Nottingham Forest must break their habit of conceding the first goal in games, when they face Blackburn Rovers this weekend.
That is the message from Martin O’Neill, who believes that finding a way to strike first could be the starting point for a revival in fortunes.
The Reds have conceded first in each of their last four games and in seven of their 14 fixtures under the Northern Irishman overall, while scoring first in six - with neither side finding the net in the 0-0 draw at Preston.
Forest have collected four points from the games in which they have conceded first - including the recent 2-1 win over Swansea.
And, although they lost last time they scored first in a game - 3-1 to Aston Villa - they have otherwise taken 13 points from those in which they have found the net before their opponents.
And while scoring first is obviously always an advantage, O’Neill believes it is currently particularly important for the Reds away from home, at a time when their confidence is fragile, following a 13-game run away from the City Ground without a victory.
Forest had played well for 45 minutes at Hillsborough in midweek, but failed to make the most of either their dominant spells or their opportunities in front of goal.
And Sheffield Wednesday took all three points as two quick goals after the break put them on course for a 3-0 success.
“I said to the lads that they were doing very well indeed at half-time and told them to keep it going,” said O’Neill.
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“Concentration in any game is the most important thing. Concentrate again for the second half - and it was poor, from our viewpoint.
“We conceded a goal and, at this minute in this stage of our development, the first goal is very important.
“It should not be the end of the world, I must admit. But it is very, very important.
“It is particularly important for us away from home. But these are things we must overcome.”
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O’Neill knows that Forest’s poor form away from home continues to be their most significant issue, with the Reds otherwise having won five out of their last seven at the City Ground.
“I said to you recently that the sign of a good side is winning away from home. You just have to do it,” he said.
“If you have any designs on success in any league, you simply have to be winning away from home - you need to be winning at least eight matches.”
Wednesday’s direct, physical approach ultimately saw them batter Forest into submission after the break - but O’Neill says his side must learn to deal with any approach opposition teams throw at them.
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“Sheffield Wednesday played as long as any side we’ve seen and bypassed midfield a lot of the time. And that is fine,” he said.
“That is something we have to deal with. The first goal we conceded was from our own throw-in and the second one was from our set-piece, when they broke on us. Those sort of things are soul destroying.
“You have to dig in, because you know what you are up against every single week.”
