Forest must build on this Cup magic

SO, IT’S left to Nottingham Forest to fly the flag for the EFL in the FA Cup after Middlesbrough’s brilliant run came to an end against Chelsea yesterday evening. Having already knocked out Manchester United and Tottenham, Boro found the might of the Blues too much to handle yesterday. Chris Wilder’s men can now focus all their attentions on bagging a Championship playoff berth in what has become a real scrap for the four places up for grabs.

Forest, meanwhile, have already taken the scalp of the FA Cup’s previous two winners – Arsenal and Leicester. They could hardly have a tougher tie than facing Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the quarter-finals, but will want to have a real crack at the Anfield outfit.

One major plus for Forest is that they are at home. There is sure to be a cracking atmosphere at the City Ground and it will no doubt bring back memories of their glory days under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in the late 70s and early 80s.

The two-time European Cup winners have been in the doldrums for too long, but Steve Cooper has worked wonders since taking the reins in September and Forest look like a club reborn.

In our centre-page spread, former Forest star Garry Birtles speaks of the ‘buzz’ at the club these days and praises Cooper for taking the shackles off the players.

Whether or not they win today or not, this Cup run will live long in the memory and may be seen in the future as a pivotal time in the club’s renaissance.

Of course, the main aim is to get back into the Premier League. Amazingly, it’s now 23 years since Forest graced English football’s highest division.

Like Boro, they are also in the mix for a play-off place, so it promises to be an exciting end to the season. Forest want to be playing Liverpool every season, not just once in a blue moon.