Nottingham Forest

Matt Turner makes his decision following his situation at nottingham forest

Published

9 months ago

January 1, 2024

Goalkeeper Matt Turner has thanked his Nottingham Forest teammates and the City Ground crowd for helping him to turn his night around against Manchester United.

Saturday evening was a rollercoaster 90 minutes for the American. He went from looking distraught at making a costly error to pure jubilation at the final whistle after playing a key role in the Reds securing a crucial 2-1 victory.

A second half gaffe from Turner had allowed Marcus Rashford to cancel out Nicolas Dominguez’s opener when a poor attempted pass to Danilo was intercepted. But the summer signing steeled himself and proved integral to the hosts retaking – and then preserving – the lead.

From his save to deny Christian Eriksen, Forest counterattacked and scored through Morgan Gibbs-White. Turner then made a superb stop to thwart Bruno Fernandes and clinch the three points.

“In the end, it was a beautiful night at the City Ground,” he told The Mirror. “You have to be perfect in the Premier League. We weren’t perfect – and I wasn’t perfect – but we dug deep and got the result I think we ultimately deserved.

“You know, there are ups and downs being a goalkeeper. I’ve had my moments this season.

“What happened out there was a microcosm of my whole career. I always seem to battle back. I looked around at the guys beside me, they weren’t blaming me and pointing fingers, they had my back and we ended up getting the win.

‌”You never want to make mistakes, but if you are going to make them you want to respond in the right way and I think I did. So, it was an amazing feeling seeing Morgan score.

“The boys picked me up. We have each other’s backs. I think that’s clear and, personally, it felt nice.

“You always want to impact the game, cutting out crosses or making saves. But to have a direct impact on a goal we scored was pleasing, and it made me emotional.”

Turner has had an up and down start to life Trentside. He started the campaign in the XI but wasn’t always convincing and lost his place when former head coach Steve Cooper gave Odysseas Vlachodimos a chance.

The Welshman then reverted to Turner between the posts after five games, and so far new boss Nuno Espirito Santo has also stuck with him. The ex-Arsenal stopper says he felt the support from the stands as fans recognised the role he played in securing a second successive victory.

“I think they know I’m trying my best”, he said. “I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m playing for this badge. It means the world to me, being here in Nottingham, I thank them for their support. I hear the chants and feel the love.

“For me, the performances – particularly at home – have not been up to scratch, so this feels great. I just feel like I can walk around the city of Nottingham with my head held high after that one.”