Forest do it in style to put safety in their grip
NOTTINGHAM Forest didn’t only record back-to-back wins on Easter Monday, they did so in style.
A fine team performance saw Queens Park Rangers beaten 3-1 at the City Ground to lift the Reds to 15th in the Championship table, 13 points clear of the drop zone with six games to go.
Alex Mighten set Chris Hughton’s side on their way in the first half before Lewis Grabban and James Garner put the seal on the three points after the break.
A late consolation effort for Lyndon Dykes denied Forest a clean sheet but, on the back of Friday’s victory away to Cardiff City, it still made for an impressive weekend.
Forest correspondent Sarah Clapson looks at some of the big talking points from the City Ground.
■Goals, goals, goals
They’ve been in short supply all season, so this was a veritable feast.
It was only the third time this term the Reds have scored more than twice in a game - the others being against Millwall and Wycombe Wanderers.
Mighten showed great anticipation to slot in from close range after good work by Sammy Ameobi.
Grabban hit an absolute scorcher on the turn from range.
And Garner curled in a stunning free kick from out wide - although whether he meant it was up for debate, with the ball drifting over the head of the goalkeeper.
After being starved of competition for so long, Forest suddenly had two goal of the season contenders in the space of barely five minutes.
The hosts had been positive throughout. They played well and deserved such a convincing result. There was no sitting back after they had taken the lead, they pressed on in the second half and continued to get in promising positions, ensuring they killed the game off.
Hughton admitted afterwards the downside was they didn’t bag more. Nevertheless, that kind of scoreline should do the squad’s confidence the world of good.
More of the same, please.
■■Answering the critics
Grabban has come in for a fair amount of stick this past year.
There’s no denying he has missed some big chances - not that he’s alone on that front. After he spurned a good one in the first half on Monday, some fans on social media again questioned his place in the team.
But he made up for that earlier miss when he struck a thunderbolt to make it 2-0 and give his side a bit more breathing space - both in the match and in the league table. He took it beautifully, leaving Seny Dieng with no chance as it flew into the top corner.
It’s been a frustrating season for the striker. One hampered by injuries and which has yielded four goals, compared to last season’s 20.
Some will continue to criticise. There tends to be a misconception about Grabban that he doesn’t care, doesn’t work hard enough or doesn’t have the right characteristics to be a leader.
Perhaps some will never change their minds about him.
He has retained the faith of his manager, though, and continues to be first-choice front man, as well as captain.
And he proved he is clearly still capable of showing his quality in front of goal.
There’s no doubting up front is an area Hughton needs to address in the summer transfer window. But Grabban will be hoping this kickstarts a goal run between now and the end of the campaign to show he still has a part to play.
■Goal-den Garner
Just when you think there isn’t anything left to say about the midfielder, he goes and pulls that strike out of the bag.
Even if it was a cross-shot, it was still a fabulous one.
The Manchester United loanee has made a big difference since his arrival in January and he continues to display an astonishing array of passing.
His delivery from set-pieces against Rangers was outstanding and there was one real peach of a ball out to Ameobi in the first half.
The more he puts in performances like that, the more difficult it will become for the Reds to get him back next season.
That shouldn’t stop them pulling out all the stops to try, though. If anything, days like Monday should prompt the club to push even harder.
■Playing into contention
The left-back spot seems to have posed Hughton a few problems all season. He’s chopped and changed throughout, with four players being given a go.
No one has really had an extended run in the side.
Tyler Blackett, however, has put his hand up after two solid performances.
The summer signing kept his place in the 11 after being handed a rare start against the Bluebirds and there’s every chance he might retain it for the weekend trip to Bristol City.
Blackett was very good again at
the City Ground.
He did well defensively and also looked to press forward, trying to keep Forest on the front foot.
As a unit, the back line was almost faultless - right up until the end, when a late slip scuppered a clean sheet.
Apart from that, QPR had caused Brice Samba very few problems and had been restricted to minimal chances.
Blackett, Cyrus Christie on the right and the brick wall-like partnership of Joe Worrall and Scott Mckenna in the middle had done a sterling job.
There’s no real reason to change that on Saturday.
Indeed, Blackett will be eager to press his claims for a run in the remaining games.
Gaetan Bong was still struggling with an injury picked up against Brentford, while Yuri Ribeiro was on the bench.
Given there has been speculation about the latter as his contract comes to an end, perhaps it is no surprise Hughton was keen to look at another option - he had also singled out Blackett for praise previously.
It all makes for an interesting longterm selection decision on who will be first-choice there come August, with Nicholas Ioannou returning to the mix after his loan spell at Aris Thessaloniki expires.
■Safety assured (just about)
Hughton wasn’t prepared to admit it out loud once the full-time whistle had blown but he pretty much conceded he believes his team are safe.
It’s not mathematically certain yet - and if the catastrophic end to 201920 taught us anything, it’s not to take a position in the league for granted. Forest are all but there, though.
It would take a collapse on an even bigger scale than last year’s for them to throw away another season of Championship football now.
The gap is 13 points with six games to go. That’s a pretty comfortable cushion. It would require a big swing for the teams below them to overturn that now.
It doesn’t mean the Reds can relax; hence why the manager is keen to keep his squad on their toes. But there is less pressure. It’s important they build some momentum, though. Plus, decisions will be made about players’ futures in the coming weeks, so there is every reason to keep chasing better performances and results.
Forest have not won three games in a row this term, so that’s the challenge they must set themselves against the Robins.