Jack Colback joined The Reds, initially on loan, during the January 2018 transfer and made the permanent move to The City Ground in August 2020. With 133 appearances across all competitions under his belt in the Garibaldi, we caught up with Colback to discuss his time on Trentside so far and how he’s enjoying being back in the Premier League.
“It’s been good, obviously it’s been challenging at times and it’s the first time the club has been in the Premier League for a long time,” said the 33-year-old.
“We’re all embracing it, there have been new faces coming in and a lot of change but it’s something that will help move us forward and the club is trying to move forward in many ways.
“The fans are getting to experience big games and different venues, but we know we’ve still got a lot of work to do. We said after the Man City game not to get too high because there’s always another game and it was the same after the West Ham game."
Looking back on when he first arrived in Nottingham, the midfielder joined with the ambition of winning immediate promotion to the Premier League. It might not have happened as quickly as first envisaged, but helping The Reds return to the top flight for the first time in 23 years is something Colback looks back on with immense pride.
“When I first signed, it was to try and help the club get promoted. Things didn’t initially go quite as well as I thought and that goal of reaching the Premier League seemed to be slipping away.
"It got to the stage where I thought it might not happen, so to do it the way we did last season, especially after the start we had, was really special and to do it at Wembley was probably the best moment of my football career. The memories I’ll have from that will last forever.
“I said to the lads beforehand that these are the sort of opportunities and experiences that money can’t buy, and I think the fans lived that with us as well.
"We know that’s gone now and we’re in the Premier League and it’s a different type of challenge but it’s one that we’re embracing and just trying to do the club and the fans proud.”
After signing permanently in August 2020, Colback’s first full season back on Trentside was played behind-closed-doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking back at that period, Colback admits it was a difficult time for both the players and the supporters but feels that experience has helped bring the two together.
“It was a really strange time during the pandemic, day-to-day life for everyone was a unique experience and sometimes you think about it and remember how challenging it was for everyone.
"The big thing for people who are maybe having difficulties in life is being able to go to the game at the weekend, but they weren’t even able to do that and to play in empty stadiums without them was quite a grim experience to be honest.
"You had the same value on the game in terms of points and league position, but it was difficult to keep the level compared to when you’ve got a capacity crowd behind you. It’s something everyone had to go through but to get the fans back in was great and then we really kicked on when the manager came in.”
Despite playing the majority of his career in central midfield, Steve Cooper deployed Colback at left-wingback for large portions of last season, a role which he admits he enjoyed and was happy to do to help the team despite being a slightly different to what he had previously been used to.
“I didn’t mind playing in that role, I’ve played left-back before during my time at Sunderland and Newcastle, so I wasn’t too alien to it, but left-wingback was a bit different because you receive the ball a lot higher up and I’m not someone who has a huge number of tricks in my locker! But I enjoyed it, and I knew the team and the manager needed me to do a job there.
“Me and the gaffer have had a really good relationship since he came in and we get on well. He’s always tried to use the senior players and give them that respect from being around for so long and use that to help the lads, and whatever happens from here it’ll be an experience that I’ll never forget.
"I wasn’t playing too much before Steve came in, but we had a good chat and he had to work me out, but he put trust in me, and I managed to get myself back amongst it.”
Back to the here and now, Colback is under no illusions about how tough the remainder of the Premier League campaign is going to be but is confident that The Reds have shown enough to be able to compete at this level particularly with the support of the Forest fans behind them.
“We have a lot of competition in the squad which is good. I actually had COVID after the Newcastle game and it knocked me for a good few weeks. No disrespect to the Championship but you could possibly get away with being 10-15% below your full fitness but in this league, you can’t do that, and I knew I had to work my way back to 100%.
"I kept working hard and started to come off the bench a bit more, then starting the last two games was really good and I wear the shirt with pride."
“The City Ground has been brilliant, and I think it’s known now that it’s becoming a really tough place to come for teams, which has been down to our performances and the fans.
"When the fans sing Mull of Kintyre before the game, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up every time. When I first joined, the club were meandering in the Championship a bit but to see it now and selling out the ground every week is something the players really appreciate.
"The away support is always fantastic too, and for me I’ve always put pressure on myself to give that back in terms of performances and results. As I mentioned we’re trying to do the club, the fans and the city proud and hopefully we’re doing that.
“I don’t take the support from the fans lightly; I’ve been at the club five years now and played over 130 games so it’s close to the longest I’ve been with any team.
"To get the appreciation, support and respect of the fans from the club you play for is all you want as a player. I’ve had moments here that I’ll never forget, and I know it’s not going to last forever with the stage I’m at in my career, so I try and enjoy every little moment now and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season. The main aim is to stay in the Premier League, it’s tight at the moment and there’s probably 5-6 teams thinking the same thing.
"We know how precious each point is and you’ve got to fight and work for it. We have to take one game at a time and get as many points on the board as we can to keep this club in the league it deserves to be in.”