Winger Joe Lolley believes Nottingham Forest have a squad packed with potential which can challenge for a top six finish.
The Reds have made great strides since Steve Cooper took charge in September, going from rock bottom of the Championship table to within eight points of the play-off places.
Ahead of facing Peterborough United at the City Ground on Saturday (3pm kick-off), they are unbeaten in six - although five of those matches have been draws, with Forest eager to get back on the winning trail.
Cooper will get his first chance to put his stamp on the squad next month, when the transfer window opens. But Lolley says there is already plenty of talent in the dressing room.
He has singled out summer signings Djed Spence and Max Lowe for making a difference, with the latter being sorely missed as he faces two months out injured, while Middlesbrough could deal a big blow by recalling Spence in January.
“I think the potential is really high - especially when the squad got put together (in the summer),” he said. “I think the signings of Djed and Max at the end helped, bringing in two full-backs.
“The rest of the squad looked at it and thought, ‘we’ve got so much quality’, and those two added to that.
“By the end of the window I looked at the squad and thought, ‘this is a team that’s very capable of challenging at the top end of the Championship, and we shouldn’t be fearing anyone’.
“We’ve got lots of quality throughout the squad; young players, older players, experience, people who can play with the ball, who can run in behind, people who can fight.
“I think we’ve got a great balance in the squad.”
It is coming up to four years since Lolley made the move Trentside from Huddersfield Town. In that time he has seen plenty of changes, both in managers and players.
But the 29-year-old feels the club are as well equipped now as they have ever been, with the aim to continue to push on under Cooper.
“Ever since I have been at the club, the goal has always been to be at the top end of the table,” said Lolley.
“I’ve always believed we’ve had the quality to do so any year, but even more so this year, when you look around the dressing room and the players we’ve got. The manager has been brilliant as well.
“We don’t look at the teams who are in and around the play-offs and think we’re inferior to any of them.
“We want to win as many games as possible, and see where it takes us. But the aim is to always be as high up the table as possible.
“We’re not striving to be a mid-table team, put it that way.”
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