Chris Hughton insists that Lyle Taylor's goals for Montserrat whilst on international duty will give him a "real lift" as Nottingham Forest prepare for the final eight games of the season.

Taylor joined Forest on a free transfer in the summer following the expiration of his contract at Charlton Athletic, on the back of scoring 11 goals in 22 games for the Addicks last term.

The 31-year-old has since endured a frustrating campaign at the City Ground, despite scoring more goals than anyone else in the squad this season.

Taylor is Forest's leading goalscorer with five goals in all competitions this season, but he finds himself behind Lewis Grabban and Glenn Murray in the pecking order. The striker has made 33 Championship appearances this season, but only 13 of those have been starts.

But the striker was back amongst the goals for Montserrat in midweek, scoring three goals in two games for his country in World Cup qualifying matches against Antigua and Barbuda and El Salvador.

Taylor will hope that those goals push him further up the pecking order and into Chris Hughton's plans between now and the end of the season, with Forest preparing for their last eight games of the season.

Talking to FLW in yesterday's press conference about whether a lack of confidence has been an issue for Taylor, Hughton said: "Lyle is already a confident individual. He's not a young man, he's an experienced player who has played a lot of games.

"What those goals will do is give him a boost and a real lift. It has been a difficult period for him and I've made choices that have gone against him in regards to who starts up front.

"It's a boost for him, but also for us. It's great to see any of our players playing at international level, but scoring goals at international level is another thing.

"I'm really pleased for him."

The Verdict

The fact that Taylor is Forest's top goalscorer with five goals tells the whole story.

Forest have struggled for goals this season, and even though Taylor hasn't started too many games, there is an argument to be had that he hasn't done enough when he's come on as a substitute.

Lewis Grabban is club captain and Glenn Murray is a player who Hughton trusts and knows like the back of his hands. That makes it very hard for Taylor to force his way into the manager's plans, when he has two forwards ahead of him in the pecking order.