There was no triple fist pump this time. Not even a double or single one. In fact, the result was barely acknowledged.
On the face of it, Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper should have been jumping for joy at a third straight league win.
His team comfortably toppled Barnsley 3-0 to move within one point of the Championship’s top six. They have now won seven of their last nine games in all competitions.
But the Welshman was not happy. He made that clear in his post-match press conference.
And that interview said everything about where the Reds are now - the progress they have made, the standards they are setting and their ambitions for the rest of the campaign.
They are not prepared to settle for what Cooper termed an “average” second half display against a struggling team.
If Forest are to properly establish themselves as promotion contenders, “average” is not good enough.
Before the game, Cooper had wound back the clock. He warned his players of the pitfalls of getting carried away by certain results, pointing to recent history as a lesson to be learnt.
Almost two years ago, on February 8, 2020, amid an incredible City Ground atmosphere, the Reds beat Leeds United 2-0 - Tyler Walker memorably coming off the bench to net the second, after being recalled from a loan spell at Lincoln City.
Under the charge of Sabri Lamouchi at the time, the team were in fourth place, two points below leaders West Bromwich Albion.
A few days after that victory over the Whites, Forest promptly went and lost 1-0 at home to Charlton Athletic, courtesy of a goal from Lyle Taylor. It was very much a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’.
Cooper did not want a repeat of that, on the back of all the euphoria which came with seeing off arch-rivals Derby County at the weekend.
His side at least avoided a Barnsley banana skin, easing to the three points. But the second half performance, in particular, was not at the levels they have come to expect.
As the manager put it, this group “are better than that”.
The biggest test of the club’s promotion ambitions may well come off the pitch, however.
Brennan Johnson again underlined his importance to the cause with a goal and an assist. But the resolve to hold on to him is being severely tested amid a concerted push from Brentford, with plenty of others also waiting in the wings.
With just a few days of the window left, what happens within them will be just as important as the huge strides the Reds have made under Cooper.
Business done in January (in and out) was always going to have a bearing on the outcome of the season.
It was the same back in 2020, too. Back then, Adama Diakhaby, Nuno Da Costa and Gaetan Bong, as well as the returning Walker, were brought in, with a number of players heading in the opposite direction.
The club didn’t strengthen in the way they needed to. It wasn’t the only factor in how that term ended, but it played a significant part.
This year, some good deals have already been done. More signings are expected.
The biggest, most important piece of business, though, could be Forest holding their nerve when it comes to Johnson.
Come 11.05pm on Monday, that would be well worthy of a few fist-pumps from the manager.
