Nottingham Forest finally ended their winless run in the Championship with victory over fierce East Midlands rivals Derby County on Friday, November 6, and a huge weight will have been lifted from under-pressure manager Dougie Freedman’s shoulders as a result. Prior to their derby-day win, the Reds’ last league win was all the way back in September, but now they have something to build on.





For weeks now, Forest have been promising a result, playing out stalemates against the likes of Burnley (1-1) and Ipswich Town (1-1), before narrowly losing to Sheffield Wednesday (1-0) and Preston (1-0) North End. Keeping a clean sheet against County would mean half the job is done for the Reds, and they managed to nick a winning goal in the process to deliver a much-needed win.





Dougie Freedman’s side have now only conceded four goals in their last five games, and won’t have the anxiety in the build-up to their next league game after ending their win drought. There’s an opportunity to go on a run too, with Reading (without a win in five) and managerless Fulham to come after a trip to face Brentford. Victory in their next outing could see Forest move up six places in the table.





The players will be full of confidence after winning against an in-form Derby County side against the odds, and the ensuring pitch invasion at the final whistle showed the collective relief at the City Ground. There's a feeling among fans and players that this could be a defining moment of the campaign, so can Forest now turn their season around in the Championship?



