Steve Cooper urges Nottingham Forest to 'stand on shoulders' of past heroes against Huddersfield

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper wants his side to "stand on the shoulders" of past heroes and fire the club back to the Premier League. Forest can end a 23-year exile from the English top tier if they beat Huddersfield in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final on Sunday.

The City Ground club have a rich history, with two European Cups and domestic success under Brian Clough, but the last 35 years have been a famine. Cooper has taken Forest closer to getting back to the big time than any one else since their 1999 relegation and he wants his players to embrace the past and use it to create their own slice of history.

"The club is built on that history and that era and we are very proud of that," he said. "We embrace what it is and why the club is what it is today, it is largely down to that history.

"We embrace it but at the same time we also want to build on that and create a positive next chapter, we have a large generation of supporters who are going to Wembley for the first time, we are trying to create something that engages them to understand why they support Nottingham Forest. That is what we are trying to do. Embrace the past, stand on the shoulders - we want to do that but at the same time, understanding what might be possible.

"What is at stake is a massive motivation and what can be achieved is a dream, of course. But we have to stay focused on the job, know what it takes to win. We know what the possible outcome may be but it is sticking to the process that matters. We go there so confident, so motivated, it is about getting down there and getting to work."

Cooper is back at Wembley 12 months after his Swansea side were beaten by Brentford in last season's final, which was played behind closed doors. The