World Cup disaster could have positive impact on stunning Nottingham Forest star

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Brennan Johnson endured a bit of a nightmare World Cup for Wales but their disastrous campaign could be good news for Nottingham Forest.

The 21-year-old was given a warm reception from the Reds fan base last night as he made a first competitive appearance since Qatar.

Interestingly, the last time he played in a game that meant something, it was during the 3-0 defeat to England that brought the curtain down on their World Cup.

He will be keen to put that experience behind him. Naturally, he will learn from it but certain aspects of the tournament might have lit a fire in his belly.

Forest put Blackburn to the sword last night, with Johnson scoring twice and looking far more like the player that supporters have grown to love.

From his point of view, he will have hated Rob Page’s decision not to start him at any of the three Wales games at the World Cup.

Johnson was forced to earn his keep from the bench and that does seem somewhat harsh considering what he’s achieved over the last year or so.

But Page might have helped Forest pull off a masterstroke, with Johnson clearly keen to hit the ground running in the Garibaldi.

Nightmare World Cup for Wales could be blessing for Forest over Johnson

Intriguingly, Neco Williams was also magnificent last night. He was also part of the Wales squad in Qatar and last night his partnership with Johnson was amazing.

The pair linked up as fans presumed they would do when Williams was signed from Liverpool in the summer. Up until last night, it’d been quite a rarity and this was a pleasant surprise.

Despite some mediocre Premier League form, Johnson is a quality player. On his day, he’s the match-winner in the Forest ranks and is capable of the sublime.

Last night, Forest were playing Championship opposition. As a result, he still has some way to go to prove that he’s capable of scaring defenders in the Premier League.

However, he looks up for the fight. He’s clearly smarting that he didn’t play from the start at the World Cup and the disaster for Wales could be a blessing for Forest.