Nottingham Forest have a two-week break before the push for the play-offs resumes in earnest next month.
The Reds have a big 10 games ahead as they look to secure a place in the top six. And they will go into them buoyed by a tremendous effort against Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Steve Cooper’s side didn’t manage to make it to a Wembley semi-final, but there’s still a chance they could pay a visit to the stadium later on this year. Full focus will be on the Championship campaign when Forest return to action with a trip to Blackpool.
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Reds reporter Sarah Clapson answered fans’ questions and responded to comments in a live Q&A on our Forest Facebook page. Here’s how it panned out.
Q: The cup run was a lovely bonus on what has been an outstanding period since Cooper came in. This is our best chance in 20 years to get promoted. We can do this.
A: Forest have got a great chance of promotion, absolutely. The table is so tight that it’s really difficult to call who’s going to finish in the top six, but Forest are right in the mix.
If they play like they did on Sunday or the way they did against QPR, there’s no reason why they can’t finish in the play-off spots. There is everything to play for.
There is so much belief and spirit around the club at the minute; so much passion, character and commitment among the whole squad. They play some fantastic football at times, too. There’s just an incredible buzz around the City Ground.
They have got a really good chance. They’ve just got to take it - and play to the levels they’ve already shown. The belief is only growing.
When you’re hit by injuries to key players, it can be easy to get downbeat about things. But others have stepped up in the absence of Lewis Grabban, Steve Cook, Max Lowe and Scott McKenna.
Forest have coped admirably with being without those influential players. Cooper’s ‘next man up’ philosophy helps. Even in games when they’ve had things thrown at them, like falling behind to QPR, they have risen to the challenge. They’ve got so many important goals late on in games - that’s testament to their fighting spirit.
There’s a good blend to the squad, too. They have got some big characters and great leaders. They have got young players who go out on the pitch with no fear, like Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson. And then there’s plenty of experience in there as well.
It’s going to be a really exciting finish to the season. But even if promotion doesn't happen this year, it feels as though something is being built - there is a plan going forward. Going up this season shouldn't be the be-all and end-all.
Q: We need all the injured players back after the international break.
A: Grabban should be fairly soon after the break. That was definitely the target for him.
He’s still been having a big influence while he’s been out, though, helping Keinan Davis. That was the first thing Davis said when he scored his first goal against Reading - that it was thanks to Grabban working on his instinct in the box.
It will be great to see Grabban back out on the pitch soon. He scores really important goals - goals which can be decisive in big games.
He was in cracking form before he picked up the injury. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off. And he is still club captain, so it will make a huge difference getting him back.
It will leave an interesting selection dilemma, though. Davis and Sam Surridge have both done well while Grabban has been out.
Losing both Cook and McKenna so close together was a big blow, both of them have been fantastic - albeit Tobias Figueiredo has come in and been excellent in the last two games.
Hopefully they are back quickly. It was great to see them both at the City Ground on Sunday, and a positive that Cook wasn’t wearing the protective boot or using the crutches he’d had when he came to watch the QPR game.
Lowe is a big miss, too. Getting him back means Jack Colback can move back into midfield, where he’s most effective.
Lowe is also better at getting forward, and his understanding with McKenna is a great asset. It was something he’d spoken about a few weeks ago.
The international break will take a couple of weeks out of their recovery period, so hopefully it turns out they don’t have to miss too many games. Ideally, you’d want to be as close to full strength as possible in this period, but Forest aren’t the only team contending with injuries. The players who come in are more than capable of doing a job.
Q: Have we got a new No.1 now?
A: Horvath has got the shirt at the minute. It’s his to lose. And he’s doing really well.
He was brilliant again on Sunday. The save he made in the first half was superb, and he made a few other good stops.
His distribution is getting better. He still is a little bit nervy with the ball at his feet, but generally he has been excellent - and his confidence seems to be growing.
Brice Samba lost his place through a moment of madness, and now someone else has come in and done well. Samba is having to sit and watch.
I think it would disrupt things to change goalkeeper again now. Horvath is starting to develop a relationship with the back line, and there’s no reason to leave him out, given the way he’s playing.
Chopping and changing goalkeeper too much can affect momentum, so I’d stick with Horvath for the rest of the season. But Samba will want to play, too, so come the summer Cooper may have to have a couple of difficult conversations.
Q: What’s going on with Richie Laryea? Surely he needs some game time as we could potentially play Sheffield United or Middlesbrough in the play-offs.
A: He’s just not managed to push himself into contention yet. It’s a case of being patient with him.
We’ve asked the manager about him a few times, and he’s said it’s a case of easing him in and of Laryea getting used to the Championship. English football is completely different to the MLS - it takes some getting used to, and some players adapt quicker than others.
It will have been good for him to get a taste of matchdays by being on the bench a few times. But he just has to keep working hard in training and keep learning about this new environment.
Spence and Lowe have been among the first names on the team-sheet when they’ve been fit. And when Lowe has been out, Colback has covered well.
Where Colback has an edge over bringing in Laryea to cover is that he knows the division. He’s experienced, he’s been there and done that, and you know what you’re going to get from him - even in a different position.
At this stage of the season, bringing in players who haven’t got that can be a bit of a gamble when there’s so much at stake. It’s the same for Loic Mbe Soh or Jonathan Panzo, with Cook and McKenna being out.
Cooper has generally stuck with a familiar group of players. I’d be surprised if that changes too much for the run-in - not when there’s so much riding on the games ahead.
Laryea isn’t the only one struggling to get a look-in. He just has to make sure he’s ready if he is needed, and keep trying to catch the eye.
