Nottingham Forest star Joe Lolley netted a stunning goal against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, helping the Reds stretch their unbeaten run to nine games.
His strike was a stereotypical long-range beauty and came just 40 seconds after the hosts had taken the lead.
Last Friday, the Forest trickster announced his return to form by providing the equalising goal for the Reds at Stoke. His opportunistic effort proving the catalyst for another away win.
Lolley has perhaps harshly come in for some criticism this season. After scoring 12 goals and registering 11 assists during 2018/19, some supporters had hoped for more from the winger in the early stages of the current campaign.
In his heart of hearts, the ex-Huddersfield man perhaps would like to have a few more goals and assists on the board. It is still fair to suggest that he is integral to any success Forest will have on the pitch this season, however.
Having a player who can pick out the corner of the net from seemingly anywhere on the pitch is extremely useful.
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Lolley’s reputation for scoring such strikes have seen him go top of some scoring statistics released on Twitter by Playmaker Stats this week.
Since the start of last season, no player has scored more Championship goals from outside the box, with his stunner at Ewood Park his seventh since August 2018.
The Forest man is technically top of the list outright. Both Mario Vrancic and Harry Wilson are no longer playing in the Championship so Lolley sits at the summit of the pile by default.
The 27-year-old has made a slow start to the current campaign by his high standards. In 11 appearances he has scored three times and registered one assist in all competitions.
Pressure
Rather than argue the toss that Lolley is out of form, however, perhaps it is merely a sign of the times that Forest now have other players chipping in; taking an element of pressure away from the £1 million signing (Daily Mail).
Forest supporters can’t expect Lolley to rock up and score goals as he did at Blackburn on a weekly basis. Opponents will become wise to his strategy and, as we have seen this season, two or three players will be tasked with keeping him quiet.
When that is the case, some of Forest’s other attacking outlets must be ready to take full advantage. The likes of Joao Carvalho, Albert Adomah and Sammy Ameobi are all capable players on their day and the burden must be shared.
When Martin O’Neill opted to drop Joao Carvalho last season, Lolley cut a frustrated figure. He looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders; or more accurately the weight of expectation from Forest supporters disgruntled with some poor form.
Thankfully those days are consigned to the history books and Lolley appears to be relishing playing in a successful side.
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