Threesy for Forest

JANINE SELF

STEVE COOPER hailed “ruthless” Nottingham Forest after watching his players cruise to an easy win.

The new boss made a series of demands for the visit of Preston and every one of them was met.

Two goals from Lewis Grabban and a volley by Jack Colback (above) made it the perfect way to sign out for the international break.

Cooper said: “I like the fact we were ruthless and kept a clean sheet. We had a good game plan and I want us to be a team that can adapt. It was a great win.”

It is still very much a honeymoon period for Cooper, but it would not have gone unnoticed that Forest were on a winless three-match run before kick-off.

There was also the headscratching issue of which Preston would turn up, given their extraordinary win at Bournemouth which inflicted a first defeat of the season on the Cherries.

In the event, North End conceded two by half-time and never looked like rescuing the situation.

The first was a penalty by Grabban after Brennan Johnson was upended in the area by Ben Whiteman.

Johnson was then fouled by namesake Daniel Johnson, the freekick into the area headed out and Colback perfectly placed to volley it past Daniel Iversen.

Preston’s situation went from bad to worse after another run into the area by Johnson which finished with Grabban scoring his second.

Preston manager Frankie Mcavoy said: “It’s like two steps forward and three steps back at the moment.”

NOTT’M FOREST: Samba 7; Spence 7, Worrall 7, Mckenna 7, Lowe 7; Yates 8, Colback 8; Mighten 6 (Lolley 62, 5), Zinckernagel 6 (Garner 67, 5), Johnson 9; Grabban 7 (Taylor 70, 5).

Subs not used: Horvath, Figueiredo, Bong, Ojeda.

PRESTON: Iversen 5; van den Berg 6, Bauer 4 (Storey 20, 6), Hughes 6; Barkhuizen 6, Mccann 5, Whiteman 6, Earl 6 (Cunningham 56, 5); Johnson 6; Jakobsen 6, Potts 6 (Sinclair 56, 5).

Subs not used: Ledson, Huntington, Maguire, Hudson.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Brennan Johnson. Another statement of intent from a youngster who is improving rapidly.

REFEREE: Simon Hooper 7.