Samba has proved to be an inspired piece of business by the club having joined Nottingham Forest after Caen were relegated from Ligue 1 in 2018/19.

The glovesman was dropped by Chris Hughton in his final game in charge against Middlesbrough and was replaced by Ethan Horvath only for Steven Reid to reinstate him in the next match.

The 27-year-old will feel a lot more comfortable with the recent performances from the back three in front of him.

Joe Worrall has been a consistent performer for the Reds over a number of years now but Scott McKenna and Tobias Figueiredo have really stepped up in recent weeks, providing a stable base for Forest to express themselves in the final third.

There are tougher tests to come with Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield United their next trio of fixtures but with the confidence levels sky high amongst the squad they will be going into each encounter believing they can pickup maximum points.

The Verdict

When on his game Samba is one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship and has a hugely important role to play if Forest are to capitalise on the progress they have made since Hughton's sacking.

The next three matches will show what the Reds are really made of coming up against two top six sides and the Blades who are still expected to be up there towards the end of the season.

Samba ran the length of the pitch and slid along his knees after Lyle Taylor netted the winner in what was very memorable night at Ashton Gate. How long Forest can ride this wave of momentum remains to be seen but they certainly have the talent to sustain a play-off push.