Jesse Lingard still absent as Nottingham Forest lose 1-0 to Union Berlin after naming FIVE signings

Nottingham Forest suffered a 1-0 pre-season friendly defeat to Union Berlin at the Stadion An Der Alten Foresterei. 

Steve Cooper’s side named five new signings in the starting 11 that lost in Germany, but fans are still yet to get their first glimpse of Jesse Lingard in the red of Forest. 

Ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson, former Liverpool right-back Neco Williams and ex-Huddersfield pair Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo lined up alongside Taiwo Awoniyi – who arrived this summer from Union Berlin.  

Union bettered their city rivals’ result after Hertha Berlin lost 3-1 to Forest earlier in the week

With so many new faces in the starting line-up it was always going to be hard for Cooper’s side to play with the fluency and precision that won them promotion back to England’s top flight, and so it proved against the German side. 

After a comparatively slow start to the game, Toffolo had the visitors first real chance on 16 minutes, with his shot from range clattering into the post after moving in the air, but aside from that Forest failed to trouble the Union Berlin goal. 

And eight minutes from the interval Theoson Siebatcheu profited from a defensive error from Steve Cook to slot home from close range what proved to be the only goal of the game. 

Union’s Frederik Ronnow had little to do as Forest struggled the threaten the Bundesliga side

The second period followed in much the same suit as the first as for the visitors, and if anything it was the hosts that looked more like scoring. 

Taiwo Awoniyi received a standing ovation from his former club in the 14th minute

Henderson was drawn into a save late on in the game to deny…