'Nottingham Forest will always have a special place in my heart:' Blackpool man explains celebration decision against former club- but will it be the same at Bloomfield Road?

The wing-back opened the scoring with a header in the initial tie at the City Ground, but opted not to celebrate out of respect. Albie Morgan then doubled the Seasiders’ lead before Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White pulled the Premier League outfit level, as the game finished 2-2.

Lawrence-Gabriel is a boyhood Arsenal fan, but admits Forest is the team he owes the most to for the opportunities they presented to him and the confidence he gained during his time in Nottinghamshire.

The 25-year-old’s youth career began with the The Gunners, but admits his time there was tough.

"When I first heard about going to Arsenal, it was obviously massive for me because I’ve always supported them, so to go there was amazing,” he said.

“I’ve always felt that technically I’m not like other people, so I didn’t feel I was at the right level. I was always trying to work harder, but in a way it just made me feel bad because I thought I wasn’t good enough to be there.

"The coaches had their favourites and it was never nice- you had people picking on you. It sucked all of the fun out of it, so it’s a shame that’s my experience of Arsenal. As much as I love the club, I didn’t enjoy my time there.

"When I had a meeting with Liam Brady, he said: ‘we won’t know if you’re good enough, and we don’t know what to do with you.’

"I didn’t know what I was going to do because I didn’t want to be in that situation again. One of my old coaches was at Southend, so I went down there and started to enjoy football again- the freedom was there. I felt like a big fish in a small pond, whereas at Arsenal I felt like a tiny fish in the ocean."

Lawrence-Gabriel’s first taste of professional football came with Forest- who provided him with a completely different environment.

"I was quite excited because a few teams were interested in me,” he added.

"Three weeks in and I was already training with the first team, and that was special. Playing with Henri Lansbury was special because I knew he was at Arsenal, and he was someone I sort of idolised.

“I had to grow up massively. In my first year I was in digs with other lads, so I had to be more independent. In the second year I moved out with Brennan Johnson’s family, and it felt like a proper home. I then had my daughter at the age of 19, so things were always changing.

“Playing with the first team and going on tour with them was always nice because you’re learning things quickly. My time there was really good because you had so many people around you who cared- right down to the dinner ladies. They would give you a kick up the backside if you needed it, or an arm around the shoulder.

"I had a lot of injuries, but when I got going it was a good feeling because they believe in you. Forest will always have a special place in my heart- I arrived as a kid and left as a man. I learnt a lot there.”

Lawrence-Gabriel has been with Blackpool permanently since the summer of 2021, after helping the club to League One play-off success during a spell on loan the season before.

While the wing-back didn’t celebrate his goal at the City Ground, he admits it might not be the same if he finds the back of the net again on Wednesday evening.

"Forest has a big place in my heart, especially the fans, but if it happens at Bloomfield Road it might be different,” he said.

"Don’t think that I didn’t enjoy it, it was a good moment for me- I just respect the club. In front of the home fans I’ll probably end up losing it and running around. It’ll be a lot different, you want to celebrate with your supporters- hopefully I get the chance.”

Throughout this season we will be bringing you episodes of the Football Firsts Podcast- focused on all things Blackpool.

The full episode with Lawrence-Gabriel is out now, as he also discusses his early memories of playing and watching, as well as his Seasiders career so far.

It is available to listen to on Dailymotion, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.