COOPER ASKS FOREST TO ROLL WITH IT

STEVE COOPER has backed his ambitious Nottingham Forest side to “roll up their sleeves” and embrace their “belief” amid a stifling attacking injury crisis.

Winger Callum Hudson-odoi is sidelined for an expected six weeks with a hamstring injury, and frontmen Chris Wood and Divock Origi will also miss today’s home clash with Aston Villa.

Striker Taiwo Awoniyi is back from a groin injury and featured as a substitute in the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool last time out, but remains uncertain to start.

Cooper (left) said: “What we want to do when times are difficult is roll our sleeves up and attack it rather than hide from it.

“OK, it’s not ideal with the number of players unavailable, but anything we’ve done over the last couple of years has been built on belief.

“Personally, when anybody believes in me – and shows me support – it gets the best of me. And that’s what myself and the staff want to do with the players.

“The fans just want to see the good in us as well, and we’re full of gratitude for that.

“If we want to progress we have to continue to believe, continue to be confident. Doing that will give us the best chance of success. There’s no guarantee, and it will be a rocky road, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I’ll trust the process and stick to the plan. I certainly won’t get too high and too low. The plan so far hasn’t been a bad one, but we can’t take anything for granted.”

Forest, unbeaten at home, have battled hard for four draws in their past six top-flight fixtures all told, and Cooper added: “That’s a mark of how much progress the club has made.

“But let’s be absolutely paranoid about continuing that progress. That’s my duty and it’s where the players are.”