Four-some Forest finally crack the top six

How proud do you feel seeing Forest's name in fourth place in the Championship?! Okay, so for a club of our stature and an honours list practically as long as your arm, taken at face value, it's not surprising at all, but in the context of our most recent history, it's an absolutely brilliant achievement.

Eleven months ago we looked cast-iron certainties for relegation back to League One after Doncaster embarrassingly demolished us on our own pitch on Boxing Day. But fast-forward nearly a year later, in Billy Davies' words, we are a completely different animal. The fact that the scoreline was eerily close to being a complete reversal of the scoreline that Doncaster inflicted on us last year (2-4 as if you need reminding) was a kind of poetic justice which underlined just how far Forest have come since that dreadful day.

Five of the players who played in the 4-2 defeat started the game this time around. Kelvin Wilson and Wes Morgan were still in central defence, but the key difference was the fact that we had decent full backs with Chris Gunter at right back and our on-loan signing Nicky Shorey, not so long ago an England international, making his debut at left back. Our midfield and attack were also a lot better, even taking into account the lack of Chris Cohen, Guy Moussi and Nathan Tyson.

We weren't that great in the first half, but just about deserved the lead thanks to a Paul Anderson shot that went in off a Doncaster defender. Officially it was recorded as an own goal, but Anderson really should take most of the credit as he did really well to get the shot in after his initial attempt was cleared off the line.

As so often seems to be the case this season, Forest had a really strong second half. When Wes Morgan made it 2-0 with a header from a corner on the stroke of the hour, we looked really comfortable. While Doncaster were quite good on the counter attack, our defense dealt with them really easily, and Lee Camp had hardly anything to do. Rob Earnshaw, back in the side following his free-kick heroics at Middlesbrough a week ago, put the game beyond reasonable doubt when he latched on to a Radoslaw Majewski ball to send the ball flying into the net from inside the penalty area. But it was substitute Lewis McGugan who stole the show when he made the grandest of entrances after coming on for Majewski. Somehow, from a really tight angle, he dispatched a shot (or was it a cross?) that crashed straight into the net to everybody's disbelief. It was certainly one of the best goals I've ever witnessed at the City Ground in almost a decade of going to matches. If it had been scored in the Premiership, they would no doubt be saying it was world-class! As it is, I bet it hardly gets mentioned, but who cares, it was a special moment for us.

After weeks of knocking on the door of the top six, we have finally been awarded for our excellent first four months of the campaign and are now fourth, just behind Leicester, who we just so happen to be playing next Saturday. If we beat them we will go third, and who knows, maybe even close the gap on Newcastle and West Brom, who at the moment seem to be running away with it a little bit. As we've almost reached the half-way stage in the season, I think people are going to have to take us very seriously regarding promotion. I'm even beginning to like the idea of being in the Premiership! We don't have a very good record there, having been relegated from it three times, but if teams like Stoke, Wigan and Bolton can do well in it, why the hell not us? So, yes, let's go for it. If it all goes wrong, then it does, but if we do come straight back down, at least we know that the Championship is a really good League to be in, so really we have nothing to lose.

A well-Earned point as Forest's impressive away form holds firm

I am so glad I didn't slit my wrists when Forest were crushed 5-0 at Burnley back in March. Because, although it may have seemed like the end of the world at the time, that was actually the last time Forest lost an away game!

We still remain the only team in the seven top divisions not to have lost a single game on our travels this season, and that is something we can be really be proud of. It's about time that we made positive headlines for ourselves, as we were so used to doing in the glory days under Cloughie. It hasn't been much fun being a Forest fan in recent years, but since Billy Davies arrived, it's been pretty much plain sailing, and I can't tell you how good it has been for my health, both mentally and physically. I'm no longer getting stomach palpitations worrying about permutations. It's a very pleasant feeling, and I'm going to enjoy it while I can, because it is not going to last for ever.

It would have been a huge injustice if we had not got something from the Middlesbrough game. To be quite frank, we were pretty awful in the first half as we struggled to get to grips with it. Boro were tearing our defence apart, and when they took the lead in only the fifth minute through Leroy Lita, I feared that a hammering could be on the cards. Fortunately that turned out to be far from the case, though, as we settled more and more into the game, and after the break we were excellent and completely dominated. The only thing lacking was our final ball, but it was great to see Robert Earnshaw get himself back on the scoresheet when he scored from a superb free kick to equalise with twenty minutes remaining. I really thought we might go on to win then, such was our superiority, but I was more than happy to settle for a point at the Riverside. It was our fourth consecutive draw, so maybe we could have done with a win, but I'm sure there is another victory just around the corner.

