Nottingham Forest made a statement before their Europa League quarter-final second leg tie against FC Porto
20:12, 16 Apr 2026
Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson
View Image
Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson (Image: Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has received heartfelt messages of support from boyhood club Newcastle United and England following the death of his mother.
Forest made a statement before their Europa League quarter-final second leg tie against FC Porto at the City Ground on Thursday night, confirming England international Anderson would not be available to play because of the family tragedy.
The club said: “Elliot Anderson is unavailable for tonight’s fixture following the passing of his beloved mother, Helen.
"Everyone at Nottingham Forest Football Club extends its deepest condolences to Elliot and his family following this extremely sad news. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with the Anderson family at this difficult time.”
Newcastle posted a reply to Forest’s statement on social media platform X, saying: “We’re so sorry to hear this incredibly sad news. Sending all of our love and support to Elliot and his family at such a difficult time.”
Anderson is still a favourite at Newcastle, having come through their ranks before leaving to join Forest almost two years ago.
The England national team also posted a message on X, which read: “Sending love and support to Elliot and his family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Get breaking Forest news sent direct to your phone
Join our Nottingham Forest WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the NottinghamshireLive Reds writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Reds stories. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can click here to read our Privacy Notice.
Every day, the NottinghamshireLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Nottingham Forest content.
Our dedicated reporter Sarah Clapson - who you can follow on X byclicking here - follows Forest home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Forest newsletterhere.
You can also get all your favourite content from NottinghamshireLive's Forest team on WhatsApp.Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.
Article continues below
If you prefer reading our Reds stories on your phone, consider downloading the NottinghamshireLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Nottingham Forest as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Applehere and for Androidhere.