Nottingham Forest are determined to avoid falling victim to the December curse which has been a feature of recent campaigns.
The Reds have not won yet this month, drawing against Millwall and Middlesbrough before collapsing 4-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.
And each December for the past three seasons, they have finished the month with a tally of one victory in six games.
With three more matches to be played before the calendar turns over to January, midfielder Ben Watson says Forest are desperate for history not to repeat itself this time around.
“We were made aware of that history recently. We don’t want that record,” he said.
“But there’s plenty more games this month.
“We don’t want to fall into that bracket again.
“It’s down to us now. It’s down to us next Saturday to come up with a reaction.
“Away at Huddersfield is another tough game, but every game in this league is tough.
“It’s about us; about how we react and how we put it right.
“The good thing about this league is the games come thick and fast so you don’t have time to dwell or think about things.”
Last term, it was around the turn of the year when a promotion push began to falter under Aitor Karanka, with the Spaniard eventually departing the City Ground.
Under Sabri Lamouchi, the Reds dropped to eighth place in the Championship table after the weekend’s thrashing, albeit just one point off the top six with a game in hand.
Having made a bright start under the Frenchman, they are now without a victory in four outings.
But Watson insists nothing has changed from the start of the campaign, as they prepare to make the trip to Huddersfield Town.
“Not really. We just need to get back to doing what we did well at the start of the season,” he said.
“Maybe we’re not doing that so well at the minute. There’s no particular reason.
“But I’m fully confident we can get back to winning ways soon.
“This league is so unpredictable and brutal, in a way.
“Before we go out on the pitch, we say we’ve got to earn the right to play. And you do.
“That might take 60 minutes or it might take 70 minutes, but you’ve got to earn the right.
“You can’t just roll up and think you’re the bees’ knees, dominate games and win games comfortably - that doesn’t happen in this league.
“We’ll learn from Saturday, especially the first half.
“Things were said at half-time. We came out for the second half and had a go. If things dropped for them in the box, it was a goal; if they dropped for us, we weren’t reacting or they were clearing it.
“But I’m not going to make excuses.
“It wasn’t good enough, we move on and we go again.”
