Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has backed Brennan Johnson to bounce back from his penalty woe against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 21-year-old had a chance to pull the Reds level in the closing minutes at Molineux, when, following a lengthy VAR review, a spot-kick was awarded for a foul on Ryan Yates. But his effort was saved by goalkeeper Jose Sa and the match finished 1-0 to the hosts.
Johnson has since been on the receiving end of a fair bit of flak on social media, with some criticising his performances amid a quiet start to the season. He is far from the only Forest player yet to find form, however, and Cooper has emphasised the importance of the Wales international to his plans.
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“He’s a young player and it was a difficult moment. But in the end, how you respond to difficult moments is a big factor in who you become,” said the Reds head coach.
“I’ve got faith and belief in Brennan. He’s been outstanding in my time here, over the last 12 months.
“He works hard every day, cares, wants to improve and is a local boy. And he’s delivered, there’s no doubt about that, over the past 12 months.
“It won’t be the last penalty he’ll miss, I’m sure. But I know he’ll be committed to trying to put it right, whether that’s from the penalty spot or in open play - not just scoring goals, but with a performance as well.
“We’ll never play the blame game with individuals. And certainly not with Brennan, he’s too important to the club and what we’re trying to do.”
After defeat at Wolves, Forest are quickly back in action with a trip to face Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday night (7.30pm kick-off). They go into the match at the Amex Stadium sitting bottom of the table and without a win in eight Premier League games.
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