Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper praised Brennan Johnson’s attitude after his double helped them to a stunning 4-1 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.
Johnson’s brace – the second of which came after a dreadful goalkeeping error from Dan Grimshaw – and efforts from Philip Zinckernagel and Sam Surridge handed the visitors the points.
And Cooper praised the Welshman’s impact on the side after returning from international duty in midweek.
He said: “I didn’t say anything to Brennan but I think when he’s come back from international duty in recent times, he’s took a little bit to get going.
“I felt it was interesting to see how he did, and he was excellent – his whole approach to playing for the team and the contribution that he makes.”
Johnson’s first came when he drilled the ball into the far corner from 12 yards on 31 minutes to give them a 2-0 lead, after Zinckernagel’s deflected opener.
And the winger became Forest’s top scorer for the season – with 14 goals – when he capitalised on Grimshaw’s wayward pass and dinked a delightful finish into the far corner.
Cooper also praised the returning Scott McKenna, who recovered from injury to start at the centre of defence.
The manager said: “He really committed to his recovery in the international break, and with us not having any games we could put our full attention on him to see what we could do.
“He hasn’t had any time off and he really wanted to play. Everyone knows how well Scott’s done for us this year.”
The visitors put the seal on the three points when substitute Surridge finished ruthlessly into the bottom corner on 81 minutes.
Forest have now suffered just one defeat in 12 and look in ominous form amid a playoff push going into the business end of the season.
Star man Johnson thought his side were ‘clinical’ and defended well in the game.
He said: “We’re really hitting our stride this season.
“All the boys believe in ourselves to win games – if we can do the business on the pitch then the rest will take care of itself.”
This was the first time Blackpool had conceded four this season and brought their four-game unbeaten run to an end.
Their only consolation was Callum Connelly’s finish in the box a minute from time.
Tangerines manager Neil Critchley insisted the scoreline did not reflect the game and the performance of the two sides.
He said: “I’ve not seen the stats yet, but I reckon there’ll be not a lot in that game.
“We weren’t second best – only in moments. [Forest] have got quality players at the top of the pitch, but we didn’t have the quality or composure they had.
“It was a strange game; every time they got into our penalty area, they scored – we just didn’t defend those moments well enough, and they had a bit of luck.”
Critchley said their match on Tuesday – a derby with Preston at Deepdale – provided something to look forward to.
He said: “We know how important it is to our supporters, and everyone in the area.
“We won the first game and I’m sure they’ll be looking to prevent us from winning the second one.”
