FOLLOWING a weekend when Billy Davies insisted Nottingham Forest have been in promotion winning form in the 14 matches since his dramatic return to the helm, only one thing now matters.
And it is that, against Leicester City next weekend, the Reds demonstrate their promotion credentials one more time.
Having prayed, throughout last week, that Millwall's poor home form would be maintained, those of a Red persuasion will now be hoping that the Lions rediscover their bite when promotion rivals Crystal Palace visit the New Den tomorrow night.
And, next weekend, Forest fans will want to see pride take centre stage when a Blackpool side, with nothing left to play for, face Lancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers, who currently occupy the sixth-place in the Championship table that Forest so badly crave.
But, in reality, all they can influence is their own result; all Forest can do is do their part, by claiming three points from their own local derby clash with Leicester City – and hoping that everything else falls into place.
In Davies, Forest possess a manager who will be as methodically prepared as ever; who will have analysed every possible nuance of the fixture, just as he has the previous 14 matches he has taken charge of.
After the final whistle, the Scotsman seemed keen to highlight the commendable statistic that, during his second spell in charge, Forest have claimed an average of 1.85 points per game.
Had that been stretched out over the course of an entire season, it would leave the club with 85 points – and comfortably in second place in the Championship table.
But now is not the time to analyse what might have been, had Davies' return come just a little sooner, but to instead focus on what is still possible – namely that Forest could still claim sixth, or even fifth, position on the final day.
The manager and Greg Halford, the man who provided the game's decisive touch as he headed home the only goal in south London, were united in their belief that Saturday's mammoth clash with the Foxes can be viewed as a 'play-off quarter-final'.
It is certainly the biggest game of the season. But it is also the culmination of an impressive revival under Davies.
The fact that, come the end of the campaign, as few as ten points could separate the team that finishes third from bottom from the team in the final play-off place is a justification of sorts when it comes to Davies' argument that Forest were in a relegation fight when he first arrived.
But, if they were, they were not for long, as six consecutive wins propelled them back into the fray.
Six subsequent games without a win had threatened to derail their chances but, if Forest can show the same level of poise and character as they did at the New Den, then they are more than capable of securing the final result that could steer them back into the play-off positions.
Forest had won only twice at Millwall, once at the Den and once at the New Den. And more than a decade had passed since David Johnson netted twice to secure one of those victories, back in 2002.
But the former striker, who was on hand to witness this latest success from the press box, where he was providing radio commentary, was impressed with the character and determination shown to grind out the result.
Forest could do with a man in the kind of form he was at that point, with his brace against the Lions taking his tally to ten goals in six games just over ten years ago.
The Reds, in contrast, will see Darius Henderson return from suspension next weekend as the current team's form front man – with two goals in his last seven appearances.
But the continued lack of goals from the strikers was almost incidental on Saturday, on an afternoon when it was a header from a defender and a stubborn, steely resolve from the back four that provided the foundations for a win that was far more comfortable than the scoreline suggested.
From the moment Halford had sent an Andy Reid cross powerfully into the back of the net in the eighth minute, Forest rarely looked like letting their lead slip.
The closest Millwall came to an equaliser was deep into five minutes of injury time, when Sean St Ledger was denied by a competent, but composed save from Karl Darlow.
David Forde, the Millwall keeper, had to make solid stops to deny both Radi Majewski – from a low, driven shot – and Marcus Tudgay, when he struck a near-post volley with one of his first touches after coming off the substitutes' bench.
While another substitute, Lewis McGugan, came close with a driven shot – but might have carved out a second goal had he instead opted to square the ball across the box, to a furious Simon Cox, late in the game.
Leicester, next weekend, will provide very different opposition in comparison to a Millwall side who were badly lacking any kind of cutting edge.
Given that they still have a slim chance of making the top six themselves, the Foxes will arrive with a veracious appetite for goals.
But the venue for the fixture will also be very different. The City Ground, like the New Den, will provide a partisan, feisty back drop to the game. But this time it will be Leicester exposed to the passionate backing of the home crowd.
According to Halford, it has been 'written in the stars' for some time that the final game of the campaign would hold such importance.
Forest's fate does not remain entirely in their own hands. They could claim three points next weekend and still finish in seventh place in the Championship table.
But, if Davies' side can take their points average to 1.93 points from 15 games by Saturday afternoon, by notching up an eighth win since he returned for a second spell in charge, then the Scotsman may yet secure an even more telling statistic to quote after the final whistle.
That being the most important one of all – that Nottingham Forest have claimed enough points to secure a top six finish and ensure that the most dramatic of seasons may yet still have a few final plot twists to offer.