Hopefully that will be at home to Doncaster next week. It will be a tough game, because Donny are no pushovers, as we found out to our cost on Boxing Day last year.
I don't want to dwell on it too much, but suffice to say it was the moment when Forest hit rock bottom, but also the start of something much, much better as Colin Calderwood fell on his sword much to all our delight, and Forest have not looked back since!

Sorry Forest, but I just can't get used to not fretting about you!

Usually I feel absolutely gutted when Forest concede last-minute goals of significance, but I only felt a bit disappointed that we were unable to hold on to our lead given to us by Wes Morgan just a few minutes earlier against Bristol City. We have been doing so well lately that I thought it was greedy to expect yet another victory, so I'm quite satisfied with a point. The most important thing was not to head into the international break on the back of a defeat.

I'm not at all desperate for promotion, and there's not much chance of us getting relegated, so I feel very relaxed about Forest at the moment, which is not something I have been able to say very often over the past decade at all! I want us to finish somewhere in the top ten, but don't think I can face the play-offs. Not because it would be a disaster if we lost them, but just that they can cause a lot of emotional upset and it would be a shame for a depression to set back in at the City Ground, just when the outlook has become so sunny again. But sooner or later I think I'm going to get bored of having nothing to worry about regarding Forest. I've got an addictive personality and crave a bit of danger, so I hope we do make a good fist of trying to get into the top six just to keep the season alive. We are almost half way there to being safe from relegation, and there's still two-thirds of the season to go. I predict that by February, we'll be virtually safe, as by Christmas we'll probably have something in the range of about 35-40 points.

I didn't think we played particularly well against Bristol City in the first half. There were a number of players who were having an off-day, giving the ball away too much. Billy Davies picked the same side that earned a late draw at Cardiff. This meant a five-man midfield with David McGoldrick up front on his own. I'm sure that if Nathan Tyson and Dexter Blackstock hadn't been injured, we would have played 4-4-2, but even so it still seemed a bit negative. I would have liked to have seen Dele Adebola on from the start, as Forest looked a much more menacing outfit once he came on ten minutes into the second half. Davies seems to get his substitutions right a lot of the time as Forest suddenly looked capable of scoring once Gareth McCleary and Rob Earnshaw were both on the pitch. The goal, though, came from an unlikely source in Morgan, who tucked the ball in from six yards out following a free kick. Once again Adebola had been involved, which just goes to show how effective he can be as a substitute.

But our celebrations were short-lived as Danny Haynes pounced in the last minute of normal time to equalise for City, and we were forced to settle for a point, which on reflection was what both sides deserved. We still managed to climb a couple of places in the table, though, into a very respectable eighth position. Now cast your mind back 12 months and if somebody told you we'd be in eighth in the Championship a year later, you'd be amazed, wouldn't you?!

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.

Fearless Forest still undefeated away from home

This is going to sound a little bit strange, but I feel quite glad that our winning run has ended. It felt a bit like eating too many chocolates. Too much of a good thing is bad for you, and to be quite honest I was getting a bit sick of it! The glorious feeling of winning is only possible if you've felt the agonising lows as well. That's why when I say I'm not jealous of the likes of Chelsea and Man United fans I truly mean it.

I thought we did really well to come away with a point from Crystal Palace, who have been in very good form lately. We didn't really create an awful lot, but we packed the midfield and made life very difficult for them. The last five minutes of the first half were very dramatic as not only did Palace take the lead from a Darren Ambrose free kick, but Forest also were forced to make a substitution when Clint Hill elbowed Paul Anderson in the face. The challenge left Anderson on the ground for quite a long time, and it looked like Hill would get his marching orders. But the referee decided there was no malintent and he was only booked. Unfortunately for Forest, though, Anderson was unable to continue and was replaced with Gareth McCleary.

Rather bizarrely, although I didn't hear it at the time, the local commentary was then accidentally fed through the tannoy with the commentator's words 'out of his pram' being heard by thousands of people. This was clearly referring to Billy Davies who had reacted furiously to Hill's elbow on Anderson. I just wish I heard it, as it would have been hilarious! To be honest, I was so worried about Anderson that I didn't notice. Thankfully, he turned out to be okay, but Davies and Neil Warnock were full of criticism for each other at the end of the game. Honestly, would you expect anything less from Warnock? The man is a clown, and always has been!

Forest got their justice when they grabbed a well-worked equaliser just three minutes into the second half. David McGoldrick, who was back in the side in the absence of Dexter Blackstock, latched on to a Lewis McGugan cross and tapped in from close-range to score his second goal in Forest colours. Palace went close several times to retaking the lead, but Lee Camp was in superb form and kept us in it with some great saves, including one in the dying moments of stoppage time when he denied one-time Forest striker Stern John from grabbing a last-gasp winner. After all the hard work we had put in, that would have been a real heart-breaker.

