Video: Forest stayed in the Championship after securing a 3-0 win over Ipswich
Nottingham Forest fans say they want the Reds to target promotion next season after securing Championship status on Sunday.
The Tricky Trees beat Ipswich Town 3-0 at the City Ground which kept the Reds in the division by securing a better goal difference of two over Blackburn, despite the Rovers winning 3-1 away at Brentford.
Birmingham City were the other team in the relegation fight but secured their status by winning 1-0 at Bristol City.
Britt Assombalonga scored twice, including one penalty but missing another, with Chris Cohen also getting his name on the score sheet with a deflected shot.
Former Forest defender John Thompson wants the Reds to now kick on.
He said: “Nobody wanted to go down to League 1 and I’m delighted that it hasn’t happened but now it’s a big test for Mark Warburton.
“He’s got to rebuild for next season with Forest hopefully making a bit of a push for promotion.
“The important thing for Warburton when he came in was to keep them in this division and he’s done this successfully.”
Straight after the final whistle, some fans inside the City Ground told Notts TV Forest should target promotion into the Premier League for next season – as long as manager Mark Warburton is backed.
One said: “It was amazing, it was so important not just for Nottingham Forest but for the city as well.
“If we’d have gone down to League 1, the amount of fans would have gone down in attendance, the economy would have suffered, so it’s amazing that we’ve managed to do that today.
“It doesn’t compare to famous nights but this was important to keep the club in a stable position and then go on to improve next season.
“Mark Warburton needs to be given the chance to go on and build the team he wants next season.
“He’s a decent manager and if he’s given the chance to do what he wants and bring in the players he wants, we could challenge for promotion next season.”
Another said he is simply relishing playing Derby again next season.
Real passion the City Ground as @nffc stay up pic.twitter.com/4RsYcrX1zT
— Ian Curryer (@IanCurryer) May 7, 2017
He said: “It means we’ve got Derby next year so that’s always good.
“It’s always good to hear the City Ground in full voice and cheering them on but it doesn’t really feel like a celebration.
“When we beat Yeovil on the last day to get promoted back to the Championship from League 1 a few years back, in comparison this feels a bit more subdued.
“But Championship football, new owners, hopefully a stab at the big time again.”
Outside the ground others thought it was now time for a clear-out.
One said: “It starts on the pitch so if we can get better players that will help but we need to get rid of a lot of deadwood from this season.
“We shouldn’t have been in this position from the start and we should be getting rid of them.”
Another added: “It was brilliant – such a good win for Forest, a good three points and staying up with another season in the Championship.
“We need to keep the same team, keep the performance going and get wins at the start of the new season.”
Video: The Post’s Paul Taylor on takeover news, relief and showing character
Nottingham Post Forest reporter Paul Taylor is confident that Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis will take over as owner of the Reds – which could be confirmed as early as this week.
He said: “Marinakis agreed terms on a deal to buy Nottingham Forest from Fawaz Al-Hasawi three or four weeks ago.
“Everything has been agreed, the finance is all in place, but all they’ve been waiting for is the final approval from the Football League.
“We’re told by Fawaz that the approval should hopefully come through this week – they meet with the Football League at some point this week in London to answer the final questions they have about his intentions to prove he has the finances.”
Hildeberto Pereira posed for photos with fans outside the club shop before the game and said: “Forest will stay up. The Championship has been a good experience and I’ve enjoyed being in Nottingham.”
