Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst has hailed the "fantastic" job done by Steve Cooper since his appointment at the City Ground.
Cooper joined the Reds almost a year ago from Swansea City and guided Forest to a fourth place finish in the Championship after a poor start to the season under then-manager Chris Hughton. A return to the Premier League was then secured in dramatic style - ending a 23-year wait.
The Reds overcame Huddersfield Town in the play-off final at Wembley in May, and are now enjoying life in the top flight. They have taken four points from their opening three matches - losing at Newcastle before beating West Ham and drawing at Everton.
READ MORE: Tottenham receive response after Nottingham Forest transfer claims made
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest in surprise Leicester City transfer link for £17m player
Tonight (Tuesday), Forest take a break from the league as they visit League Two side Grimsby in the second round of the Carabao Cup. Hurst said: "He [Steve Cooper] did a fantastic job with the youth teams in England, which is where he probably earned his initial reputation.
"He left Swansea for his own reasons, not because of performances that’s for sure, which ended up being to Forest’s benefit. Although it was early in the season, they were at the wrong end of the table and went on a fantastic run under his guidance."
The 47-year-old also believes Forest are capable of remaining in the top flight, as they continue to build up a competitive squad. "As a club, I think a lot of neutrals were happy to see them go up and pleased to have them back in the Premier League," he added.
"It is a massive club steeped in great history, and he has brought the good times back to an extent, and his first job, I am sure, will be to make sure they remain a top flight club by this time next year and look to build from that.
"You can see from the way he and the club are going about the transfer business that they don’t want to be there just to survive, which is always the first task for anybody that goes up, but they are trying to put a squad together that will be very competitive in our top league."
What are your score predictions for the Grimsby game? Let us know in the comment section...
READ NEXT:
