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Warburton: Drop was too close for comfort.. we’re on the up now
NOTTINGHAM Forest boss Mark Warburton has told his players there must be no repeat of last term’s terrifying brush with the drop.
Former European Cup winners Forest stayed up only on the final day of last season on goal difference after a 3-0 home win over Ipswich.
But there is fresh optimism at the City Ground after Evangelos Marinakis bought out unpopular owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi.
Ahead of tonight’s opener against promoted Millwall, Warburton (above) has demanded that Forest finish higher up the table this term.
He said: “We escaped relegation by two goals – that is how small the margin was.
“We know how close we came to relegation last season and that is something we must never feel again.
“I am very confident that we will not be in the same position again. Is a play-off push out of the question? I am not going to be making any rash predictions at this stage.
“There are some huge clubs in the division but let’s not forget Forest are a huge club as well.”
Forest impressed in pre-season with three wins and a draw in four matches. But Warburton expects Millwall, managed by ex-Forest striker Neil Harris, to be tough opponents tonight.
He added: “Millwall have a way of playing that is very organised. They have good shape and get bodies forward. They get balls into the box and they are direct.
“I have a lot of respect for Neil Harris and the job he has done. It is a tremendous achievement to get promotion from a brutally tough division.
“They are a good team and will get absolute respect from us. We will prepare for a tough challenge but we are at home and we will look forward to the game.”
Harris is happy to put contract talks on ice to ensure his Millwall players are focused on their Championship return.The Lions have a host of stars heading into the final 12 months of their deals, including strikers Lee Gregory and Steve Morison.
“Yes, we do have some important players who will be out of contract but there is no concern that any of those players might disappear,” he said.
“We have to focus on our job at hand in what is a tough division.”
Millwall, who finished sixth in League One last term, have made seven new signing but are still among the favourites to be relegated.
Harris added: “We have proved before that we are at our best as a club when we are perceived as an underdog. We might go into every game with a lower budget than anyone else but that will be a good thing for us.”