Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper admitted he debated whether to hold off on his usual post-victory celebration on Saturday.
The Cooper fist-pumps have become synonymous with Reds wins this season. And the away fans roared as they made an appearance after the 1-0 triumph over Peterborough United at London Road.
But while Sam Surridge’s goal secured three points which put Forest one point away from mathematically guaranteeing a top-six finish, it was also a result which relegated the hosts. Cooper had that at the forefront of his mind at the final whistle.
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Asked if relegating Peterborough was something he dwelt on, the Welshman said: “To be fair, yeah. We want to show humility.
“I know I’ve celebrated with the fans, and I ummed and ahhed whether to do it. But when they are paying a lot of money to come and support us, then you have to respect your own. But the music isn’t as loud as what it normally is.
“Of course you want to come and win, and you have to look after yourself. And Grant will understand that.
“But at the same time, when you’ve got good people like Grant and his staff, who will come back stronger and have shown they’ve done really good jobs in the past - particularly at Hull - then you do want to show a bit of respect. I know we very much want to have the right mentality, but we want to do it with humility and good values as well.”
