What does De Vries signing mean for Darlow?

The signing of an experienced goalkeeper with promotion experience should never be sniffed at, but many Forest fans can't help but feel a bit sorry for Karl Darlow, who must have felt that his first team future at Forest was assured following his impressive performances in the second half of last season.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a bit of healthy competition, but I'm not sure that Dorus De Vries would have joined Forest just to sit on the bench and play second fiddle to Darlow. At the age of 32, De Vries needs to be playing first team football regularly, having seen his career stagnate at Wolves, despite being a prominent figure in Swansea's successful promotion campaign two years ago.

I must admit that at first I was really worried when Lee Camp left, and then Darlow was thrown straight into the team. But his performances defied my expectations, and it was soon a question of 'Camp who?'

Our defence continued to leak goals, but that wasn't down to Darlow, but the men in front of him. If Forest can sort their back four out, Darlow could form part of a very solid unit. I just hope that he is given a chance to prove his worth because if he is reduced to being a substitute again I can see him wanting to go out on loan again in search of first team football that he deserves.