Smells like team spirit

Forest must stop winning like this. I could get used to it! Four wins from five games and just one defeat all season. You could say we're on a bit of a roll.

I think we have the best team we have had since the 2002-03 season. There seems to be a real team spirit which has enabled us to grind out results even when not playing particularly well. Last season when we suffered setbacks, the players' heads dropped, and we never recovered, but this year there is a never-say-die attitude which has been missing for years. I think this has got to be as a result of having a genuine leader on the pitch in Neil Lennon.

Lennon is one of those players who gets on with the job quietly and without fuss. Just because his name doesn't get mentioned much in the match reports does not mean he is not playing well. Far from it. His contribution cannot be underestimated. I think he is a massive calming influence, and he should definitely keep the captain's armband whether Ian Breckin is able to get back in the team or not.

I have also noticed lately that our disciplinary record has improved drastically. We have only had nine bookings so far this season, and a few of them were as a result of dodgy refereeing. If we can avoid our key players getting suspended, it means we can have a settled side, which can only be a boost to our promotion chances.

I was delighted after beating Hartlepool. More so than after the Gillingham game, as Gillingham were very poor anyway, and never looked like scoring, whereas Hartlepool really made our defence earn their money, and either side could have walked away with the three points. Paul Smith was once again instrumental and pulled off a number of very good saves, including one with his finger-tip. He also spared Junior Agogo vitriol from the supporters when he saved from close range after Agogo gave the ball away in midfield to enable Hartlepool to break free.

Agogo made up for his earlier error by firing home the winner seven minute from time, and fortunately we were able to withstand some late Hartlepool pressure to hold on for the three points, which puts us within touching distance of the leaders Tranmere. If we were to win our game in hand, we would go top, but let's not get too excited at this stage of the season. We are only just into October, and it's where we are in May that counts. Nobody needs reminding that we had a seven-point lead in December last year, but blew it. Perhaps, though, this was because unlike this season, we were not playing well and the team was full of average players and there was a lack of leadership. This year the team is full of talented players, we have a decent captain, the defence is solid, the midfield is creative, and the strikers are scoring. In other words we have a team! Not a collection of eleven individuals who look like they've never talked to each other before, but a team! It's been a long time coming, but at last Forest look like they mean business.