Former Nottingham Forest favourite Garry Birtles has urged the club's players to embrace the pressure that comes with trying to win promotion.

The Reds have enjoyed a fine start to life under Sabri Lamouchi and they currently occupy the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship.

Whilst there is obviously a long way to go in the campaign, there is real optimism around the City Ground after the way they have started and Birtles told Nottinghamshire Live that the players need to use that to take them forward.

"Make no mistake about it, now the Reds have thrust themselves into the Championship’s top two, they’ll be there to be shot at - and if they didn’t before, everybody will relish getting their scalp now.

"For a long time, Forest haven’t found themselves in such a position. If anything, they’ve had the pressure of being at the other end of the table and fighting for points to stay in the division, so it’s refreshing to see things turn on their head – I really hope they’re loving being in the position they are, feeling the positivity and electricity that’s surrounding the club at the moment."

Lamouchi's men are back in action against Wigan Athletic on Sunday as they look to extend their ten-game unbeaten run against the Latics.

The verdict

Even though they are a big club, the sad fact for Forest is that this is a new position for them to be in, so it will be interesting to see how they cope.

As Birtles states, there will be a pressure that comes with every game now but it is a positive pressure.

It's now down to the players to use the momentum and optimism to help them, starting with a tricky game at a Wigan side this weekend who are usually strong at home.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

[freshpress-poll ]