BACK in September, Marcus Tudgay had been told by Steve McClaren that he had no future at Nottingham Forest; that he was free to find himself another club.

Now, while it would be an exaggeration to suggest Forest's future rests solely on his shoulders alone, the striker's influence over the coming months could be integral to the club's Championship fate.

Few players are guaranteed a place in Steve Cotterill's Reds side, as the omission of the likes of Lewis McGugan, Radi Majewski, Jonathan Greening and Paul Anderson has demonstrated in recent weeks.

But, if there is a name that is at least among the first on the team sheet, when he is fit and available, it is that of Tudgay.

And, as Forest prepare for a massive relegation clash with Coventry City tomorrow, Cotterill concedes that he is hopeful Tudgay will prove his fitness, after returning from a period when he has been sidelined with illness.

"He has been our most consistent performer, since I came here," said Cotterill. "He does a bit of everything.

"He is a good lad and we are glad he is back in training now.

"He is a good professional, he has scored goals for me and does a job in both boxes.

"He is just a very good team player, Marcus. We need everyone, in the situation we are in, to be like that.

"We cannot afford to carry anyone. I do think we have missed him, in the last few games."

Cotterill says the question he does not know the answer to is over who the best foil might be for the former Sheffield Wednesday player, who has netted six goals this season, including two in their only win in the last 13 games, at Ipswich Town back in January.

"It is trying to find out who his best partner might be," said Cotterill. "That is important as well. You have to try to get a mix.

"You have to ask what his strengths and weaknesses are and try to complement those.

"I need to supplement those, with the strengths of another player, to get the partnership right. That is vital to the team.

"Marcus has scored goals since I have been here. But it is a question of deciding who plays with him."

Forest will be without Ishmael Miller, for a few weeks at least, after he damaged his hamstring during the 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening.

But Cotterill does have options, with Dexter Blackstock edging his way back to full match fitness to fight for his place alongside Marlon Harewood, Robbie Findley, Matt Derbyshire and David McGoldrick.

"It would be a big boost if one of the strikers were to score five, six or seven goals between now and the end of the season," he said. "Some of them will go through purple patches and we could do with one or two of them going through those in the near future.

"In the meantime, we have to do our best to keep clean sheets. It is very much a team game.

"And the goals may not come from the strikers. They might come from midfield. They could come from defenders and set-plays.

"It is not just the strikers; it is not just about lumping the weight of expectation on them.

"We just need to try to keep their confidence up. We need them to keep getting into positions where they may score goals.

"We need to get the strikers into those areas as often as we possibly can."

And, while some big names may have found themselves frozen out for the last two games, Cotterill says the entire squad will have a role to play in the final 16 matches.

"It gives us an opportunity to change things next month, perhaps, when the games come thick and fast," he said.

"After this weekend's game against Coventry, which is our third in a week, we have a week-long break before Birmingham and a week then before Barnsley.

"But then the matches start building up again and we have to have bodies in place; we have to make sure we are strong enough for those periods.

"It is not keeping them sweet, when it comes to those players who have not been in the team. They have to come in and do their jobs.

"Everyone has had their opportunity under me and you can only pick 11 players. You can only pick five subs."

Cotterill says he feels some empathy towards opposite number Andy Thorn, who he credits as doing a good job with the Sky Blues, as they go through a difficult period on and off the pitch.

But that will be put to one side tomorrow, at the City Ground.

"I have not had much time to look at Coventry's plight, because I have enough on my own plate," he said.

"But Andy has done a good job there. For all the good years they have had, all of a sudden they have had a couple of tough ones.

"He has probably been the unlucky one, because he has ended up with the tough times.

"Saturday is a big game for us and we will not focus too much on their plight.

"But when you have tough times as a manager, you always feel for your opposing manager.

"That will not apply for 90 minutes on Saturday, because we will both have enough to worry about."

Cotterill does admit that it is a massive game for both sides.

"It is a huge game, but you do not get six points for it," he said. "That is what it is though, we know people will call it a six-pointer and we know it is going to be a difficult game.

"We are at home and we owe them one for the 1-0 defeat down there, just before I officially took over.

"I saw that game, it was not particularly good on the day.

"But if we perform as we have done recently, hopefully we will get the points that our last two performances had warranted."