‘The automatics are really there for the taking’ – Nottm Forest soaring after Blackburn win

Nottingham Forest broke into the play-offs after their 2-0 win at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday evening.

The Reds have been on such a steep upward trajectory since Steve Cooper replaced Chris Hughton at the helm, and have been able to back up their FA Cup upset wins over Arsenal and Leicester City with sustained superb results in the Championship.

Forest, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United have been a trio of large clubs snapping at the heels of the top six for a while now, the Reds have smashed through the glass ceiling for the first time and it will be interesting to see how they get on from here.

With Bournemouth’s struggles of the last month or two, the race for second place is very much on for a lot of clubs and with the performances they have produced in patches this season, Cooper will believe he can go one better than the two play-off finishes he managed with Swansea City.

FLW writer Billy Mulley assessed Forest’s promotion chances and Cooper’s impact at the City Ground, when he appeared on this morning’s Midweek Review on FLW TV.

He said: “Since Steve Cooper was appointed, only Fulham have taken more points, which is a great testament to what he’s done at the club.

“It feels like years ago that we were talking about Forest as relegation candidates at the start of the season.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop here, they’ve got all the tools in place to keep going, the play-offs are now a minimum requirement, the automatics are really there for the taking.”

It has been a long time coming, but Forest have finally broken into the top six after sustained excellence since Cooper arrived in late September.

The Reds are nine points behind the second placed Cherries and have played one game more, so there is still