Forest urged to find inspiration from past glories in play-off final

LONDON: Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has urged his side to “stand on the shoulders” of past heroes as they bid to end their long Premier League exile by beating Huddersfield in the Championship play-off final.

Sunday’s match at Wembley — often dubbed the richest game in world football — will be played between the teams that finished the regular season in the English second tier in third and fourth places.

Huddersfield, who ended in third spot, played in the Premier League as recently as the 2018/19 season but for Forest it has been a long and painful spell in the wilderness.

Forest dislodged Liverpool to be crowned English champions in their first season back in the top flight in 1977/78 under manager Brian Clough, going on to lift the European Cup in the following two seasons and also enjoying domestic cup success.