Reds still waiting to click before Bees visit

PRE-SEASON SHORT ON GOALS SO FAR

- By SARAH CLAPSON

PRESEASON is rarely pretty at the best of times and Nottingham Forest are certainly making hard work of theirs.

The Reds' summer outings so far have been short on entertainment value as well as goals. Following their 1-0 loss at Birmingham City, Nuno Espirito Santo's side have found the back of the net only once in their five friendlies to date.

They have registered three 0-0 draws and fallen to two defeats. Results and performances are largely irrelevant at this stage, of course, but they do point to a few wrinkles in need of being ironed out.

Forest's Premier League opener is at home against Brentford on August 17 and with the clock ticking, here's a look at some of the big talking points from Saturday's game in the West Midlands.

Goal-shy Reds

Chris Wood insisted otherwise after the final whistle at St Andrew'sbut Forest's lack of goals in preseason is at least of slight concern.

It was something they struggled with towards the end of last term and there is work to be done to ensure the issue doesn't carry over into the 2025-26 campaign.

It took until the half-hour mark for the visitors to register a meaningful effort this time out. They fared better in the second half but didn't exactly pepper the Blues' goal.

Preseason rust and a focus on fitness explains some of that. But it would be good for confidence and momentum, if nothing else, if the Reds can bag a few in their remaining two friendlies.

Igor Jesus showed a real willingness to work hard on Saturday and has demonstrated good movement in his appearances so far. By all accounts, he has looked very sharp in training. Too often, though, he wasn't found against the Blues and didn't get a great deal of service.