Head coach Sabri Lamouchi believes Nottingham Forest have the right “character” to challenge in the Championship.
For the second game in succession, the Reds were forced to come from behind on Tuesday as they claimed a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers - on a night when they had been far from at their best.
They had done the same at Stoke City on Friday, rallying to triumph 3-2 against the Potters to briefly top the table.
And Lamouchi says such steely mentality and battling qualities can carry them far as they look to mount a promotion push.
“We need character, and this team has character,” the Frenchman said.
“We have quality too, but we missed a lot on Tuesday. We missed too much, at the right times to make the difference.
“To kill teams off, the first chance you get, you must score. We didn’t score, and after that anything can happen.
“We need to work on it, but we are in a good way.
“At Blackburn we didn’t play much better than at Stoke and we have taken three points from those two games.
“On Tuesday it was just a point, but I am happy with the performance and especially the mentality.
“If you want to challenge in this league, first you need character and then after that quality. We have enough quality in this team, we just need to take more responsibility and play with more confidence.”
Forest are yet to lose on the road in the league this term, with their sole defeat coming at home to West Bromwich Albion on the opening day.
They will look to extend their unbeaten run when they welcome Brentford to the City Ground this weekend, in the final game before the latest international break.
“I am so positive because I know these players and we are working hard,” Lamouchi added.
“We have a fantastic game to play on Saturday against Brentford.
“To have not lost away from home is very positive for the rest of the season.
“Of course it is important to play well at home on Saturday, especially with a full stadium. We want to do well in front of our fans and before the international break.
“We just need to focus on the performance.
“If we want to win against Brentford, we need a performance better than the last two games.
“Of course, if we want to do something and challenge in this league, we must play with more quality, more maturity and more personality.
“But it is step by step.
“But when it comes to mentality and determination, we are in the right way.”
Lamouchi was “proud” of his players for reacting so quickly to going behind at Ewood Park, with Joe Lolley equalising just two minutes after the hosts had made the breakthrough.
Having built up some momentum, they sit third in the table, one point off leaders Leeds United.
And the manager is pleased with the commitment his players are showing.
“That is down to the players. They reacted immediately to the goal,” he said.
“At 1-0 down, in these conditions here, to get back so quickly was a good reaction. We reacted very quickly.
“It was a good goal from Lolley and we were very positive.”
