Martin O’Neill has turned the City Ground into a fortress since his appointment as Nottingham Forest manager in mid-January.

The ninth-placed Reds have won their last four games on home soil, with their most recent success coming on Saturday in a 3-0 win over play-off rivals Hull City.

Joao Carvalho, Karim Ansarifard and Joe Lolley were all on target in a ten-minute salvo that saw Forest run away victorious to move within two points of the play-offs.

Forest have used their home form as a springboard in this promotion charge, with O’Neill’s side using a sold out crowds to their advantage when beating the likes of Wigan, Brentford and Derby, alongside Hull.

But as the play-off race now heats up, Forest must improve their away form to grant themselves the best possible chance of securing a top-six finish.

Forest will face teams currently positioned below them in four of their remaining five away games, with visits to relegation strugglers Ipswich and Rotherham now on the horizon, among trips to Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Sheffield United.

But the O’Neill-Keane managerial partnership is yet to oversee a Forest win away from home, having recorded two draws and two defeats on their travels so far.

[ad_pod ]

This run of away games will therefore be pivotal in Forest’s play-off bid, as they must improve on a run of form which has seen them score just two goals in their last seven away matches. This would be an inexcusable return during their upcoming run.

Top goal scorer Lewis Grabban has been unable to maintain his form which saw him net nine goals in ten games earlier in the season, but Forest will hope he is reinvigorated when he returns to the squad after suffering a knock last month.

But other players have shone in his absence and Forest can take confidence from a number of individual performances on Saturday, with debutant Pele particularly standing out.

The Monaco loanee delivered an intelligent midfield performance on Saturday and earned praise for his ball retention in addition to his ability to break up play.

This is characteristic of Forest’s notably improved work ethic with O’Neill at the helm; an ethos that will be key to gaining victories on the road.

Forest must now prepare to host an Aston Villa side buoyed by their Second City derby success before their run of away games begins with a trip to face Ipswich Town, with the Reds now aiming to secure their first play-off finish since 2011.