Last night, Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey received some much-needed match practice in. He appeared for 45 minutes in Wales’ 4-0 victory against Gibraltar at The Racecourse Ground.
Hennessey hasn’t featured for Forest since the final day of the 2022/23 season, when he faced Crystal Palace. Due to an injury, he did not play in preseason and is now considered the third choice at City Ground.
Hennessey would have appreciated getting some minutes in front of a Welsh crowd last night. He competes with Danny Ward for the gloves right now and hopes to get the nod when Wales faces Croatia at the weekend.
This was a comfortable performance for the Forest goalkeeper. Hennessey touched the ball just seven times, according to Sofa Score and maintained a 6/10 rating from Wales Online.
They wrote about the Forest man: “Can’t actually remember him touching the ball after coming on at half-time.”
Hennessey didn’t have to make a save. Wales ran out convincing winners last night, but it will be a different story when they face Croatia in the next key qualifier.
Forest have kept Hennessey, 36, around the club for the season and he will play a part in the City Ground dressing room. He’s a positive influence in the locker room, and with so many young players on Steve Cooper’s squad, he’s a terrific character to have on the team.
Hennessey is unlikely to play for Forest this season. With Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos now at the club, those two will likely remain the pair of goalkeepers for the season.
Hennessey will appreciate that he’s unlikely to feature this season for Forest. His work will come to the fore on the training ground and he will be hot on the heels of the two first-choice goalkeepers at the City Ground.
