Nottingham Forest started the season as short-priced favourites to win League One but yesterday's goalless draw against Brighton has left Colin Calderwood's men 11 points adrift of second-placed Carlisle. The Tricky Trees do have a four-point cushion between themselves and sixth-placed Brighton but it appears that if Forest are to win promotion this year it will be via the play-offs. However, securing a top six finish will not be easy because Forest take on Carlisle and Doncaster in their next two matches. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with influential midfielder Kris Commons to get his thoughts on the yesterday's stalemate, and the season thus far.
Q:YESTERDAY MUST HAVE BEEN A FRUSTATING AFTERNOON FOR YOU?
A:Yes it was disappointing, without a doubt, especially given that Carlisle won as well. But we just have to keep plugging away and try to win as many games as we can between now and the end of the season.
Q:HOW DIFFICULT IS IT PLAYING TWO MATCHES IN THE SPACE OF JUST A FEW DAYS?
A:It is physically demanding but you just have to cope with it and get on with it – it's the same for everyone. It's a question of getting as much fluid on board as you can and trying to put your feet up in between games. You always seem to recover better when you're on a winning run.
Q:ARE YOU RESIGNED TO THE FACT THAT A PLAY-OFF PLACE IS THE BEST YOU CAN HOPE FOR THIS SEASON?
A:We haven't given up on a top two finish yet even though it looks like a long shot now. We've still got seven games to go so there are a lot of points to play for and a lot of teams will still think they are still in with a chance of promotion.
Q:PEOPLE OFTEN SAY GOING UP VIA THE PLAY-OFFS IS THE BEST WAY TO WIN PROMOTION, DON'T THEY?
A:It would be great to go to Wembley and win the play-off final but first of all we have to make sure we finish in the top six. There are plenty of teams behind us waiting to take advantage of any slip-up so we have to make sure we pick up as many points as we can in these last seven games. On the other hand, losing a play-off final would be the worst way to end a season so we need to make sure we have some momentum going into what we hope will be the play-offs.
Q:WHAT DOES YOUR RUN-IN LOOK LIKE?
A:Well our next two games are against Carlisle and Doncaster so that shows you how important the next two fixtures are. I think Carlisle have already won 14 games at home and will be very hard to beat. Doncaster are a side that are very well organised and play good football so we will have to be at our best to take something, hopefully two wins, from those matches.
Q:WHICH SIDE HAS IMPRESSED YOU THE MOST THIS SEASON?
A:I have been impressed with Doncaster and the way they've played over the last couple of years but Swansea have been the stand-out team for me. Roberto Martinez seems to have added an extra dimension to their game and they've had a fantastic season – if they do go on to take the title they will be worthy winners. Of course it helps when you've got a striker (Jason Scotland) who is on fire and smashing in goals left, right and centre.
