An explosive end to the 2024/25 season has not spoiled the spirit at Nottingham Forest. Tougher tests are on the horizon, but the group has gained unity and fresh blood that is integrating well.
‘He has much more to give’
The final weeks of May fell apart for Forest, who fell to seventh spot with a 1-0 loss to Chelsea. The squad also lost Anthony Elanga this summer, but they did not miss a beat during their first fixture.
“It was a good start to the game and a good start to the season. I’m really pleased, I think we played really well. The boys were on fire in the way they started the game. We got the first goal to settle everything down then we had the energy from the fans and everything started to flow.”
Igor Thiago, who got a consolation goal from the penalty spot, saw Neco Williams deny him an equaliser when the hosts were a goal to the good. But Espirito Santo saw little to complain about.
“Just before our second goal, Brentford had a chance, but for the rest of the half we were in control of the game, with and without the ball, pressing, controlling the movements of the Brentford players.”
Chris Wood was off the mark with a brace as he seeks to mimic his 20-goal campaign. Also, debutant **Dan Ndoye**netted a flying header from the right, and his all-around game gave a good impression.
“Dan Ndoye* played well today, he stuck to his defensive tasks which is always important, but he is so talented and honestly, I think he has much more to give.”*
The manager mentioned the fans, thanking them for their support at a stadium that is now a fortress.
“It’s almost impossible to ask for a better start. Today we couldn’t have asked for anymore, the City Ground was loud and bouncing, it was a beautiful day for us.”
Crystal Palace are flying off the back of a 0-0 draw to frustrate **Chelsea**at Stamford Bridge and a shootout victory in the Community Shield against Liverpool. They will push the team next week.
“We have to recover and work hard, see how the week progresses ahead of another tough game.”
‘He has much more to give’
Chris Wood is off the mark. He hit a half volley into the net from a corner before going around the goalkeeper as he latched onto an **Elliott Anderson**through ball, rewarding the team's hard work.
“It’s a great start and the team did fantastically well. In the first half we did exactly what we wanted to do to a tee and came in three goals to the good. In the second half we did extremely well, we looked to control the game a bit more and nullify any options they had.”
If the clipped cross from Morgan Gibbs-White for Ndoye was clever, Anderson's pass for Wood was incisive. The **England**Under-21 is one of the nation's brightest midfielders, showing his skill again.
“Elliot is like Morgan in that they see things that aren’t always there. As soon as the ball dropped to him I wanted to get in behind, he split the defence unbelievably for me to put away my second.
The 33-year-old knows it was not a solo effort to seal the three points at the City Ground. **Morgan Gibbs-White**was sharp after a disruptive summer, and one of the newcomers delivered the goods.
“It’s nice to get off the mark so early in the game, I think it settles everything down personally and as a team. We kicked on massively and Dan getting his first goal after an unbelievable pass from Morgan, he’s already showing glimpses of why we wanted him during pre-season and it all came to the front. He’s got a great eye for goal which he’s shown in training and now he’s done it in a game.”
The Tricky Trees mastered the art of early leads and deep defending to threaten qualification for a top five spot last season. Sides will see them coming, and the elite level always demands evolution, so the striker was happy to see the supporters get behind the different ideas from the group in this display.
“We’re trying to evolve as a team and continue to get better over the past couple of seasons. The crowd didn’t get nervy which is really helpful to us on the pitch and it’s fantastic that we’re all going in the same direction. We know we have a good enough side to see out those situations.”
However, the hard work has only started: there are 37 games to go, and each one demands respect.
“The team performance was unbelievable today and rightly so everybody in the squad deserves the plaudits for it. We have to continue it and keep it going.”