Nottingham Forest boosted their survival hopes with a crucial victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
Steve Cooper’s side came from behind to take all three points as they triumphed 3-1, ending an 11-match winless streak. Pascal Gross’ own goal, one from Danilo and Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty saw off the Seagulls. The challenge now is to build on that against Brentford on Saturday.
Ahead of the trip to the capital, 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.
READ MORE: Forest predicted XI for crucial Brentford clash
READ MORE: 19 pictures which tell the story of Forest's brilliant win over Brighton
Q: The fans will always be behind the team.
A: The atmosphere was just sensational on Wednesday night. There was so much riding on the game that it just made the whole night that much more special.
Not all clubs get that kind of support when things are going well, let alone on the back of an 11-match winless run and having fallen behind. At other grounds, in that kind of situation, you might hear the fans getting on the team’s back. The crowd can get edgy and impatient.
But that didn’t happen at the City Ground. And that’s been the case throughout the season, even when results haven’t gone the right way.
Throughout pretty much every game, home and away, the fans have been right behind the team and shown so much support. It makes such a difference.
If Forest do stay up, a lot of it will come down to their home form - and the crowd have played a massive part in that. They’re going to have a massive part to play in the remaining games, too.
The noise gave you goosebumps being in the stands on Wednesday, so it must have been incredible for the players to be amongst it on the pitch. There’s a video clip of Forest in the huddle before the game where Morgan Gibbs-White seems to be saying ‘feel it’, encouraging everyone to really feel the emotion and the atmosphere. It was also mentioned after the Liverpool game that the noise the players could hear before kick-off was from the away end. Don’t underestimate how important that backing is. Not every team has that kind of unconditional support.
Steve Cooper didn’t give his fist-pumps afterwards because he wanted to make the point that the job isn’t done, and also because he didn’t think it was right to overly celebrate after the run Forest have been on. But hopefully we get to see them again before the season is out.
Q: Need to beat Southampton and Palace and we stay up.
A: It’s so difficult to predict the relegation battle and how many points might be needed. It’s still really tight.
The important thing for Forest is that they take care of their own business. Getting out of the relegation zone can be a big psychological boost, but we’ve already seen how quickly things can change - for better or worse. It counts for nothing if more results don’t follow.
I think it’s probably between the bottom five clubs now, as to who goes down. Southampton have a lot of ground to make up so it will be tough for them, but it’s close between Everton, Leicester, Forest and Leeds. Bournemouth have a bit of a cushion and unless it goes horribly wrong - which it still can do - they will probably have enough.
Cooper has continuously stressed all Forest can do is take care of themselves. They’re on 30 points at the moment; another couple of wins might do it, but seven or eight more points would really give them a good chance.
The Southampton game is huge. That one is definitely a must-win. I think they still need to pick up a few points on the road, though. Turning around their away form would provide another significant psychological boost. If it does go down to the final day, it would definitely be better to go into the game at Palace having put the away hoodoo to bed.
Q: I loved the attitude of the players towards the end of the game. Chasing players down, screaming after making tackles, we had fight!
A: Forest’s fighting spirit was one of the standouts from Wednesday night. It was there against Liverpool, too. In games before that, I don’t think it had been there to the same level, but something seems to have shifted.
When Forest have fallen behind previously, it has sometimes led to them falling apart. One goal has led to another and the game gets away from them. In the last two matches, that hasn’t happened.
They’ve really dug in. That kind of attitude, mentality and resilience will be so important for the last five matches.
Every time Joe Worrall made a block or an interception or a tackle, he really got himself and the crowd going. That’s just one example of the kind of passion and spirit from Wednesday night, but you could point to a few like that. Everyone was putting bodies on the line and chipping in when needed.
There was a real unity, too. You could see it in the way everybody joined in the goal celebrations, including the subs.
Q: Time for Worrall to step up. Did well when he came on and hopefully can keep us going for final few games. Aurier was brilliant and put in a great captain’s performance, we have missed him badly.
A: Aurier has definitely been a big miss. Neco Williams was excellent before being forced off, though, just as he had been at Anfield - playing as a wing-back really suited him.
With Aurier back, it might be better to revert to a four-man defence. Forest actually might not have too much choice on that, depending on who is fit.
Aurier’s experience can be so valuable, though. He led by example on Wednesday, getting the team going when things weren’t going their way and ensuring they had cool heads. Having him back is huge, particularly with Williams out. The same goes for Cheikhou Kouyate, he can also be key in the run-in. Having anybody back at this point is significant, especially given the numbers sidelined, but two really experienced players can make a big difference.
Worrall was excellent when he came on. He didn’t put a foot wrong. He gets a lot of stick, but I think he’s done well in a few games. He was unlucky to have been left out in the first place.
He has made a few errors, but you could say that about a lot of players. Individual mistakes have been a bit of a theme. Worrall isn’t the only one who has made some, but he has also had some really good performances.
Wednesday night was one. He’s formed a decent partnership with Felipe before, so there’s no reason why that can’t happen again if they play on Saturday.
Everyone needs to step up. Survival won’t come down to one or two players, everyone will need to help out. Big performances and big characters.
How many more points do Forest need to stay up? Have your say in the comments below
READ NEXT
Gibbs-White sums up Nottingham Forest dressing room in two words
Brighton boss makes brutally honest Forest admission after humbling
Cooper's telling reaction as special City Ground roar fuels Forest belief
Forest and the Clough years - get your 48-page special edition
- The latest Nottingham Forest news in one place
