NOTTINGHAM Forest must avoid suffering another international hangover, warned Dan Harding today.
After a flying start to the campaign, the Reds lost momentum following the international break at the start of September.
Following home wins over Bristol City and Charlton and outstanding performances at Huddersfield and Bolton that could easily have secured another six points – rather than just two – Forest's form notably dipped following two weeks without a game.
They collected only two points from their next four fixtures, including painful defeats at the hands of Leeds and Derby and scrappy, hard-fought draws with Birmingham and Palace.
Defender Harding believes Forest got back on track with a dominant performance over Blackburn and an encouraging win at Peterborough – but is anxious that the team can maintain their form this time, following another long gap without a game.
"Last time we went into an international break, we were playing well and getting good results," said Harding. "But the break seemed to slow us down a little bit, when we came back.
"This time we have gone into the international break on a high again and we need to make sure we maintain that momentum.
"It is our job to make sure we build on that win now, in the next three matches.
"We have three big games against Cardiff, Blackpool and Barnsley over the next week and we want to build on that win over Peterborough."
Harding hopes Forest can prove their promotion credentials when they return to action against table-topping Cardiff at the City Ground on Saturday.
"We still have a big part to play in the promotion race," he said.
