Scott McKenna admits the competitiveness of the Championship surprised him in his first season in English football last season.

The Scotland international joined Forest from Aberdeen last summer, having come through the ranks with the SPFL side.

The defender made 24 appearances in the Championship in what was a tough season with injuries last term, forming a solid partnership with Joe Worrall towards the end of the campaign.

It was a poor season for the Reds, though, culminating in a 17th place finish after yielding only 52 points from 46 matches.

McKenna will now be looking to help Forest enjoy a positive first full season under Chris Hughton, and he has opened up on his first season in England since moving down from Scotland.

Speaking in his press conference, McKenna said: "What probably surprised me most was how good every team is.

"Coming down from Scotland, there was a big gap between the top and the bottom, but I think every game here is very, very competitive.

"There's not many teams that you'd really think are miles better than you. Last year, that only came across when Norwich when they beat us at home, but they were on-song and full of confidence at the time.

"It surprised me how difficult every game is, but it's something we look forward to as players. We just need to find a bit of quality to that competitiveness to try and find some more points."

Forest begin their Championship campaign with a trip to Coventry City tomorrow afternoon, where 3,800 fans will make the short journey across the Midlands to the Coventry Building Society Arena.

McKenna is wary of the advantage the returning home fans will provide, though, having been unable to attend their home stadium since 2018/18.

"The games we played against them each last season were tight," he added.

"They'll be happy to get back in their home ground and it will probably end up in it being more of an advantage for them.

"We'll be hoping to silence their crowd and hope our sold-out away end can be cheering for most of the game."