Mark Warburton has tinkered with his Nottingham Forest line-up throughout the Sky Bet Championship season, as he looks to find the formula that will fire the Reds into contention for the play-offs after an extremely inconsistent couple of months.

Back-to-back victories over Burton Albion and Hull City have brightened the mood at the City Ground, particularly the latter victory – a 3-2 triumph on the road at the KCOM Stadium, which lifted Forest back into the top-half of the Championship table.

Key to that victory over Hull was the performance of Kieran Dowell, who proved to be the difference between the two sides, with the on-loan Everton star scoring a hat-trick in East Yorkshire.

Here at FLW, we believe £450k-rated Dowell is key for Forest, and he must be involved once again from the start against Reading this week.

It is almost certain that Dowell will start in the number 10 role where he was so influential against Hull, but with Warburton often tinkering his line-up, the creative midfielder has seen his opportunities limited on occasion since his move to the Midlands.

The 20-year-old has started ten Championship fixtures, but his latest performance has proved that he is vital to Forest’s chance of success in the league and he must become one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Against Reading, Forest will need another big performance away from home, and Warburton will undoubtedly be turning to Dowell to produce that for his side once again.

Nottingham Forest fans… Let us know your thoughts!