THIS was the start of a new era for Nottingham Forest and there was no mistaking it. Amid the delighted celebrations, amid the warm welcome given to Billy Davies who, by the final whistle, had been required to wave more frequently than the Queen on a royal visit, there was a genuine sense of encouragement.

To say this was a match the club would not have won under Colin Calderwood would be unfair and inaccurate. They might well have done.

But they would not have collected three points in the same manner, with the same ruthless efficiency and determination, with the same air of certainty.

Welcome, then, to life under Billy Davies, to a world where Nottingham Forest already seem to have added a steely edge to complement the flair and attacking power that remains in place; where a fresh level of grit and organisation balanced out the creative qualities that were always evident in Forest's play.

And balance was the key word on an afternoon when 3,000 travelling fans were given an encouraging glimpse of what to expect under the new manager.

It was a word littered throughout Davies's post-match assessment of a game that had seen Forest ride out long periods of pressure, before emphatically converting the two best of a limited number of opportunities to effectively secure three points before the half-time whistle had even been heard.

And it is something that, despite all the positives under Calderwood, Forest have never really had. There has never been a sense of equilibrium in the Forest ranks.

While this was far from the most spectacular of their victories this season, it was perhaps the best all-round display, in terms of the qualities they were required to show in order to earn a vital three points.

This was an afternoon when Forest, to some extent, did to Charlton exactly what Sheffield United had done to them towards the end of last year at the City Ground.

They made the most of their chances and then produced an intelligent, composed display to ensure Charlton had no real hope of fighting their way back.

In League One, where victory was frequently expected rather than hoped for, Forest had got into the habit of relying on their attacking power to get results, of pursuing the spectacular over the functional.

But, when it comes to Championship football, a little more guile is required. Knowledge and experience can get you further than simple flair and attacking ambition alone – as Forest had found out during a difficult start to the campaign.

That is not to say Forest lacked aspirations going forwards at the Valley.

It just seemed that already, under Davies, there was a greater understanding of when, precisely, that attacking power could be best utilised and when a more defensive mindset was required.

And the end result was a victory that left their hosts in a perilous position at the foot of the table and Forest, for the first time, able to look upwards, with realistic aspirations, to the heady heights of mid-table, with even fierce rivals Derby County now drawn to within two points.

Charlton may not have enjoyed the taste of victory for 17 matches but they had begun the match with great appetite. The conditions were treacherous, with a concrete playing surface making the bounce of the ball nigh on impossible to read.

It was the Londoners who adapted the quickest, with former Derby striker Deon Burton wasteful in the first minute, when he angled a fine chance into the side netting.

Paul Smith had to maintain his good form to produce a smart save at the feet of the Charlton striker moments later after the precocious 16-year-old Jonjo Shelvey had picked him out with another precise pass.

One-time Forest target Matthew Spring also fired wide from a good position, while Luke Chambers had to produce an outstanding block to deny Burton a third chance, as the home side dominated.

But then the game was turned on its head as Forest pushed properly for the first time and managed to make the Charlton defence look fragile twice in the space of two minutes.

An angled cross from Matt Thornhill caused chaos in the Charlton box, with Paul Anderson connecting with a crisp volley on the far side that was initially blocked when it hit skipper Mark Hudson in the backside, but fell kindly for Nathan Tyson to sweep home emphatically from close range and net his second goal in two matches.

And the celebrations had barely died down before Charlton midfielder Paul Holland, who had been introduced off the bench in place of the injured Jose Semedo, mystifyingly tried to head the ball back towards his own goal only to send Robert Earnshaw racing clear.

The Welsh international took advantage, calmly lifting a shot over the advancing keeper, dropping the ball inside the post to claim his third goal in three.

It still took two further saves from the imperious Smith – who swatted away a Shelvey volley and acrobatically palmed a Hudson drive around the post – to secure the 2-0 advantage at the interval. But in the second period, Charlton rarely looked like breaching a steadfast Forest rearguard.

Robbed of the pace of Tyson – that had been such a threat in the first half – by a toe injury, the Reds lacked attacking punch after the break. But Charlton too had run out of ideas, as the back four of Chambers, Wes Morgan, Ian Breckin and Chris Cohen efficiently repelled the home side's forays with a series of decisive headers, tackles and blocks.

Smith's reactions were tested again late on, as he clawed away a spectacular Darren Ambrose volley and another effort from Hudson. But there was never the sense that Charlton would claw their way back into the game, there was an air of inevitability about the result, as Forest extended their remarkable run of away form.

Davies's next task is to secure the same kind of results at home, where Forest's performances were a key factor in Calderwood's demise.

But, on this evidence, he had better give his waving arm some rest between now and Saturday because if Forest produce the same blend of qualities against Plymouth, his early popularity is set to bloom.

paul.taylor@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk