Nottingham Forest beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park last night to flex their promotion credentials. Goals from James Garner and Brennan Johnson secured the win but it was the performance of Jack Colback that really caught the eye.
Rewind 12 months ago and Colback wasn’t even a regular in the Forest team. Chris Hughton had chosen not to make him an integral part of the team and he was often included in the squad as a substitute.
When Steve Cooper was appointed it was anticipated he might lose his place again. The head coach typically prefers younger players but instead, he’s recognised Colback as a leader of the pack in a squad largely made up of youngsters.
The 32-year-old is repaying his manager’s faith. Last night he was once again superb and rolled back the years to help Forest secure a massive win in their quest for a play-off place.
Some statistics from Who Scored highlight his true quality. From his 24 passes, he finished with a success ratio of 83.3%, making sure he kept things neat and tidy in the middle of the park.
He was also brilliant defensively. Colback made three tackles, two interceptions and no fewer than four clearances during his 90 minutes on the pitch.
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What a performance. What a man! Colback is back and Forest could be on their way to promotion.
Forest fans don’t really do self-entitlement. However, plenty of the fan base dared to think that Colback was finished last season.
His performances weren’t great but he did miss the entire 2019/20 campaign through injury and as a result, he struggled to regain his brilliance.
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Now, he’s arguably the most important player in the Forest midfield and his performances are earning him praise from all corners of the Reds fan base.
With Colback at the heart of all things good about Forest, very few will be daring to write off the Reds in their quest to reach the Premier League.
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