It wasn’t pretty. Far from it. But one moment of quality was all Nottingham Forest needed. Sam Surridge doesn’t need asking twice.
And now the Reds have one foot in the final shake-up. Absolutely remarkable. To go from where they were to where they are is staggering.
When Steve Cooper took charge in September, the remit was to drag the club clear of relegation trouble; to avoid this season being one of catastrophe after Forest’s worst start to a campaign in more than a century. Seven months on, they are on the verge of guaranteeing a top-six finish.
Read more: How the Reds rated against Peterborough
Read more: Re-live the action from Forest's clash with Peterborough
One more point would make mathematically sure. Of those outside the play-off spots, only Middlesbrough can still catch Cooper’s men. They are nine points behind and have three games to play, but it would take one heck of a goal swing - the Reds’ goal difference standing at +29, compared to Boro’s +8.
Not that this team will be satisfied with just making up the numbers. They want more than that.
A different way to win
This wasn’t Forest at their free-flowing, attacking best at London Road. They were up against a side fighting for their lives. No wonder it was a scrappy affair.
Peterborough United threw plenty at the visitors. They were still battling right to the final whistle, with goalkeeper Dai Cornell sprinting up the pitch for a late corner. It was nervy at times.
Still, the Reds found a way to win - and with a hard-earned clean-sheet, too. A different way to how they would have liked, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
It’s not going to go their way in every game they play between now and whenever the season ends. Nevertheless, they’ve shown they can dig in and get a result all the same.
“Do I want every game to look like this one? No. But get on with it,” said Cooper afterwards.
“The other night, against West Brom, that was some of our in-possession play at its best. This time, we showed resilience, heart and soul at its very best as well.
“To say that we can do all of that is pleasing. But we’ve got to start again now and get ready for the next game.”
Moment of quality
Surridge is proving to be the very definition of clinical. He works hard, too - his running stats are “through the roof”, according to Cooper.
But most importantly, he takes his chances. His conversion rate is phenomenal.
Forest didn’t create too many chances, particularly in the first half. Peterborough were probably thinking they’d get to half-time all-square and in a decent position to push on.
All it took was one bit of quality, though. Not just from Surridge, but from the move as a whole.
Philip Zinckernagel was at the heart of it, winning the ball to set up the break, then driving forward and playing in Brennan Johnson. The resulting cross was a peach, played with his left foot and set up perfectly for Surridge. The striker still had work to do to head across goal and in at the far post, but it was a lovely finish.
That proved to be the difference. The Reds have the players to carve out those moments in amongst a dog-fight.
Five goals for Surridge now. And double-figures in assists for Johnson, to go with his 15 in the back of the net.
Injury concern
Forest may be reliant on those two, in particular, even more than they might have expected in the final weeks. It was a real worry to see Lewis Grabban look in some discomfort as he had to be substituted barely 15 minutes after replacing Surridge.
Given Keinan Davis is already sidelined, and facing a race to be fit to play some part in the play-offs, being without Grabban too would be a huge blow. Much responsibility would fall on Surridge’s shoulders.
The Reds do have goal threat throughout the side. They have also coped with adversity plenty of times already this term.
Nevertheless, being without two of their main strikers at this crucial juncture would be far from ideal. It felt particularly cruel for Grabban given he has not long returned from an ankle injury.
Cooper was giving little away afterwards about the extent of the problem. Plenty of fingers will be being crossed that it’s nothing too serious.
Almost there
Saturday was two opposite ends of the football spectrum. Defeat saw Peterborough drop down to League One, while the visitors continued to march forward.
There is a steely spirit about this Forest side. They showed that again, with everyone putting a mammoth shift in.
Can they still catch Bournemouth? It’s going to be tough, but they will certainly give it a real go.
Fulham fans could apparently be heard singing ‘Nottingham Forest are coming for you’ in their 1-1 draw with the Cherries. That point sees the gap between the second-placed side and the Reds at five points with four games to play - and that meeting between the two on the south coast to come.
That race isn’t over. Not yet anyway.
