Nottingham Forest's title challenge may have stuttered in recent weeks, but one player who continues to catch the eye for Colin Calderwood's side is striker Nathan Tyson. The former Wycombe front man missed the early part of the season through injury but his return towards the end of last year has given Forest's promotion push a timely lift. The 24-year-old had been operating in a less familiar wide midfield role throughout much of last month, but that didn't stop givemefootball fans voting him the PFA League One Player of the Month for January. Last Saturday he reverted to his more customary striking role and grabbed one of Forest's goals in the 2-2 draw at Bradford. Givemefootball's Mark Shail logged the thoughts of Tyson ahead of this weekend's clash with Northampton.
Q:CONGRATULATIONS ON THE AWARD, YOU MUST BE PLEASED?
A:Yes I was pleased, but I was surprised as well. I didn't feature in every game last month, so that's why the award was a bit of a shock, but any kind of award is flattering, especially when it has been voted for by the supporters.
Q:DO YOU FEEL YOU ARE BACK TO YOUR BEST AFTER THE INJURY?
A:Yes I think so. My fitness is improving all the time and I'm just chuffed to be back playing and in the side. I still believe there's more to come from me because I'm feeling sharper as I get more and more games under my belt.
Q:HAVE YOU BEEN DISAPPOINTED WITH FOREST'S RESULTS RECENTLY?
A:They have been a bit disappointing but there's still a long way to go and a lot of points to play for. We should have won the game against Bradford last Saturday but we conceded a sloppy late goal and it cost us. At least we came away with a point but the game was there for the taking for us. I don't feel we've been getting the rub of the green in some of the recent matches but we can't dwell on that – we need to move on and prepare for the next game.
Q:WERE YOU HAPPY TO BACK PLAYING UP FRONT AGAINST BRADFORD?
A:I had been playing wide on the left in previous games but the manager changed it around and put me up front last Saturday. I don't mind playing out on the left wing but I suppose I would have to say my preferred position is up front because it is a role I'm more used to.
Q:IT'S NORTHAMPTON ON SATURDAY – YOU MUST BE HOPEFUL OF GETTING BACK TO WINNING WAYS?
A:Yes, it's a game we'll be looking to win but we won't be taking them for granted because they have produced some impressive away wins this season. But we need to get back to our best because we've slipped to third and we can't afford to lose any more ground at the top of the table.
Q:HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING LIFE AT FOREST?
A:I'm really enjoying. It's a team with big history and tradition and a club this size should be competing at a higher level. But things are on an upward curve this season and hopefully we can give the fans what they want – which is promotion. We've had a little bit of a dip in form in terms of results in recent weeks but a win on Saturday will give everyone a big confidence boost.
