Winger Joe Lolley is confident his form is on the up for Nottingham Forest, after a “so-so” start to the season.
The 27-year-old was crowned the club’s Player of the Year last term after a sparkling campaign in which he hit 12 goals in 51 appearances.
This time around, Lolley admits the going has been a bit tougher as he has not quite yet hit the same kind of heights.
But despite his team falling 2-1 against his old club, the midfielder felt he had one of his better games at Huddersfield Town last Saturday - something he hopes to use as a stepping stone for the second half of the season.
“It’s been so-so,” Lolley said of his own form. “The last five or six weeks, I’ve actually felt like I’ve got back to a level, in terms of all around the pitch, where I’m comfortable - a lot better with the ball. It’s just around the final third.
“I think Saturday was a better game for me. We tried to keep Tiago (Silva) a little bit higher and I got a lot more of the ball around the box, where I could maybe get crosses and shots in.
“In terms of attacking threat, it was probably my biggest game for a while, in terms of being able to run at defenders and create things.
“It has been tough at times, but you have to keep going and keep grafting.
“I’m sure if I keep playing like Saturday, things will start to fall into place.”
Lolley has four goals to his name so far under Sabri Lamouchi - three of those in the league.
Lewis Grabban, with 10, is far and away Forest’s top scorer. And if the Reds are to arrest a five-match winless run, the winger says it is important everyone starts weighing in.
“You want to get goals from around the team,” Lolley said.
“We’ve all got to chip in more.
“We haven’t got enough goals, from around midfield especially, this season.
“Me, Sammy (Ameobi), Joao (Carvalho) and Tiago, every day we’re finishing on the training ground and scoring goals. And then it comes to the games and suddenly things aren’t falling for us.
“It will come in time.”
Lolley believes the same applies to an upturn in results.
Ahead of their to Hull City, Lamouchi’s men have dropped to 10th in the Championship table.
After their 4-0 thumping at home to Sheffield Wednesday, however, Lolley feels there was enough of an improvement against the Terriers to suggest the tide will turn.
“The mood was very despondent after Sheffield Wednesday, but on Saturday there was a bit of a different atmosphere,” he said.
“As a team, we felt the performance level was a lot better. We came out with some improvement.
“The manager always says, we can’t control the result of every football match. Even the best teams in the world can’t do that.
“Manchester City can have 30 shots in a game and still lose 1-0. That’s football in a nutshell.
“If you concentrate on the performances, then over the course of the season results take care of themselves.
“Our away form has been very good. We played well last Saturday, so hopefully we can get back to winning ways at Hull.”
