Midfielder John Bostock says Nottingham Forest will enjoy the moment after revelling in a Carabao Cup victory over arch-rivals Derby County.
But the Reds will not lose focus on the bigger picture, with Sabri Lamouchi’s men determined to see out what has been a positive first month of the season in style, against Preston North End on Saturday.
Bostock says the atmosphere at the City Ground for the East Midlands derby on Tuesday night more than lived up to his expectations.
And he adds himself and the rest of the club’s summer signings were left in no doubt about the importance of the game - a tie which ended in a 3-0 triumph for the hosts.
“Everybody kept saying, ‘John, just wait until you see the fans, wait until you feel the atmosphere’,” said the Toulouse loanee.
“Even before the game, when you’re coming up in the coach, on the way to the stadium, you see the fans there, cheering you on. It gives you that extra lift.
“That was for the fans.
“The players who have come through the system here were very sure to make sure the players who are new to these surroundings were up for it.
“The first 10 minutes were tricky, but we weathered the storm and came out victorious, so we’re really happy with that.”
He added: “They do have some good players who can affect the game and can cause problems.
“But we dealt with that well. We stayed compact when we needed to, and when it was time to play, we played.
“It always helps when you get goals before half-time, and we finished it off in the second half.
“It was my first derby against Derby and it was an enjoyable one.
“Fans, players, coaching staff - it was a big game.
“We were well prepared for it.
“I think you could see from the performance that it was more than just a win. We enjoyed dominating the game.
“We got what we deserved.”
Albert Adomah and Joe Lolley had given Forest a 2-0 half-time advantage against the Rams, with Joao Carvalho coming off the bench to round off the scoring in the second half - on his return from injury.
That made it six games unbeaten in all competitions for the Reds - a run they are eager to extend in their final outing before the international break.
“It’s huge for us,” Bostock said of Preston.
“We’ll enjoy Tuesday night, because football comes with its ups and downs. Even seeing the Brian Clough Trophy, taking pictures of that, you can see what it means to the club, the fans, the players.
“We’ll enjoy the moment, but before the international break we’ve got a chance to finish the month really strong.
“August has been a crazy month; it’s been intense.
“But we feel ready and we want to finish the month strong, so we will endeavour to do that.”
