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.