Nottingham Forest picked up a solid away point at the weekend against high-flying Brentford, but they are still in a relegation battle for now.

Filip Krovinovic's first goal for the club cancelled out Ivan Toney's 12th minute penalty to send Forest back up north with a point, but Rotherham's win over Bristol City meant that they cut the gap to 17th-placed Forest to just seven points.

The Millers have four games in hand on the Reds so they are not out of the scrap for survival just yet, and some wins after the international break will be much-needed as Chris Hughton's outfit head into a crucial part of the season.

Hughton will have a few concerns though going into the international break with Forest without a win in six Championship matches - let's look at two of those issues he is facing.

Figuring out who is the best striking option

The lack of wins has also coincided with a lack of goals - Forest have netted just three times in their winless run and Glenn Murray has started four of those games and Lewis Grabban the previous two.

It may now be time for a change, and that could either mean Hughton shifting formations to something different, like a 4-4-2 or a 3-5-2, or even giving Lyle Taylor a chance.

The summer signing from Charlton Athletic has mainly been utilised as a substitute this season and Hughton doesn't seem to fancy him ahead of his two other experienced front-men.

But it may finally be time to give him a chance - Murray and Grabban haven't found the back of the net since the beginning of February and Taylor must be wondering what he has to do to get a chance.

 

 

 

 

McKenna staying fit on international duty

Forest had one centre-back on the bench on Saturday and that was Loic Mbe Soh, with Joe Worrall spending some time on the sidelines due to a cracked rib.

Worrall may be back after the international break but Hughton will also want to see Scott McKenna come through unscathed, especially as he's short on defensive options right now.

The Scot has has a stop-start season due to injury but McKenna has started three games in a row now, but he's going away with Scotland for their World Cup qualifiers this week.

Hughton will have everything crossed that McKenna isn't overworked because he could be a key player for Forest between now and the end of the season.