Steve Cooper sends firm message to Nottingham Forest squad ahead of Blackburn Rovers test

Forest are riding a magnificent high following their fantastic result last weekend against Premier League side Leicester City.

Forest won 4-1 against their local rivals to knock the holders out of the FA Cup, their second big scalp in this season’s competition.

However, Cooper has warned his side to remain focused as their attentions return to their play-off push in the league campaign.

Next up for the Reds is a trip to Ewood Park against promotion chasing Blackburn. 

Despite Rovers’ poor recent form, Cooper claimed they were still an extremely difficult challenge for his team to face. 

“There were a lot of good things to reflect on in terms of the performance [against Leicester], so we’ll take out the good bits and go through them with the players to put us in a good place ahead of Blackburn on Wednesday night,” said Cooper in his pre-match press conference.

“You always want to look forward and not reflect too much on what’s just gone. We will do everything we can to be ready for a tough away game against Blackburn who are a really good team and are having an excellent season.

“We’ve got to stay focused, we’ve got to understand the task in hand and we’ve got to continue committing to what we believe helps us win games.”

Victory for Forest could see them rise into the play-off places, if other results go their way. The gap to sixth place West Brom is only two points.

Forest lost their last league game, ending a run of three victories in a row, so Cooper will be hoping his side can take advantage of any dropped points from their rivals. 

Cooper is doing a fantastic job with Forest since his arrival earlier in the season.

This is another example of what makes him such an exciting and highly rated coach.

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