One winner, one loser from Nottingham Forest’s draw with Wigan

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Nottingham Forest struck late in the day to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2018/19 campaign with a dogged 2-2 draw against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.

Youngster Matty Cash cancelled out Nick Powell’s opener inside the first 10 minutes, before Will Grigg scored from the penalty spot to give the home side a slender advantage at the break.

It had looked like the Wigan man’s strike would be the winner, until Reds’ sub Hillal Soudani climbed off the bench to tuck away the rebound from Lewis Grabban’s missed penalty right at the death, handing Forest a share of the spoils.

After an entertaining Championship affair, The Boot Room looked at one winner and one loser from a Nottingham Forest perspective…

Winner – Matty Cash

The Nottingham Forest academy graduate was rewarded for an impressive display against Bury in the EFL Cup on Tuesday evening with a place in Aitor Karanka’s starting line-up for the trip to Wigan and he didn’t disappoint.

Cash certainly doesn’t lack confidence and he backed up his manager’s decision to include him in the starting eleven with a neatly taken equalising goal after Forest had fallen behind early doors, whilst the 21-year-old also won the visitors’ their penalty deep into stoppage time at the end of the second-half.

With the Reds now boasting a plethora of talent within their ranks it is vital that any player who is given a chance in the team takes it with aplomb, and Cash certainly didn’t do his chances of retaining his place any harm with this performance.

Loser – Lewis Grabban

You simply have to feel for Forest’s new £6 million striker. Although his performances in the first four games have demonstrated his ability to work hard and get into the right areas, the bottom line is that he has yet to net for his new club.

When Forest were handed a stoppage time penalty it was Grabban who stepped-up to try and salvage a point for the Reds, yet his spot-kick was met with a strong right hand from Wigan goalkeeper Christian Walton.

Perhaps rubbing more salt in the wounds for the Reds’ striker was the fact that it was Hillal Soudani,  one of several players vying for a starting place in Forest’s attack, who pounced to tuck away the rebound following Grabban’s misfortune.

There clearly isn’t a need to panic for the 30-year-old just yet, but there is a real sense that the ex-Bournemouth man missed a real chance to net his first goal for the Reds on Saturday.