Steve Cooper was a happy man after his side defeated Brighton and Hove Albion 3-1 at The City Ground on Wednesday night, but insisted there is still work to be done with five Premier League matches remaining this season.
After missing a penalty through Brennan Johnson in the first half, Forest found themselves a goal down when Facundo Buonanotte tapped in from close-range on 38 minutes.
But after pulling a goal back before the break courtesy of a Pascal Groß own-goal, The Reds went on to secure three points through goals from Danilo and Morgan Gibbs-White, with the latter converting from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Here's what the Forest Head Coach had to say after a return to winning ways on Trentside...
On the game plan…
“We needed a win, that was the most important thing. However it looked tonight, as long as we got the win I wasn’t really that concerned.
“I’m really grateful to the players for trusting the plan. Brighton are a really good team in how they play, but we really felt that we could create chances in the way that we did, which was accepting that they would have more of the ball and accepting that they were going to make more passes, which doesn’t necessarily turn into creating real chances.
“I knew if we got our out of possession game right and we stuck to the plan, we would be able to create the chances. We’ve missed a penalty, Brennan has got in one-on-one, Danilo has had a good attempt and he’s got in a couple of times, and we managed to keep that going in the second half.
“I have so much gratitude to the players for really trusting the plan.”
On the equaliser before half-time…
“It feels very important now, especially when you think about the penalty miss, Moussa coming off, the goal we conceded. I was standing there thinking when our luck would turn.
“What we saw was a great example of resilience. There were a lot of fans here tonight seeing their team really fighting and that’s what it takes.
“When things go against you, you have to roll your sleeves up and fight even harder and that’s what the players did.”
On looking forward…
“It’s a vibrant dressing room and it was a good night, but we’ve got to get straight back to the training ground and prepare for another important game on Saturday. That’s the only thing on my mind now.
“I said before the game that things can change quickly, for better and for worse, we’ve got to keep on doing everything we can to make change for the better.
“Tonight’s result will help, but we’ve got to show exactly the same on Saturday.
“We’ve picked up some injuries with Neco and Moussa, it will be the third game in a week on Saturday so we have some decisions to make in terms of what the team looks like.
“There’s still lots of work to be done.”
On the support…
“The support was incredible tonight and our supporters deserved the win.
“They’ve been at their normal, even when they probably haven’t felt their best, they’ve still shown their best and we are incredibly grateful for that.
“I like it when people come here for the first time and speak about the atmosphere. This place oozes football soul and when it comes together on a matchday and things go well, it’s such a brilliant place to be.”