Just had a look on LTLF, and the expected patronising "it was their big game" and "it was only our reserves" comments were outnumbered by comments that praised us and our style of play.
When Forest fans are in full voice they are loud, but for long spells tonight you could have been forgiven for thinking they had gone to sleep.
That was a performance and a half tonight.
We played with more intensity in that friendly game than we did in many league games last season. We were in Forest's faces from the get go and we never relented, continually hassling them and winning the ball back, and then using it well. We got the ball forward far more quickly than we did last season and we mixed it up, sometimes playing through midfield but also allowing Slocombe to hit the front men direct. Just occasionally we overplayed in the wrong areas in the first half, but it looked like Luke Williams must have picked that up in the half-time team talk because we didn't prat about anywhere near as much in the second half.
There's always the caveat that it's only a pre-season friendly, and it's easier to generate that kind of intensity in a local derby in front of a bumper crowd, but if we carry anything like that style and intensity into games against National League opponents then we've got every chance of doing very well.
No poor performances at all tonight, but the standouts for me were Langstaff and Ruben. Macauley Langstaff looks like he could be a seriously good signing, based on that lethal finish and his all round energy and movement. He'll give National League defenders nightmares playing like that. A word too for Ed Francis - I've been far from convinced about him but tonight he looked a different player, more willing to get stuck in and more positive with his use of the ball.
If what we saw tonight represents Luke Williams football, then I think I might leave a lot of games next season feeling more fulfilled than I did after watching IB football, which often felt like it was played at pre-season intensity. I don't know if we've been feeding the players raw meat over the summer or what, but if that's the effect, we need to keep buying it in!
Sheer class from Ruben for our first, their keeper won't want to watch the replay of our second! We really should have had 4 or 5.
Regarding their goals the first was a quality finish, but my feeling at the time was that Slocombe should have done better with the second. It was a well hit free kick, but it didn't appear to be one of those in the top corner that no keeper could save. I'd have to see the replay to be sure.
That lad Ruben’s taken the piss out of for the first goal just cost them £5m. Mad.