PERHAPS it was the driving, saturating rain that was more akin to a wintery November than the height of summer that darkened the mood.

Maybe the manner in which his side succumbed to a late equaliser, after switching off for a matter of a split second – threatening to rob Nottingham Forest of a deserved win – was a factor.

More likely it was merely a calculated, carefully planned dig in the ribs, intended to grease the wheels of a transfer panel that, having toiled so efficiently during the summer, has, seemingly, now ground to a halt at the last moment.

But, while the message that Billy Davies so obviously wanted to get across via a rather blunt series of statements bore plenty of credence, it would be a shame if it was to cast a dark cloud to block the rays of sunshine that are otherwise starting to shine on the City Ground.

There is no mistaking the very urgent need for Forest to add strength in depth in defence, where a mere handful of injuries could leave them looking fragile.

It is easy to understand why Davies believes that, even before the season kicks-off, that it could ultimately become their Achilles heel.

But, at the same time, while Forest are in obvious need of a central defender and a left back and Davies' warning of as much is understandable – that should not gloss over the fact that, in every other way, they are as well equipped as they have been since the days of Paul Hart.

A long and winding path, via unsuccessful spells at Rushden and Diamonds and Barnsley and a period in charge of the Portsmouth Academy has ultimately led Hart into management in the Premiership – which he could potentially have achieved at Forest, if not for an agonising play-off defeat at Sheffield United in 2003.

Hart's downfall at the City Ground came less than a year later, as his squad was slowly dismantled around him, with the club keen to make financial cut-backs.

With his squad shorn of key players, Hart was unable to repeat the push for promotion and paid the ultimate price – kicking off a downward spiral for the club that ended up with the free-fall into League One.

Now Davies has benefited from the most ambitious investment in players since the David Platt era, with more than £5m spent on nine new additions.

And the benefits of that summer shopping spree were made abundantly clear on Saturday, as a Birmingham side preparing for the step-up into the Premiership – albeit one not entirely at full strength – was convincingly defeated.

As Davies himself testified, as a football manager, you always want to be moving forward; you cannot rest on your laurels.

In his case, that means he will continue to campaign for new additions, until he is happy that every last piece of the jigsaw is in place.

But, to extend that analogy further, while Forest's puzzle was a long way off completion last season, now we are only talking about a matter of one or two final bits to put in place before the picture is complete.

Forest, you sense, are on the brink of assembling a squad that is capable of following in the footsteps of Hart's side of 2002/03 – and perhaps even taking a step further.

Because, as they demonstrated against Birmingham, there is no doubting their attacking power.

Forest had been hinting at a breakthrough long before Joel Lynch's high, looping ball to the far post picked out the head of Dexter Blackstock, who directed the ball intelligently back across goal for David McGoldrick to convert at close range.

That was not the duo's only moment of danger during a first half that witnessed some flowing football – and only the odd moment of menace from the visitors, largely through winger Gary McSheffrey, who remains very much on Davies' radar.

But what made the afternoon so encouraging was the fact that, early in the second half, they were able to bring on not just one, but three top-quality strikers off the bench.

Forest's six key forwards cost more than £7m to bring to the club, but it was the one who arrived on a free from Bristol City, Dele Adebola, who initially provided the most cause for optimism after coming on.

The powerful front-man came close to scoring on five separate occasions during a lively, spirited half-hour cameo and would have finished the match with more than one goal if not for the considerable abilities of Joe Hart, the keeper on loan from Manchester City.

Hart made two outstanding blocks in particular, from an Adebola drive and a header – and a further acrobatic save to deny Lewis McGugan after he had connected with a stinging, rising drive from 25 yards.

And, when Lee Carsley had rammed home an ill-deserved equaliser on 80 minutes, it seemed Forest would be robbed of the victory they merited.

But then Robert Earnshaw took his turn to step into the spotlight – and around the Birmingham defence – by showing some incredible footwork to dance into space inside the box, before steering an unstoppable finish into the bottom corner.

For Davies, the priority this week will be to add the same kind of depth to his defensive ranks.

But, if he can, then in a year's time, it just might be Forest who – like Birmingham – are preparing for life in the top flight.