He notched up 17 goals last season, but Nottingham Forest striker Lewis Grabban feels it was a “disappointing” tally. And he is hopeful of topping it this time around.
Grabban was hampered by injuries in 2018/19 and though he finished as the club’s top scorer, it ultimately counted for little as the Reds finished short of a top six finish.
On both accounts, the 31-year-old is hoping for better luck as Sabri Lamouchi’s men look to mount a promotion push.
“Hopefully I can better that tally,” Grabban said.
“That goal tally last season was inevitably disappointing for myself anyway because of the injuries and that we didn’t achieve what we wanted to achieve.
“On both fronts I’ll be trying to better it.
“It was frustrating a bit last season, with the niggles I was picking up. It was holding me back a little bit.
“But I’ve been able to shift it in the off-season and not had any problems, so I feel good.
“I think that’s shown in terms of being able to play every 90 of each game.
“Hopefully that continues.”
Grabban is not setting a specific goal target, though.
“I just analyse it after each performance and see what I should have done, what I felt I should have done and go from there - try to improve in the next game,” he added.
The forward is full of confidence having bagged four in seven appearances so far, as well as setting up the winner for Alfa Semedo at Swansea City last weekend.
As the sole senior striker, head coach Lamouchi has joked about keeping Grabban “in the fridge” in between matches.
And the former Bournemouth man appreciates the backing he has received.
“It’s always nice when you’re doing well and you see the manager appreciates it,” Grabban said. “It makes you want to continue doing it. That’s exactly what I’ll be trying to do.
“You’ve always got to train hard, and then with chances try to score - that builds confidence for forwards anyway.
“At the moment, we’ve been able to do that and I feel good.
“I just need to continue with that.
“Obviously scoring goals is important, but as long as it helps us get wins, that’s more important.”
