Lewis Grabban believes Nottignham Forest side would be in a good position to win promotion to the Premier League, if they were able to sneak into the play-offs in the final weeks of the season.

The striker has experienced play-off final heartbreak three times: with Millwall; Reading and Aston Villa, as well as tasting Wembley success with Norwich in four previous play-off campaigns, and he believes the momentum Forest could have if they were to make a run into the play-offs would be vital.

Speaking to the Nottingham Post, Grabban explained: "I have played for teams who been aiming for the automatic places and, by default, have ended up in the play-offs when they have not made it.

"There is a little bit of disappointment there when that happens; there is a different mentality when you end up in the playoffs that way.

"But the team that does get into sixth place at the last minute - they are often the ones who have momentum, because they have had to perform to get themselves in there."

Forest head into the final eight games of the season eleventh in the Championship table, three points off the play-offs , and assessing their chances of breaking into the top six, Grabban claimed: "I think our run in is quite good - and a lot of teams in there have to play each other as well. I think that, if we can get a few wins together, we will end up being in there.

"I don't tend to look too much at what the other teams might do. You can try and predict 'they might win there' or 'they might lose that one'. But it never really works out that way in the Championship, does it"

The verdict

Forest are one of many teams still harbouring hopes of the play-offs, and they will all likely have those same thoughts of momentum that Grabban talks about here.

Forest's run in also gives them opportunities to take points off some of those around them, while there are also games there that you feel they would back themselves in, and three points is far from a big margin with eight games still to go.