Nottingham Forest face arguably their most pivotal game in years on Tuesday night, as they take on Scott Parker’s Bournemouth side in a clash which could well decide which of the two clubs secures that much-coveted automatic promotion spot.
Steve Cooper’s men still have it all to do with three points currently separating themselves and their second-placed opponents, although to even be in contention at this stage of the season is a testament to the work done by the former Swansea City boss since his appointment back in September.
Under his predecessor Chris Hughton, the club were going nowhere fast and even appeared set to drop into the third tier, with the City Ground outfit picking up just a solitary point from their opening seven games of the current campaign.
Now they are on the cusp of a return to the promised land that is the Premier League, with their midweek encounter potentially set to showcase plenty of fireworks as the two sides go toe-to-toe.
Ahead of that meeting, one man who the Forest boss should well turn to to make the difference is young starlet Alex Mighten, with the 20-year-old having caught the eye off the bench in the recent 5-1 thrashing of Swansea.
While it may be a brave shout to alter a winning team – particularly following such a convincing victory – the youngster’s impact as a late substitute has seemingly done enough to warrant a start, even in a game of such magnitude.
In his 14-minute cameo, the academy graduate won 100% of his ground duels and completed two successful dribbles, while also notably getting himself on the scoresheet to put late gloss on an already emphatic scoreline.
Despite appearing something of a scrappy way to grab his first Championship goal of the season, the £540k-rated speedster showed great persistence to bundle the ball past the opposition stopper, latching onto a lofted pass over the top and busting a gut to get himself ahead of the visitors’ lacklustre defence.
That impressive display saw him receive an 8.0 match rating, via SofaScore, while NottinghamPost writer Sarah Clapson awarded the American-born prospect an 8.5/10 rating in her post-match report, writing of the forward’s performance that: “He’ll have enjoyed that one! Lovely run to find the net and help boost the goal difference.”
Following that showing, the £2.5k-per-week gem also received glowing praise from his manager, with Cooper dubbing him a “real livewire” and insisting that the player has now “got to get himself in the team and kick on.”
Should he be given the chance at the Vitality Stadium, Mighten seemingly has the opportunity to ‘kick on’, with a fresh pair of legs also potentially a benefit in what was an intense climax to the campaign.
With teammate Phillip Zinckernagel not enjoying his best day out at the weekend – the on-loan Watford man winning just one of his eight duels and losing possession on five occasions – it could be an ideal opportunity for a shake-up in attack.
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