Nottingham Forest enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and the form of central defender Michael Dawson was crucial to that.

The former England international was a key figure at the heart of the defence alongside Joe Worrall, with the pair forming a real understanding and giving the Reds a platform to build on moving forward.

So, when he went off after just 33 minutes against Stoke City back at the end of September, it seemed as though it could be a significant blow for Sabri Lamouchi. And, back-to-back defeats against Wigan and Hull last month reinforced that idea.

Yet, Forest have showed a real resilience in the past two games, with Tobias Figueiredo stepping in to partner Worrall and he has done extremely well.

The duo excelled as Forest fought for three points at Luton, whilst they limited Derby to very few chances as Lamouchi's side claimed all three points in the East Midlands derby prior to the international break.

Therefore, Dawson, who is now back to full fitness, knows he is no longer the vital figure that he seemed earlier in the campaign - through no fault of his own. He will be aware that the manager has a massive decision to make ahead of the big game at Bristol City this weekend.

On one hand, it wasn't Dawson's fault that he picked up an injury and he was playing well before that, yet Figueiredo was very good in the previous game.

Whilst the ex-Spurs man is sure to be a respected figure in the dressing room, dropping the Portuguese centre-back could send out the wrong message to the rest of the group as they will feel a good performance means you deserve to keep the shirt.

Given what Forest means to Dawson, you know that he won't put his own preferences over the team and he will just want the club to pick up results on a regular basis.

The game at Ashton Gate is a massive fixture and it's going to be extremely interesting to see who is given the nod on Saturday and whoever does partner Worrall will know that they are under pressure to perform.

That's exactly how it should be and competition for places is fierce in most positions at the City Ground. Dawson may be a victim of that this weekend and he knows his standards can't drop at all when he does get another opportunity.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.