James Garner had told Manchester United what he learned from his first east midlands derby victory. Having spent time on loan with Nottingham Forest last season, the 20-year-old returned to the City Ground this campaign and has played against their arch rivals Derby County — managed by United icon Wayne Rooney — three times in the last 12 months.
Each of those first two meetings finished 1-1 and Garner even scored a rare goal against the Rams last term. However, with the games taking place behind closed doors, it wasn't quite an authentic derby day atmosphere.
As the devastating Covid-19 pandemic continues to ease, supporters have returned to stadiums across the board and Garner, along with his Forest teammates, were cheered on to a 2-1 victory vs Derby on Saturday afternoon by close to 30,000 spectators.
It was a win that has moved Forest to within four points of the play-offs and the United prospect has explained what it meant to him to play in such an important fixture — and what he learned.
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