Latest Nottingham Forest news as Sean Dyche’s Reds beat Brentford 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium
17:01, 25 Jan 2026Updated 17:21, 25 Jan 2026
Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche(Image: Simon Dael/Shutterstock)
Head coach Sean Dyche hailed the impact of his two strikers as Nottingham Forest claimed an important 2-0 victory over Brentford.
Goals from Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi made it three Premier League games unbeaten for the Reds. They are five points above the relegation zone as the battle to secure survival continues.
Jesus bagged his second Premier League goal with a delightful touch and finish in the first half, while Awoniyi found the back of the net in the league for the first time in more than a year. The latter suffered a serious abdominal injury when he collided with a post toward the end of last season, and Dyche was particularly delighted for him.
“Absolutely buzzing,” the Reds boss said of Awoniyi. “He works hard for us and trained well in the last week.
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“I had a chat with him – nothing heavy – and reminded him to be free. He looked free when he came on. He worked very hard and it was a very good finish.
“I’ve not gone too deeply with him (about the injury). That’s by the by. I certainly don’t keep reflecting back, I wasn’t here and I know what happened was very serious.
“It’s just talking to him generally. Just get on with it, come and enjoy yourself. It’s not that easy – professional enjoyment I call it. I don’t mean go out there like running around in the playground, you have professional responsibility.
“He had a soft spell a couple of weeks ago but then he’s come out of it. He’s looked sharper and come back to life, let’s say. I had no doubt about putting him on.
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“I’m pleased for Igor as well. He’s been knocking on the door (for a goal) and has been working very hard. He gets his reward with a good bit of play and a fine finish.
“We want everyone’s noses pointing in the right direction. We have reminded them of that after the game.”
The goals for Jesus and Awoniyi came after Forest added to their attacking ranks on Friday. Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca will spend the rest of the campaign on loan at the City Ground from Napoli.
“It’s the thing with football, you bring a striker in and then your strikers score,” Dyche said. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. That competitive element is almost subliminal – that’s why managers do it across the board.
“When you bring in the freshness of different players, it often kicks others into life. I don’t think they needed that, I must say.”
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