Asked after Saturday’s victory at Blackpool whether he saw the goalkeeper situation as being a clear No.1 and No.2, Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper remained coy.
But it seems there is now a very definite answer over who will fill the spot between the posts for the remainder of the campaign. It would be a surprise if Cooper changes it again between now and May, barring anything unfortunate happening. Ethan Horvath had held on to his place prior to the international break, having grasped his opportunity with both hands while Brice Samba was suspended. And he can consider himself a bit unfortunate to find himself out of the XI again.
The American was on the bench at Bloomfield Road on Saturday, due to the quick turnaround between the game and being on duty with his country. Prior to that, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Indeed, he had done well. Samba made some good saves against the Seasiders, though. He has dug his team out of a hole plenty of times in the past, too. And Cooper opted to stick with him against Coventry City.
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Changing keepers during a season is generally seen as a no-no. The Reds manager is unlikely to want to do so again as it gets to the real business end of proceedings. But Samba showed he can be a safe pair of hands when he needs to be. He repaid Cooper’s faith by keeping a clean-sheet against the Sky Blues.
Goals from Brennan Johnson and James Garner clinched a big win for the hosts. It had the makings of being a tricky encounter at the City Ground, but Forest found a way to win. And they moved into the play-off spots courtesy of the three points. Nine games unbeaten now, and with another home game to come on Saturday. The Reds are going to take some stopping at this rate.
