Joe Lolley was the hero for Nottingham Forest as Sabri Lamouchi’s side avoided a first Championship defeat since the opening day at Ewood Park.
On paper, a midfield duo with a combined age of 64 is just asking for trouble in the Championship, especially when half of your central column has never played in England before this season.
But alongside the walking wardrobe that is Samba Sow, Ben Watson continues to silence the doubters with yet another performance full of class and composure.
It is six years since the veteran midfielder flashed home the winner in Wigan Athletic’s one and only FA Cup final success but there’s plenty of life in the old dog yet.
Watson has been one of the first players on the team sheet since Sabri Lamouchi took over with the former Crystal Palace and Watford enforcer taking on the role as Forest’s on-field general, dictating play like Camberwell’s answer to Andre Pirlo in the centre of the park.
Forest were far from their best during a 1-1 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, Joe Lolley flashing home a trademark 25-yarder to cancel out Adam Armstrong’s opener, but Watson was as consistent as ever. He completed over 80 per cent of his passes and even regained possession on four separate occasions.
Watson is quickly becoming a fans’ favourite – something that never looked possible until Lamouchi arrived.
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