Nottingham Forest defender Michael Dawson must become a mainstay in starting line-up

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Championship outfit Nottingham Forest were impressive on Wednesday night as they eased past Bolton Wanderers at the University of Bolton Stadium.

The Reds caught the eye with a convincing performance from back to front and they will travel to Leeds this weekend in high spirits.

Although Forest put the Trotters to the sword with three well-taken goals, it was perhaps the ease at which the back four kept the opposition at bay that attracted the most praise.

One man in particular made a telling difference at the heart of the defence and Michael Dawson showed why he must be called upon more often by his manager.

The ex-England international rolled back the years with a stunning defensive display that saw him kick, head or block everything that Bolton threw at Forest.

Since arriving on a free transfer in the summer, Dawson has struggled to force his way into Aitor Karanka’s plans. He started the first match of the campaign at Bristol City but was then sidelined with a minor injury, hampering his progress.

Now that the 2018/19 campaign is approaching its most important stage, it seems vital that Karanka starts to cement his best back four. On Wednesday night’s showing, that definitely means Dawson playing more often than not.

Dawson might be 34-years-old but his experience in a relatively young Forest team could prove to be a vastly important attribute in the Reds’ quest for promotion to the Premier League.