Shearer backs Awoniyi to save Nottingham Forest from relegation

England legend Alan Shearer, believed Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi has the scoring ammo to help Nottingham Forest keep their spot in the English Premier league (EPL) amid battle for relegation.

Shearer who turned out for both Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers in an exciting career that saw him scoring a record 260 goals in a 441 matches as the all-time EPL top scorer , noted that the 25-year-old Awoniyi is in the best form to deliver the goals to help The Reds survive relegation.

Awoniyi’s brace helped Nottingham Forest hold Chelsea to a 2-2 draw in a game played at Stamford Bridge much to the delight of the famous Geordie.

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“Hitting form at precisely the right moment,” Shearer reportedly said about Awoniyi. “Chelsea couldn’t handle him as he scored two headers.”

The coach Steve Cooper-led Forest are slightly above the relegation zone in 16th position with two crucial games left against Arsenal (May 20) and Crystal Palace ( May 28) but Shearer believed Awoniyi’s brace against Chelsea on Sunday may have been the team’s turning points.

“He could be ( the goals against Chelsea) what keeps Forest up,” the English football pundit noted.

meanwhile, Awoniyi has expressed his delight for his brace against Chelsea even as he praised his teammates for grinding the result from the away tie.

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“It was a great ball from Renan for the first goal,” Awoniyi told the club’s official website. “In training he put a similar cross in and I didn’t score, so he said to me ‘in the game, you have to score”, so I said “okay, I will”.

“I have to thank the manager too. I had a similar chance against Brentford and he sat me down and spoke to me about what to do, and thankfully it worked today.”

“This is what makes a team, this is what makes you better, when you have someone who gives you the chance to understand the game more and what you need to do better,” he continued.

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“The second goal is also part of the coaches’ work. They came up with the idea of the throw-ins and we have created many chances from this.

“It was something special from Moussa, but also from Orel as well, and as a striker, you have to be ready for anything in the box.”

Awoniyi has now scored nine goals from 29 matches across all competitions for Forest this season.