It's play-off time! 30/04/03 | by Peter Collison (Issue 5)

Normally at this time of the year, we would be reflecting back on the season, seeing what we could improve on in our game and look to see what players we might buy in the summer. Of course last year we were staving off the threat of relegation, and any thoughts of this season were to finish somewhere in mid table, or at least higher than Derby.

But we weren’t to know how David Johnson and Marlon Harewood would lighten up the division with their goal scoring exploits, how the experienced head of Des Walker and the hugely talented Michael Dawson would tighten the defence and even Andy Reid coming into his own with comparisons of his play (and looks) to those of Forest legend John Robertson. It is testament to Forest's best season since the championship-winning season of 1997/98 that we haven’t dropped out of the top six since September. Where countless teams have fallen by the wayside and ended up in mid table obscurity, Forest have shown the staying power to fight for a place in the playoffs, even enduring some bad patches of form.

Finally reaching the play-offs has taken a weight off the players and the fans minds. Even when we were at our peak in 3rd place, a play-off spot still wasn’t confirmed, Paul Hart bringing us back down to earth and telling us there is all to play for. Of course earlier on in the season, a play-off spot wasn’t all we had in mind, second place was in our sights and we could of reached there, if it wasn’t for Grimsby bringing us back down to earth and making sure that a play-off spot is all we should be aiming for. But getting to the ‘finishing line’ is all well and good, but the play-offs is something that Forest have never been a part of, whereas the other three teams in their with us, have.

I personally don’t think that this is a bad thing for Forest; you only have to look at teams like Charlton and Watford. They were the least expected in their respective play-offs to win and go up to the premiership, but that’s what they did, while teams like Sheffield United and Wolves seem unable to play their best when it matters most, even Birmingham in fifth place last year were not expected to go up, the favourites were (once again) Wolves. Experience in the play-offs obviously counts for something, but all Forest need to do is to take each game as it comes. If they play Sheffield United in the semi-finals then, over two legs, I think they have a chance of beating them. If we then encounter Reading or Wolves in the final then I see no reason why we can’t have a crack at beating them, and if not then it would have been a respectable end to an impressive season.

If Forest don’t make it up, you’ve got to think who you would next like to see up with the big boys. First of all, Reading wouldn’t surprise me if they made it all the way to Premiership because they have been full of shocks this season, but I honestly think that if they did make it, they would become the whipping boys of the Premiership. One team I really don’t want to see in the premiership is Wolverhampton Wanderers. A club that size and with that many fans is a club that deserves to be in the Premiership you might think, but you only have to see how they gave away their chance of a second automatic promotion spot to West Brom last term, then you realise that a club that consistently throws away its chances of reaching the big time is unsuited to the Premiership.

The only other team apart from Forest that I would want to go up is Sheffield United. Their football this season has been exceptional, they have decent set of players and youngsters that I think would be more deserved of a place in the premiership than the arrogant bunch of cheaters from down the A46. First and foremost, I want the Reds to be back in the big time, but if we don’t make it, good luck to the team that does and a big thank you to Paul Hart for bringing the good times back to the City Ground.