After witnessing his Forest side record a potentially-decisive 1-0 victory over Fulham on Tuesday night, Steve Cooperinsisted that he had not been left totally impressed by his team’s performance at the long-time leaders.
Whether that is an attempt to keep his players feet on the ground, who knows, but it was a result which keeps Forest’s fate in their own hands as they to secure an unlikely second place.
Although the goals have dried up in their last two fixtures, Cooper will be delighted with the show of character, their run of clean sheets now being extended to three matches.
More importantly, eight wins have come from nine fixtures, and another three points at the City Ground will potentially provide Forest with the opportunity to leapfrog Bournemouth when the two teams meet on Tuesday.
The East Midlands outfit have not lost a league game at home since the turn of the year, a period which has lasted nine encounters.
Next up for Forest is a Swansea side who have alarmingly blown three-goal leads in two of their last three fixtures, undermining their improvements under Russell Martin.
In the grand scheme of things, a nine-match unbeaten streak will ultimately keep Martin in a job, but he has been left with the task of trying to eradicate the reasons behind their recent capitulations.
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While the one at Reading on Easter Monday took 29 minutes, they wilted in the concluding 18 minutes against Bournemouth, each of the equalisers coming in added-on time.
Swansea have now conceded 62 goals this season, the seventh-worst in the division, and for all of the attractive possession-based football that Martin likes to play, he requires a stronger sturdiness in the defensive third if his team are to become promotion contenders in 2022-23.
Joel Piroe scored two more goals on Tuesday evening, the Dutchman now having 22 strikes and six assists in his debut campaign in English football.
