Nottingham Forest went into Saturday's clash with Bristol City determined to show their true selves.
With a warning from their manager ringing in the players’ ears, goalkeeper Ethan Horvath says there was a clear determination to prove a flat display at Preston North End was just “a blip”.
The Reds had been far from at their best in the goalless stalemate at Deepdale last Tuesday night, but responded with a terrific team display to see off the Robins 2-0 at the weekend.
It was an important result, too, keeping them in the play-offs mix, with just three points separating Steve Cooper’s side from sixth-placed Luton Town.
“It was a very, very big win. We expressed the importance of it,” said Horvath, who was barely tested by the visitors at the City Ground.
“The manager said these kind of games can be dangerous because the opposition are not going to get relegated and they’re not going to make the play-offs, so they can play freely.
“You never know what to expect from that, so we wanted to make sure we were on the front foot and were much better than in the Preston game.
“We said after that one that we needed to hold ourselves accountable. Some guys owned up that they weren’t themselves or weren’t performing at the level they should have been performing.
“Even though it’s a young group, we hold high standards for each other. We always push each other to the best of our capabilities.
“Not just in games, but each day in training, the manager expects high standards from everybody.
“Not much was really said after Preston, it was just us all looking at each other and going, ‘we’re better than this and expect more from each other’. The good thing about football is there’s always another game.
“After the Preston game we weren’t very happy at all, because we weren't ourselves and we expect more from each other.
“The manager challenged us to start the game strong from kick-off and be on the front foot. I think we were. Their keeper made three or four really good saves that kept them in the game.
“It’s good to show that Preston was just a little blip.”
Horvath has kept successive clean-sheets in his two games between the posts while stepping in for the suspended Brice Samba.
With the latter also missing for Friday’s trip to Sheffield United, the American is likely to keep his place in the XI for what could be a six-pointer in the race for the top six.
“Top six is the goal,” said the summer signing. “The season is almost over, but we just focus on Friday now.
“I think that’s the good thing, when you have a setback like Preston, everybody just wants to forget about it and get back on the pitch, move to the next one to show that was just a blip, show who Forest really are.
“I’m very happy. It was a quiet one on Saturday, but the other 10 guys in front of me were doing their jobs.
“In the Preston game, we defended 11 corners. Saturday was a quiet one, but Cookie (Steve Cook), Scott (McKenna) and Joe (Worrall) blocked a couple of shots.
“It’s not just down to me, the whole team is buzzing about the clean-sheets.”