Luckily, the whistle blew soon after that and we still remain undefeated away from home, a feat that has not been achieved by any other team in all four divisions this season! That record will be severely tested when we visit high-flying Cardiff next Sunday evening, but I don't think we have any reason to fear it at all. It will probably be a backs-to-the-wall job, but if anything it's Cardiff who should be wary of us, and not the other way round. Whatever happens, I'm sure we won't be as bad as Derby were when they got thrashed 6-1 there!

All hail King Billy, the best manager we've had for years

I really thought that the game against Barnsley was heading for a goalless draw last night. Having won our previous four games, I wasn't all that desperate to win, so was counting down the clock when four minutes of injury time were declared, praying that Barnsley would not snatch a late winner, as they had threatened to do when Lee Camp made a couple of excellent saves. But it was us who broke Barnsley's hearts instead when the magnificent Guy Moussi struck deep in stoppage time to hand us our fifth straight win.

Moussi paid the price for jumping into the Trent End crowd when he was sent off, having already been booked a few minutes earlier, but thankfully Forest kept their nerve and saw out the last minute or so to hold on for another hard-fought victory. Although we remain in seventh place, we are now just two points away from the top of the table, believe it or not! The difference between being bottom of the table and the top is that even when you win, you might not make much progress as the other teams around you are in good form as well. It is not even November yet, so it's a bit early to say whether we will be serious promotion candidates come May, but I think we have a very good chance. We are a very strong and well-organised side with a great team spirit. That will take us very far. We are light years away from last season under Colin Calderwood. Billy Davies and his managerial team have done an absolutely brilliant job of transforming us from almost dead certs for relegation to League One into one of the best teams in the Championship in such a short space of time. I just pray that he isn't tempted by the offer of a bigger job elsewhere because he really is the best thing that has happened to Forest in years and years. I can't believe he was out of work for over a year. With such a promising Championship CV, I would have thought he would have been snapped up immediately by a club in that division when he was fired by Derby. It was a somewhat uncharacteristically brave move by Nigel Doughty to appoint somebody with a reputation for having forthright opinions, but at long last it looks as though this is one managerial appointment he has got right!

Dare we dream of the Premier League?

I feel so PROUD of Forest at the moment! Everything is going so well, and following a well-deserved win over the leaders Newcastle, we could be on the verge of something special at the City Ground.

I was bowled over at times by the quality of football we were playing in the first half. We kept the ball so well and really dominated possession. Newcastle weren't a bad team, but they simply couldn't handle our abundance of pace. I was particularly impressed with Guy Moussi, who was playing in a three-man central midfield. He was excellent at winning the ball and distributing it. It was the best I'd seen him play in a long time. Paul Anderson, too, was looking very dangerous on the wing, and he was the orchestrator of a sublime bit of skill when he somehow kept the ball in play when it looked to be going out, before running with it and then dispatching a shot from a tight angle, which the goalkeeper just got his hands to. It would surely have been one of the finest goals ever scored at the City Ground had it gone in. Billy Davies got his tactics spot on by playing five in midfield and Dexter Blackstock up front on his own. It might have seemed a bit negative on paper, but Blackstock got plenty of chances, and when he gave us the lead on the stroke of full time when he latched on to a through ball from Radoslaw Majewski, it was all he and his team mates deserved.

For a lot of the second half, it was a backs-to-the-wall job as we soaked up a lot of Newcastle pressure. But luckily our defence was on top form, and the closest Newcastle got to equalising was when Kevin Nolan put the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offisde. That was sweet justice for those Forest fans who had read his comments earlier saying that we'd celebrate victory over them as if we'd won the European Cup (again). As if! I must admit, my celebrations were a bit more passionate than usual when we win, but no, it didn't feel as if we'd won the European Cup. At least Forest do know what that feels like, eh Kevin? It's not a feeling he's likely to ever experience in his lifetime.

So now that we have beaten supposedly the biggest club in the League, I think we can safely say that Forest mean business this season. There's no way that we will be sucked into a relegation battle. We are far too strong for that. Therefore, to keep the season going, we've got to target those play-off places, and who knows, maybe even automatic promotion. We are only five points away from first place after all. But, I agree with Davies. We're just not ready for the Premiership yet. We need another season or two down here first of all. We do not want to repeat Derby's awful experience. Davies is as yet unproven as a manager at that level, although I think he'd be up for the challenge given the right circumstances. If we can flirt with the play-offs but not actually reach them, then it will be a great season. We're currently seventh, and our odds on winning promotion are being shortened all the time, so people obviously like the look of us. We got off to a slow and uninspiring start, but it's all coming together very nicely now, and for the first time in what seems like eons, I can't think of a bad word to say about the Club!