It’s been a year to forget in large for supporters of a Nottingham Forest persuasion.
It was a year that saw Chris Hughton stave off the threat of relegation and then get the sack after failing to win any of the first seven games of the 2021/22 campaign.
Steve Cooper came in during September and in truth, since then things have picked up.
The future looks bright under the Welsh head coach and his organised approach has been a breath of fresh air in comparison to Hughton’s tedious style.
Following a pretty mediocre year in large, we looked at who Forest’s three best players had been throughout the calendar year.
Joe Worrall
Last season’s Player of the Year simply has to get the nod for his heroics.
When the going got tough last season, lots of players went missing and weren’t up for the challenge.
Worrall isn’t a man matching that style though and he rolled his sleeves up and produced the goods.
This season he has picked up where he left off.
After missing the first four league games of the season, he has been brilliant at the heart of the Forest back four.
The Reds will hope they can keep him from the clutches of the Premier League a little while longer.
James Garner
The on-loan Manchester United man gets in purely for his form during the second half of the 2020/21 campaign.
Although he is getting up to his best right now, his second stint at the City Ground has taken a little while to get going.
When Hughton signed him last season, he was quite simply mesmerising. He was exactly what the Reds needed in their ranks and he helped keep the club up.
His goal away at Derby caught the eye among the fan base and fans will hope he can lead the club to a higher position during 2021/22.
Scott McKenna
What a signing the Scotland international has been for Nottingham Forest.
Some intrigue was evident among the fan base when he signed but during 2021 he’s been truly magnificent.
McKenna has played every minute of every game for the Reds during 2021/22 and he’s the only player to achieve that.
His left-sided expertise makes for a balanced back four and he’s arguably the most consistent player in the Forest ranks.