Eric Lichaj has warned his teammates that they are in danger of getting sucked into another relegation battle after their defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

A Scott Hogan header consigned Forest to their sixth Championship game without a win and leaves Aitor Karanka's men closer to the bottom three than the top six.

And, speaking to the Nottingham Post, defender Lichaj said the side must quickly improve. "We need to start getting some points on the board, to climb the table – because we are starting to slip a little bit. Everyone notices that and it is frustrating."

Forest only survived on the last day of the previous campaign and the American is determined to make sure that doesn't happen again.

"We do not want to be looking over our shoulders at the wrong end of the table – nobody wants to see a repeat of what we went through last season."

"It never felt like we would be looking over our shoulders this season, we felt as though we would be looking upwards this season and, now the new manager has come in, we need to make sure that we get back to being able to do that."

The Verdict

This is a strong message from Lichaj and it's needed. Even though Forest aren't in an awful position, things can change quickly and the defender recognises that.

They have the talent and fans were right to expect a play-off push, or top-half at least, but that looks a long way off now.

However, it doesn't get any easier for Karanka or the Reds, with a trip to Wolves up next.

Thoughts, Forest fans? Let us know in the comments below!