Forest keeper Smith grabs his chance

PAUL Smith today pledged to reinforce his position as Nottingham Forest's first-choice keeper after keeping his second clean sheet on his return to the side to help earn victory at Charlton.

The Forest No.1 admitted he had endured a frustrating few months after being sidelined by the arrival of Lee Camp on loan from QPR.

But, after following up the remarkable FA Cup success at Manchester City with an equally vital three points at the Valley, Smith hopes to hold on to his place under new manager Billy Davies.

"It has been a good couple of games for me personally. It was a good game to come back for, at Manchester City in the FA Cup," he said.

"It was my first game back for a little while and a chance for me to show what I can do and get a taste of what I have been missing.

"From that point of view, I have been very happy. I was waiting to get my chance again, which finally came around.

"It has been a case of just getting back into the side – but there was no reason for me to be left out in the first place. From that point of view I did not feel there was anything for me to work on in training or anything like that.

"Every footballer wants to play, it is no good training every day if you are not involved on a Saturday.

"I can't ask for more than two clean sheets and it has been a good couple of weeks for me, with the new manager coming in.

"There is no reason why I can't establish myself in the side again now. I am happy with the players I have in front of me and with the performances I have put in this season."

Smith paid tribute to the Forest back four, who put in a solid performance as Charlton dominated possession for long periods in the first half.

"It was a fantastic win and a happy changing room. We are pleased with the way things are going," he said. "We battled hard and the strength came from the back four, getting headers, blocks and tackles in.

"I didn't feel any extra pressure because I have belief in myself and my own ability and I have been working hard in training to make sure I was right for my chance when it came.

"It has been good for me to put in a couple of solid performances. I have only been able to do that with the back four playing so well.

"Particularly in the second half on Saturday, they were superb. The amount of blocks, headers and tackles they got in was outstanding – and obviously I was there to make a couple of saves when required.

"It is a nice feeling to move away from the bottom three, even if only a little bit."