Nottingham Forest's 2-0 defeat to Fulham on Saturday won't live long in the memory, but it could mark an important point in their season nonetheless.
That's because the game saw Jonjo Shelvey make his debut for the club in the Premier League after joining from Newcastle United. The midfielder signed a two-and-a-half contract on deadline day in the January transfer window.
The Forest fans can already see the benefit of having the former Liverpool man in the team after he was subbed on in place of Orel Mangala in the 56th minute. Fulham had things their own way up until that point, but he was able to wrestle back some control in the middle of the park.
READ MORE: An 'awkward' breakfast clash and why Cooper is right boss for Shelvey
SEE ALSO: Forest duo's absence against Fulham explained as injury list grows
Shelvey ended the game with two attempted assists, more than any other Forest player in the game. That is something pundit Michael Dawson believes the team has been lacking in recent weeks.
"He certainly creates chances, he gets on the ball and makes things happen," the former Forest defender told Sky Sports on Soccer Saturday.
"That's something that Forest in the first 60 minutes, or even in previous games, have been missing; they haven't created chances. It's down to Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White to have a little bit of magic, not free-flowing.
"Jonjo Shelvey will get on the ball in the middle of the field, he's got a wide range of passes, he's a very confident player. Not just confident, he can execute that pass when he sees it, if it's a long range one he can hit that.
"He hasn't played an awful lot of football, so it's going to take him time to get up to speed and I think he'll be an impact player at this moment in time."
Should Shelvey start the next game? Have your say in the comments
READ NEXT:
Nottingham Forest break Premier League record amid double blow
- Nottingham Forest boss Andy Cooke reveals the secret to top-of-the-table success
- Newcastle player has Nottingham Forest transfer 'hope' after shock move
- Jonjo Shelvey reveals Forest transfer 'plea' after Newcastle decision
Get the latest Nottingham Forest news straight to your inbox by subscribing to our daily newsletter!
