How Cooper reignited Nottingham Forest

Something is stirring again at Nottingham Forest, a revolution in Garibaldi red. Steve Cooper, the man who has inspired it, is trying to keep feet on the ground. That might work with his players. For supporters, it might already be too late for all that.

It is almost 43 years since this famous East Midlands club were first crowned champions of Europe. Nearly 23 years since they were last seen in English football's top division. Under Cooper, they are no longer merely surviving in the Championship but thriving.

Forest are the only team in the Football League to win their last five league games. If they beat Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Friday lunchtime, they will move to within three points of automatic promotion to the Premier League. They are doing it with a swagger.

"Our ambition is to play a certain style of football," Cooper tells Sky Sports. "It is not easy because I am asking for us to play a brave, positional game which is about trying to be creative and exciting. Those are things that are hard things to do in the game. Sometimes we get it right, other times we don't. That's football."

Ten times out of 14 they have got it right since the turn of the year, drawing all but one of the others. All five of their consecutive wins have come by at least two goals. There has been a first FA Cup quarter-final in 26 years. Win against Luton and West Brom over Easter and Forest will equal the club's 100-year-old record for most consecutive league wins. The city is alive with possibility again.

David Marples is a columnist for the official matchday programme, the author of The History Boys: Thirty Iconic Forest Goals, edits the Forest fanzine Trevor Francis Tracksuits and describes himself as a general Nottingham Forest