Steve Cooper not getting carried away as Nottingham Forest break into the Championship play-off places

Goals in either half from Brennan Johnson and James Garner proved decisive as Nottingham Forest moved up to fifth in the Championship table, all but ending Coventry City’s play-off hopes with a 2-0 win at The City Ground.

Coventry arrived in Nottingham with their season very much in the balance, a win would have taken them within touching distance of the top six, but defeat would effectively make that task just too far out of their reach. Mark Robins’ men certainly made a fist of things, and for the opening 25 minutes, they had the better of the play but crucially missed a number of opportunities when on top.

Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres posed initial problems for Forest’s back three. He should have put his side ahead after just five minutes when he too easily got away from Tobias Figueiredo but dragged his shot well wide of Brice Samba’s goal.

The home side, who have looked calm and composed in recent weeks, struggled to adapt to Coventry’s fluid formation, which saw them adopt a back five out of possession, which quickly morphed into a 3-4-3 when on the front foot.

Given the Sky Blues’ ability to transition through the phases with sharp one-touch passing, the visitors grew in stature, seeing that Forest were not quite themselves.

Gyokeres almost found himself through on goal following a hopeful pass upfield, and as Scott McKenna got caught on the wrong side of the striker, the defender looked relieved as the ball skidded off the turf and into the hands of the aware Samba.

Callum O’Hare was finding pockets of space playing of Gyokeres, and he almost grabbed an opener, breaking through on goal only to see his drive deflected over the bar. More indecisiveness presented the midfielder with an even better opportunity minutes later.

As Gyokeres continued to be a nuisance in the Forest box, Figueiredo opted to head clear rather than back to the out rushing Samba, but as the Portuguese got his header wrong, O’Hare latched onto the clearance but overhit his volley from the edge of the box with the Forest keeper stranded.

With the home side beginning to get restless as Coventry enjoyed a sustained period of pressure, the Sky Blues’ confidence ultimately proved to be their downfall as they searched for an opener.

Moving further up the pitch as a collective, it was somewhat against the run of play when Forest took the lead. Striker Keinan Davis took a little bit of time to get going in the early stages but in the 25th minute, the Villa loanee sprang into life, spinning away from his marker on the outside of the Coventry box before he found an incisive pass to get Jack Colback in behind the visiting defence.

As the wing-backs cross found its way out to Johnson at the far post, he was initially crowded out, almost on the goal line as his first effort came back off the post. However, the youngster did not panic as he took a touch before finishing past Simon Moore.

Whilst against the run of play, once Forest had got their noses in front, the size of the task had doubled from Robins’ men. Despite his side continuing to probe and press to get an equaliser, Cooper’s men looked in control as they went up a gear in the second period.

Philip Zinckernagel should have put Forest further ahead, but the Dane could not keep his volley down after good work from Johnson had picked him out inside the box with an inviting cross. With the home crowd sensing a goal, they didn’t have to wait too much longer as Davis again turned provider for Forest’s second.

Picking up the ball from Joe Worrall with his back to goal on the edge of the box, Forest’s number 9 pivoted away from his man to roll James Garner in on goal with a weighted pass before the Manchester United loanee fired emphatically past Moore and into the roof of the net.

It could have been more as Forest threatened to grab a third with Ryan Yates hitting the underside of the bar in the dying moments, but the home side were well worth their victory. Cooper was pleased with his side’s performance but remained entirely focused on the task ahead and acknowledged they find themselves in a good space.

“We’re not thinking about anybody else but ourselves, trying to play well in the next game and win. I don’t know how you measure momentum but you certainly feel it when you don’t have it. In this league, because we play so many games in such a condensed period, it’s a real key factor in putting good or bad runs together.”

With Middlesbrough being beaten at home by Fulham on Wednesday evening, Forest leapfrogged the Teessiders and are looking strong going into their remaining eight games of the season.

With the upturn in results that Steve Cooper has already brought to the club, picking them up from the bottom of the league with one point after seven games, Forest will now face a new challenge with the weight of expectation growing on the banks of the Trent.

His response was simple when quizzed about whether his players could get carried away with the playoffs now insight and what he might need to do to address that concern.

“It’s easy. It’s easy because the players know that the most important thing is going back to the training ground, whether they’re recovering or training or whatever their individual status is. They do that as best they can; there is going to be sacrifice now.

“But all focus and all eyes will be on trying to get another positive performance and results like tonight (Birmingham at home on Saturday). If we are thinking outside of that, we’re getting it wrong and so far, we’ve not done that. I don’t expect it to start now.”

Starved of success, Forest fans are beginning to dream that this may be their year and what feels different is that this is a club pulling together and, most notably, all in the right direction. There is a different dynamic at The City Ground this season, on and off the pitch, reflected in the capacity crowds.

Over 4,000 fans watched the Under-18 side pull off an unlikely 3-1 victory in the Youth Cup semi-final over Chelsea, with Cooper and first-team players watching from the stands.

The youngsters were even treated to a rendition of Depeche Mode’s ‘I just can’t get enough’ at full time, usually reserved for the senior side at the final whistle as a nice touch of what may be yet to come for this current crop.

The pathway through to the first team has been one tradition that has never been left at the club. With Gary Brazil, Warren Joyce, and Andy Reid all aligning with Cooper’s philosophy, the pieces are seemingly starting to fall into place.

Whether the immediate aims can be achieved in the coming weeks, a foundation for future success has most certainly been laid.

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