The club would be in a much worse position had it not been for players of this character around Trentside.
Eric Lichaj of Nottingham Forest (R) and Darren Bent of Derby County in action
While Nottingham Forest sit just one point above the Championship relegation zone, you feel they could find themselves in it had there not been players around the club who quietly do their bit and keep their heads.
It would be easy for the players to panic and lose motivation given the circumstances, but while most clubs tend to have one unsung hero, Forest have three – and here they are.
Eric Lichaj
The America international has always been a solid and reliable option for Forest since he arrived from Aston Villa in 2013, and this year has been no exception, with Lichaj even getting the captain’s armband this season. It’s evident that the 28-year-old cares greatly for the club, and at one stage this season, Lichaj was essentially a manager on the pitch following the disastrous and shambolic FA Cup tie against Wigan Athletic – overriding then manager Philippe Montanier’s instructions as he could see it was going badly wrong. There has been speculation about Lichaj’s future at The City Ground, but you feel that most fans would like him to stay.
Nottingham Forest’s Apostolos Vellios scores their second goal
Apostolos Vellios
One of the better summer signings, the Greece international has already shown that he is willing to give everything to Forest, and as such has been welcomed in open arms by supporters. Vellios’ character and mindset is incredible, as despite setbacks and goal droughts, he has never once thrown a hissy fit, complained, or shown signs of petulance – instead, he’s simply got his head down and kept going. It seemed for a while as if there was an internal issue between Vellios and caretaker manager Gary Brazil, who barely played him despite Vellios scoring six in 22 before he took charge, but Vellios took to social media to clarify his desire to succeed at the club, and you feel he’ll reap the rewards of that under new boss Mark Warburton.
Stephen Henderson
Life at The City Ground maybe didn’t get off to the best start for the Republic of Ireland international, who was very quickly – and very unfairly – turned into a scapegoat for some questionable defending in front of him. However, despite being dropped for Vladimir Stojkovic, Henderson kept grafting away without any tantrums, and after some shocking form from Stojkovic, he got another chance. Henderson grabbed it with both hands and made some superb stops, notably in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa, which gave Forest three vital points they wouldn’t have got had Henderson not been playing. But for injury, Henderson would still be number one now, but you feel that he will bounce back yet again for next season.
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