Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall has insisted that the Reds need more from their attacking players during the rest of the campaign as they look to continue their recent improvements.

Chris Hughton has managed to galvanise his players in recent months and guide the club away from any immediate relegation danger. However, the Reds have lost two games in a row by a 1-0 score line against Luton Town and Watford and that has seen them fail to completely pull away from the teams below them in the table.

Nottingham Forest have managed to register just 28 league goals so far this season in their 35 league games, that is the fourth-lowest tally in the division and seven lower than Rotherham United who are currently sat inside the bottom three. Lyle Taylor who has not been a regular starter remains the top scorer with just four league goals to his name (Sofascore).

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, Worrall outlined that the Reds have to start seeing more from their attacking players between now and the end of the season. He also suggested that some of the forwards need to show a little more desire and be braver when getting into the box and getting on the end of things, citing Ryan Yates as an example to follow.

He said: “You can talk about the attacking players we have and the quality they possess, but how many goals have they scored this season?"

"When you look at them in training, you do definitely think that there are goals in these players. But these are the facts, aren’t they? We do not score enough goals.

“Lyle Taylor is our top scorer with four goals and he has not started the recent games.

“You look at all the talent we have got, and I keep going back to (Ryan) Yatesy. There are more talented players in this team, but if they had a pinch of his desire to get on the end of crosses, to put their body in front of the ball… people mistake what bravery is.

“Yatesy has had broken ribs, he has been hit by balls in the face and that is brave. But you have to be brave in other ways. You have to bust a gut to get on the end of crosses, you have to bust into the box, you have to take those opportunities."

The verdict

You can certainly see why Worrall is calling out the attacking players at Nottingham Forest, with the midfield and the defence having now solidified over the last few months under Hughton. That means the Reds are competitive in almost all of their games and that is when you need your attacking players to step up and be the difference.

The Reds failed to muster a single effort on target in defeat at Watford on Saturday, and that perhaps encapsulates their struggles in the attacking third so far this campaign. They need to find more of a natural scorer upfront which they thought they had with both Lewis Grabban and Taylor in the side.

However, Taylor has not settled into the club completely yet and has made just 13 starts in the league, while Grabban is currently out injured. Worrall has shown in recent weeks he is a real leader and Hughton will hope this latest message can serve to inspire the Reds’ attacking players.