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Colin Calderwood today told Forest to stay focused, after seeing them stretch their unbeaten run in League One to six matches. The Reds manager was delighted with the 2-1 win over a strong Hartlepool side, which carried them into the play-off positions for the first time this season. But Calderwood says his team must not get carried away with their success - and has demanded that they keep their concentration to avoid any slip-ups when they travel to Cheltenham next weekend.
"It is easy to say that we have momentum after the recent games," he said. "But we have to do it again next week and the important thing that we must remember is that we have to go and do the job again. "We can stop the run ourselves if we do not go and produce again. We have got ourselves moving up the table a little bit and it helps that we are on this run. But we have to keep doing it. We have to keep doing our job."We needed a big tally of points after the draws and the defeat against Leeds at the start of the season. But we are being rewarded for a team that is developing all the time."
Calderwood warned that Hartlepool would pose a stiff challenge for Forest - and he was proved correct as Danny Wilson's side went toe to toe with the Reds and produced some impressive attacking football. "It was an excellent game, I enjoyed it. We needed a home victory to add to our recent tally," he said. "But obviously our scouts are good, because they recognised a team that could cause us problems. It was a proper game of football and, at 1-1, the second half was very, very even. We were disappointed with some of our approach play but kept going and we got our reward.
"We never looked as though we were going to get flustered, that was important. It was a brave performance in the last 20 minutes, in that we kept the ball and passed it and kept working and kept running. "Eventually we conjured that winning goal, with a great move." And Calderwood was pleased with his side's patience - and in particular Junior Agogo, who was eventually rewarded when he netted the winning goal in the 84th minute. "Junior was getting a little bit upset and frustrated a little bit in the first half, but he kept his head and kept working," he said.
"It is important to keep going." "I am delighted we have won after a good performance, that was another good factor. "I thought they (Hartlepool) defended well and I thought we played well. It was just an all-round good day for me." Calderwood recalled Kris Commons to the starting line-up, while dropping Grant Holt to the bench, and was rewarded as the forward scored in the 11th minute - and then carved out the second for Agogo.
"Grant had done virtually nothing wrong," said Calderwood. "But we have an international weekend next weekend when Junior and Sammy Clingan might not be here. "So that was in our minds, we did not want anything to happen to Grant before next weekend, injury wise." Forest saw Nathan Tyson limp off in the second half but he should be fit for Saturday.
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