Nottingham Forest certainly enjoyed themselves on Good Friday.

A trip to Cardiff City promised to be a tricky encounter for Chris Hughton's side as they looked to secure the points that would move them away from the relegation battle.

Thankfully for the Reds they managed to do exactly that with a 1-0 victory over the Bluebirds.

A goal from Manchester United loanee James Garner made the difference on the night and pushed Forest 10 points clear  of the drop zone with just seven matches remaining.

Beating Mick McCarthy's side is no small achievement, and Hughton's side deserve even more credit for doing so without one of their key men in Anthony Knockaert.

The winger was left out against Cardiff but discussing his absence Hughton insisted that there was no issue with the player and that his decision was purely tactical ahead of Monday's clash with Queens Park Rangers.

Discussing the decision not to include Knockaert, Hughton told Nottinghamshire Live: "It was just a tactical decision.

"It's one that you make on whichever games that we play and the type of game. That was just down to team selection."

The verdict

This seems like a smart move for Nottingham Forest.

With a match against Queens Park Rangers coming up on Monday it's crucial that Chris Hughton keeps some of his players fresh.

Anthony Knockaert may have struggled at times this season but he has the ability to be a game-changer and so it'll be interesting to see if he features against Mark Warburton's side.