Midfield steel is making us a lot more solid

I was quite happy we got a point against Swansea. Obviously three would have come in very handy, but the fact that we had won our previous two games against very difficult opposition meant that there was less pressure on us to get a win, and we did end the day a point clearer of the relegation zone than when we started it.

The first half was a superb game of football with both teams looking excellent going forward. Swansea caused us no end of problems, especially Jason Scotland, but we were able to contain him thanks largely to the steel in our midfield that was provided by Isaiah Osbourne and Guy Moussi. I was surprised to see them both line up together as I thought it would be one or the other. It was quite harsh on Lewis McGugan, who has been in good form of late, to be dropped to the bench, but that is what happens when you've got a good squad. You cannot find a place for everybody. It was just so refreshing to see such a strong line-up and bench for once. If this had been the case earlier in the season, I'm pretty confident that we would not be hovering just above the relegation zone by now.

I thought Gary McSheffrey, who joined on loan from Birmingham, this week, looked quite impressive. He had a few shots on goal, and I think he could be a huge asset to us during his loan spell here. I hope Birmingham don't recall him, but the chances are that if he is successful here, they will, so let's hope that we have enough points on the board by the time he goes back. He didn't play the full match as he was substituted for McGugan mid-way through the second half, and by then we were a goal down after Scotland had scored from close-range just after the hour-mark, despite Forest being the better side at that point.

Once McSheffrey had gone off, I thought Forest looked devoid of ideas and I couldn't see where a goal was going to come from. Paul Anderson had earlier been substituted at half time because he had picked up a slight calf injury, and his replacement Gareth McCleary, despite some excellent runs earlier on, faded after a while and Forest started to play more direct again. But just when I had begun to give up hope, a brilliant cross from Joel Lynch was met with perfection by McGugan, who headed home an equaliser out of nothing fourteen minutes from time.

Either side could have snatched all three points with both goalkeepers producing good saves late on. Rob Earnshaw saw two late efforts go begging, including one from an overhead bicycle kick that went over the crossbar. And Swansea, who had not been much of a threat in the second half, especially after their goalscorer Scotland was substituted, could always be a danger on the counter attack. A long-range shot from Garcia Jordi Gomez forced Smith into a very good flying save. Other than that, Smith had rarely been called into action as Forest had contained Swansea very well.

A draw was a very fair result, but against inferior opposition, Forest would probably have won quite easily. Swansea were a very good organised team, and it's no wonder they have been doing so well this season. Forest would probably have been destroyed by them a few weeks ago, but with Osbourne and Moussi marshalling the midfield, they look a much improved side. Our defence is better protected as a result, and doesn't look quite so pathetic as it did earlier on in the campaign.

Both Norwich and Southampton lost, so we are now four points clear of the drop zone. It's still close for comfort, but it could be a lot, lot worse. It is only a fortnight on from that awful home defeat against Derby. If somebody told me that we'd go on to claim seven points out of the next nine against Reading, Preston and Swansea and then be four points clear, I would never have believed them, but since then we've managed to get all of our good players back from injury and signed a couple of very good players on loan in Osbourne and McSheffrey. But the biggest influence of all has been Moussi. I wasn't too impressed with his form in September and October as, like the rest of the team, he was underperforming under Colin Calderwood, but since his comeback from his four-month lay-off, he has looked like the player that we were raving about back in August.

Our next few games do not get any easier with back-to-back away trips to Watford and Burnley, and then we have the chance to exact revenge on Wolves for their mauling of us at Molineux. I think perhaps if we can manage four points out of nine from these games, it would be a quite good return. Watford are in very good form and will stay up no problem. But then we are not too bad ourselves at the moment, so anything could happen there, and we are a better side away from home. I think there's a chance we could beat Burnley, and we should give Wolves more of a contest than what we did at Molineux as we have come on a long way since then and Wolves have been quite poor lately. If Michael Kightly happens to be playing for them, though, I think perhaps it would be a good idea for Luke Chambers to be 'rested' for the game. It's fair to say that Chambers did not have his finest couple of hours marking Kightly in the reverse fixture, and although he has undeniably improved since then, I think this is an ideal chance for James Perch to stake a claim for a regular place at right back. There is no other way he will get back into the team, otherwise.