Nottingham Forest face a worrying couple of days as they wait to discover the extent of injuries to two key players.
Striker Lewis Grabban had to be helped off the pitch in the dying minutes of the Reds’ 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City, having been clattered into by Will Vaulks.
The visitors had to play the remainder of the game with 10 men, having made all three of their substitutes.
But, more importantly, there will be huge concern about their top scorer, who headed straight down the tunnel, supported on either side and struggling to put weight on his foot.
To add to Forest’s woes, defender Steve Cook was also left nursing a calf problem after a forgettable afternoon in South Wales.
“We’re not sure about the extent of Lewis’ injury yet. He’s in a boot and he’s in quite a bit of pain,” head coach Steve Cooper said.
“We’ll have to get him scanned in the next 12 or 24 hours and see how he is.
“I think it was his ankle. He’s not in great shape in the dressing room.
“Steve’s is a calf injury.
“We need to look after them both and see where they are at.
“We’ll have more info within the next 48 hours.”
The Reds were considerably below par against the Bluebirds, putting in an uncharacteristically poor performance.
They were left with an uphill task when Jordan Hugill opened the scoring after six minutes, and never really got into the game in the first half.
Isaak Davies then doubled the hosts’ advantage after the break, with Keinan Davis’ late header nothing more than a consolation for Forest.
It brought an end to a four-match winning run in all competitions, with Cooper’s side having missed the opportunity to break into the top six.
“It was a poor day. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. We gave away two really poor goals on turnovers when we were in comfortable possession,” said the Welshman.
“For all the ball we had and the high areas we got into, we weren’t creative enough to threaten the goal.
“We’ve only got ourselves to blame with the loss.
“It’s a disappointing day and we’ve picked up some injuries as well, with Cookie and Lewis. It’s not a great day.”
