Nottingham Forest are nine matches unbeaten in all competitions following Thursday’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
The Reds have turned a real corner under Vitor Pereira, and after a shaky start to his tenure, the tireless work on the training ground isn’t currently going unnoticed.
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The Reds have recently beaten Tottenham, Burnley and Sunderland in the Premier League and with four matches remaining, the club have a five-point cushion on the relegation zone.
After the game with Villa on Thursday night, Garry Birtles claimed that one player returning to action has really helped Pereira’s cause.
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Garry Birtles thinks Nottingham Forest have thrived with Chris Wood back
Wood has scored two goals in his last two games, and he’s seemingly given the whole squad a lift when it comes to scoring goals.
Wood scored 20 times last season as Forest finished seventh and it’s fair to say that his absence this season has been sorely felt.
Birtles thinks that having Wood back has allowed Pereira to unleash a secret plan and make Forest far more effective when it comes to scoring goals.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Chris Wood being back in the team is a huge boost.
“Playing two up front has confused defenders in the past three or four games because you don’t often see two up front any more. The manager deserves great credit for that.”
Wood’s challenge between now and the end of the season is to stay fit and continue to help his teammates out by chipping in with goals here and there.
The experienced talisman will want to get into some form ahead of the World Cup and with two goals in his last two games, he’s showing little sign of ring rust.
Birtles is right to praise Wood for his impact since coming back into the Forest team and hopefully, his strong form can continue for a little while longer.
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