Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson has opened up on the ‘unbelievable feeling’ of earning promotion with the club at the end of last season.
The Welshman played a huge part in the Reds’ promotion to the Premier League through the Championship play-offs, despite starting the season at the bottom of the table. After a difficult start to the campaign, Steve Cooper came in to replace Chris Hughton as manager. That change started a turnaround that would end in delight.
The day at Wembley with Forest though came just 12 months after Johnson had suffered heartbreak at the same stadium thanks to a 2-1 defeat against Blackpool in the League One play-off final during a loan spell with Lincoln.
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest catching Aston Villa in surprise Premier League transfer race
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest sent 'keep going' vow amid Dean Henderson and Man United uncertainty
“When I went on loan to Lincoln in League One in 2020, I’d spent more than a decade with Forest without ever really playing regularly for the first team in the Championship,” he wrote on The Player’s Tribune . “So I was so hungry for that full-season experience.
“I wanted to feel the highs and lows that come with playing 30-plus games — and I got it. I’m still torn up about how our season ended. I loved that team, and I kept thinking about how great it would have been to get that promotion."
But the 21-year-old explained how that gave him extra motivation to be successful with Forest. The academy graduate also gave an insight into the celebrations after the full-time whistle at Wembley.
“But when my loan ended, it had also given me an even bigger drive to push on at Forest and show everyone how much I had grown. After I got back to Forest, Steve Cooper came in as the new manager. It’s a different league, and it’s a step up, so I think he did have a bit of coaching to do because we weren’t in a great position.
“We went from being bottom when Steve came in, all the way up to fourth place by the end of the season. Before I knew it, we were at Wembley playing in the play-off final. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t pretty — but we won. We got the job done. Hearing the final whistle was an unbelievable feeling.
“It wasn’t a given that we were gonna get this club promoted. But we believed, and we brought Nottingham Forest back to the Premier League — that hadn’t been done in my entire lifetime.
“I remember I ran straight to the fans. A lot of the lads fell to their knees. When we got to the changing room, I had to hide my phone because there were a lot of drinks flying about, people spraying champagne everywhere.
“When I finally did check my phone, it was blowing up with messages. I rang my friends, rang my parents as well. It was just a moment I’ll never forget.”
Johnson will now look to have more success, this time on the international stage. The winger is part of Rob Page’s Wales squad to take part in a World Cup for the first time in over 60 years.
How key will Johnson be to Wales in the World Cup? Tell us in the comments section
READ NEXT:
