Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper believes his side needs to start turning draws into victories as they look to rise further up the Championship table, speaking to the club's media team in his pre-match press conference.

The East Midlands outfit have vastly improved under the Welshman since his arrival in September to replace Chris Hughton, giving the players a new lease of life with a fresh approach and managing to instil his winning mentality at the City Ground after guiding Swansea City to consecutive play-off finishes in his two seasons there.

Forest started picking up vital points straight away under the 41-year-old's stewardship as they have managed to elevate themselves from the bottom of the table to their current position of 16th.

 

 

Picking up an impressive point away at promotion contenders West Bromwich Albion last Friday, they will be hoping to build on this against relegation favourites Peterborough United at the weekend as they play hosts to Darren Ferguson's men.

They have lost just one of their opening 12 league matches under Cooper so far, with that sole loss coming against league leaders Fulham, but their failure to turn draws into wins has stopped them climbing further up to the table.

This is something they need to improve, admitted Forest's manager, as he looks to keep his side's feet on the ground despite their status as clear favourites in tomorrow afternoon's tie.

Speaking about this area to work on, the Welshman stated: "After West Brom I wasn’t fussed about it being deemed a good point, maybe it was, but I don’t think we should be satisfied with that. We should always want more.

"It’s definitely a challenge for us now to turn draws into wins whilst making sure we don’t lose games as well. We haven’t lost many games, but the next step is to turn one-pointers into three-pointers.

"That’s the aim, it’s easier said than done, but it provides a challenge for us."

The Verdict:

You could easily compare West Brom's start to the season with the Reds' current fortunes.

Although the Baggies went unbeaten in their opening ten league matches of the 2021/22 campaign, they suffered three consecutive frustrating draws against Millwall, Derby County and Preston North End after the first international break of the season, ensuring the likes of AFC Bournemouth and Fulham could catch up with them when they suffered a dip in form.

Similarly, Forest's recent draws have consigned them to 16th place despite having the opportunity to push further up the table with how close together the middle of the pack currently are.

Not only are Cooper's men aiming to rise from the depths of midtable to the top six, but also Sheffield United who have the quality at their disposal to achieve that target after an underwhelming start to their campaign and Middlesbrough who already look like a force under their new boss Chris Wilder.

West Brom may not be in the best form at this stage, but they will be firm favourites to retain their place in the top six after being relegated last term - and QPR have solidified their play-off position after winning late on against Derby on Monday night to climb into third place.

This is why turning draws into wins is so crucial for Forest.