well, and he’d called him to apologise for it happening,” he told us. “It’s not pleasant for anybody to be involved in something like that.
“I actually think it was good for Mox to hear from the lad himself that he didn’t feel there was any malice in the tackle.
“One of the first things he said was that it was a full-blooded tackle that neither of them pulled out of, and that’s just how it was.
“It’s a horrible thing when you can see it coming on the sideline. I didn’t think it was going to be Sam coming across, there was another defender who was deeper.
“I could see that someone was going to get hurt, and Sam came in from the side, and I’m not even sure if Mox saw him to be honest. It was just one of those horrible situations in football where two players are fully committed and going for the ball.
“Unfortunately for the young fella he came off worse and he’s now got a period of recovery in front of him.”
“I talked to him about using his time well, and I’m sure people at Forest will do that with him as well,” he added. “He was really interested to know about the differences in League Two and League One football and where he can go when it comes to a loan for him, and this sort of thing.
“He talked about what he can do in this period of time and I told him to educate himself, do a bit of analysis stuff, or anything to keep his mind occupied. He seemed a real sensible lad and hopefully he gets back as soon as he can. He’s a really good player.”