Promotion a distinct possibility, but do we really need it?

My mum says she did a dance around the living room when Lewis McGugan blasted home the equaliser in injury time at Cardiff. She keeps telling me she isn't a Forest supporter and only wants me to be happy, but isn't that how a lot of football fans start out, by wanting their parent's team to do well so they would be in a good mood? I think that must have been the case with my dad twenty or so years ago, so although my mum is approaching her sixties now, I think she is secretly developing a fondness for Forest! Before too long, she'll be accompanying me to home games!

I've very little to complain about Forest these days, and it feels very strange to be honest. We've been used to dire performances week-in-week out with the players showing a complete lack of commitment and desire, but that is hardly the case now with every single one of the players giving their all, and it is just wonderful to see. There is usually a weak leak in the team, somebody who we make a scapegoat and blame when everything is going wrong, but you can't pick anyone out at the moment. The fact that every game there are a handful of candidates for Man of the Match shows how good a team we have become under Billy Davies. Before he arrived, there were some talented individuals, but they had no idea how to play together. It wasn't their fault as it was down to the appalling coaching they were receiving, but Davies and his staff have sorted that out and made us into a very good professional outfit. Some of the players have really excelled under his leadership. Kelvin Wilson, in particular, since he returned from injury, has been very impressive in the heart of defence alongside Wes Morgan. I must admit I didn't rate him at all last season, but he's been back to his best recently. I thought it was harsh dropping Luke Chambers for him, but Davies must have had his reasons, and it looks like he's been proven right.

On the whole I thought we defended very well against a side that boasted the division's top scorers in Michael Chopra and Guy Whittingham, who between them had scored 21 goals going into the match. Lee Camp had an exceptional game and really showed what a quality goalkeeper he can be. In the first half he made a double reaction save, and was generally solid right throughout the game. But it had taken Cardiff a while to get going as Forest dominated possession in the first half, and could have opened the scoring when the impressive Paul Anderson shot wide, and David McGoldrick who was operating a lone striker's role, also went close when he found himself in a one-on-one situation.

Cardiff took the lead through Jay Bothroyd just after the hour when they caught Forest out on the counter attack after a corner. The goal had been coming as Cardiff were getting stronger and stronger, and when Davies made a couple of substitutions in midfield, bringing on Dele Adebola for Radoslaw Majewski, and Gareth McCleary for Joe Garner, Forest seemed to be struggling to adapt, and Cardiff began to assert their authority. But just when I was bemoaning how Davies had possibly cost us the game with his tinkering, his third substitute, McGugan, fired the equaliser one minute into stoppage time to deny Cardiff top spot and give Forest a richly deserved share of the spoils and stretch our unbeaten away record to eight games.

I was absolutely delighted to take a point away from Cardiff, who like Forest, had been in brilliant form lately. After winning five games in a row, Forest could afford to relax a bit and that's probably why we did so well at Crystal Palace and Cardiff as we played without fear. To get two draws at these grounds is excellent as both are very difficult places to go. If we can hold teams like Cardiff away from home, then we have to be considered as one of the front-runners for the play-offs, if not the automatic spots. We are only four points from the top, after all. The Championship is so incredibly tight this season in the top half of the table. Everybody is beating everyone, so it's impossible to predict who will be top come May at the moment. We seem to be holding our own against the strongest teams, beating the likes of Newcastle, and going to Cardiff and getting a point, as well as deserving something from the West Brom game, so there is no reason why we shouldn't be in the top six at the end of the season. I definitely think we are good enough to make the play-offs, but I just hope that nobody will be too downhearted if we lose them, because although we have made significant progress since last season, we've got to take things slowly, otherwise we might be in danger of burning ourselves out too quickly.