Draw with Villa a step in the right direction, says Forest's Cooper

 

Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper (42) wants his side to control games and push for all three points when teams come to the City Ground but given their woeful run, he said Monday's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa was a step in the right direction.

Forest went ahead in the 15th minute when striker Emmanuel Dennis nodded in a free kick, with Villa responding in the 22nd minute through a superb Ashley Young strike.

The draw ended a run of five straight Premier League defeats and moved Forest above Leicester City into 19th, but Cooper conceded he wants more from his side at home.

"It's a step in the right direction," he told Sky Sports. "It's not the ambition to be drawing games at home and not having much of the ball. But the circumstances meant we had to accept that it was a forward step.

"There were lots of things we need to improve on but we really need to look at the things we did well. We can keep building. For all the tactical things we do I haven't loved the fight in the team

"We are trying to put a team together but that's not an excuse for not running or fighting. We did that better tonight. We were deeper and more compact. Is this my favourite way of playing? No. But it was something that was right for tonight."

Forest next face Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are a point ahead of them in 18th, on Saturday.