‘This is a ground that can help you win games’: Jubilant Steve Cooper believes the City Ground’s atmosphere can help Nottingham Forest avoid relegation… with fans roaring them to first top-flight victory in 23 YEARS
- Steve Cooper has hailed the home atmosphere at Nottingham Forest’s stadium
- The City Ground’s supporters roared the side to a first top-flight win this century
- Cooper’s Forest beat West Ham 1-0 in the East Midlands on Sunday afternoon
- And the Welsh manager insisted that the ground can help Forest avoid relegation
Steve Cooper believes Nottingham Forest‘s historic home stadium can help keep them in the Premier League after the City Ground roared them to a first top-flight win this century.
In the first Premier League fixture here for 23 years, Taiwo Awoniyi put Forest ahead in first-half stoppage time, soon after Said Benrahma had seen a goal ruled out for West Ham.
Then after the break visiting star Declan Rice saw his penalty saved by Dean Henderson, and Pablo Fornals and Benrahma hit the underside of the bar – to the delight of the 29,281 crowd.
Steve Cooper (above) believes Nottingham Forest’s historic home stadium can help keep them in the Premier League after the City Ground roared them to a first top-flight win this century
The newly promoted outfit beat West Ham 1-0 in the East Midlands on Saturday afternoon
One of the new signings, Nigerian Taiwo Awoniyi (centre), scored the only goal of the game
‘This is a ground that can help you win games,’ said Cooper, whose side were watched by owner Evangelos Marinakis. ‘We have to do our bit. The occasion – the first home game back in the Premier League – was so important to so many people.
‘We were never going to say it was just another game. Since promotion you could sense everyone waiting for this day and wondering who we were going to play.
‘Though we didn’t play here in pre-season, it felt like home immediately for our new players.’
Forest have already signed 14 players and hope to add at least three more, with Brighton forward Neal Maupay a target along with Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler and former Crystal Palace and West Ham man Cheikhou Kouyate.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson (above), on loan from Man United, saved a…