Defender Michael Dawson has put pen to paper on a new Nottingham Forest contract, to extend his time at the City Ground.
And he says agreeing to stay on at the club where he started his career - if fresh terms were offered - was never in any doubt.
The 36-year-old’s deal was due to run out this summer but he has signed on for another year, keeping him with the Reds until 2021.
With Sabri Lamouchi’s men set to resume their promotion push this weekend, he hopes that will mean he gets the chance to wear the Garibaldi in the Premier League.
“It was always in the club’s hands. If they offered me something, I was always wanting to stay,” he told NottinghamshireLive via Zoom.
“I said two years ago when I signed that I was hoping I could finish my career at Nottingham Forest, and I’ll certainly be doing that.
“Playing next year… I’m here and we’ll see what happens after that.
“But more importantly, for the next nine games, we know the importance of them and where we want them to take us.
“Fingers crossed we can do that.”
Having left Forest in 2005, joining Tottenham Hotspur and then Hull City, Dawson returned two years ago.
He has been a key figure under Sabri Lamouchi this term, with the head coach speaking highly of the centre-back and previously urging the club to tie him down for the rest of his career - and beyond.
Dawson established a solid partnership with Joe Worrall in the heart of the back line at the start of this season, before losing his place to Tobias Figueiredo when he picked up an injury.
Even when not playing, however, he has continued to be an influential presence in the dressing room and on the bench.
And he will hope to have a role to play in the final nine games of the campaign as the Reds target a top six finish.
“There’s been talks going on before covid, and then things have happened,” Dawson, who has made 15 appearances this term, said of his new deal.
“It’s nice to get that sorted - signed and sealed - and now we can focus on football for the next nine games. That is the most important for Nottingham Forest and the players.
“We know the importance of what we’ve done so far this season, but these nine games are going to be completely different.
“We’ve just got to hit the ground running, then that will give us so much belief that we can go on and achieve something special that we all dream of.”
