Nottingham Forest showed that they are genuine promotion contenders in the Sky Bet Championship with an impressive 1-0 win over Swansea City at the weekend.

The Reds have enjoyed a hugely positive start to the season under manager Sabri Lamouchi, with the Frenchman winning five out of nine games in charge of the East Midlands side.

Three out of seven of those games have come in the league, with Forest now sitting within touching distance of the play-off spots after their win over the Swans on Saturday.

Of course, there is still a long, long way to go and they will be looking to take each game as it comes, but wins against Fulham and then-league leaders Swansea away from home show that they can compete with the best in the league.

Alfa Semedo's late strike after an electric counter-attack snatched all three points for the Reds at the weekend, in a game where they defended superbly and kept their fourth clean sheet of the campaign in all competitions.

Brice Samba pulled off a host of saves to keep Forest in the game as well - the 25-year-old putting in yet another solid, commanding display for the Reds, and picking up his third clean sheet in five matches.

The Congolese shot-stopper has been a hugely impressive figure since arriving from Caen in the summer, and as weeks go by, he continues to earn a starting berth ahead of Manchester City loanee Aro Muric.

His performances also continue to push Luke Steele, Jordan Smith and Costel Pantilimon further down the pecking order at the City Ground, with the latter bound to be frustrated at his lack of game-time.

The 32-year-old was an almost ever-present in the Championship under Aitor Karanka and Martin O'Neill last term, and was an important player for the Reds as they missed out on a top six finish.

But the additions of Samba and Muric have limited him to zero appearances thus far this term, with a move away from the club looking increasingly likely to materialise in the January transfer window.

Greek side Olympiacos were believed to be interested in signing the Romanian in the summer window, and if he could turn back time, the shot-stopper would surely be desperate to move away.

At the age of 32, Pantilimon still has a few years left in his playing career, but the introduction of two younger goalkeepers at the City Ground has really hampered his progress this season.

It isn't a given that he will leave, especially with his contract on Trentside not running out until 2021, but Pantilimon should look to push towards the exit door in the winter.