Latest Nottingham Forest news as Reds defender Neco Williams looks ahead to his side’s clash with Sturm Graz in the Europa League
Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams has set out his side’s Europa League ambition(Image: Getty)
This season’s Europa League may only be a few matches old, but Nottingham Forest already have their sights set on going all the way.
The Reds take on Sturm Graz in Austria this evening (5.45pm kick-off) looking to notch up their first away win in the tournament. They have collected four points from three games so far, including beating Porto in Sean Dyche’s first match as head coach.
For a whole generation of Forest fans, this is new territory as they enjoy watching their club back on the European stage for the first time in three decades. Defender Neco Williams wants to ensure they have plenty of memories to treasure – including ones involving silverware.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” the Welshman said of the Reds’ European campaign to date. “It’s been a mix of results with a win, a draw and a loss. We need to get those games out of our system now and start afresh.
“For some of the lads, it is their first time in Europe so I think three games is enough to crack on now. We’re not here just to take part; it is definitely a tournament we want to win. We will do everything we can to try to achieve that.
“Each game is different. One of the big factors is the atmosphere in games.
“Coming away to places like this, we know how good the atmosphere and their fans can be. But at the same time, our fans are going to be here – I think there’s 1,400 of them coming.
“I’ve mentioned so many times how, wherever they travel – in the UK or now Europe – they are as loud as ever. They are our 12th man, so we’ll thrive off them.
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“We thrive off the fans and we play off their connection in the stadium. The louder they are, the better we play.
“We just need our fans to be as loud as possible. Hopefully that will help us play better.
“First and foremost, this is a very important game. Everything we did against Porto in the last game was very positive; it was a good performance. The stuff we’re good at, we did very well.
“It’s about building on that. We want to give these fans memories to have for the rest of their lives. That starts with giving absolutely out there and putting on a good performance, and coming away with three points – that’s what we want to do.”
A sense of togetherness between players and supporters has been at the heart of everything Forest have achieved in recent seasons. From promotion and then Premier League survival under Steve Cooper to finishing seventh with Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm last term.
After a tricky start to this term, Williams is certain that feeling of unity has returned. So, too, has a sense of stability after Dyche became the club’s third manager of the campaign.
“As footballers, we’re used to it. It is part and parcel of the game,” Williams said of this season’s managerial changes as he faced the media ahead of tonight’s match.
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“I’m not just saying this because he (Dyche) is sat next to me, but we’ve enjoyed it. You can feel the togetherness back.
“I think we missed that at the start of the season. Not just with us teammates and the staff, but with the fans as well. We missed that bond and that connection, but I feel like it’s all come back together now.
“Hopefully we can keep building and keep getting points. The clean-sheet against Porto was a nice feeling and a confidence booster. I think we really needed that as defenders, so hopefully we can build on that and get another one tomorrow to help bring back the three points.
“It hasn’t been the start to the season any of us would have wanted. It has been up and down.
“But the bare minimum you can do is give absolutely everything, work hard and do all the basics right. That’s what I’ve stuck to.
“You are going to have dips and bad runs of form. But the least you can do is work as hard as you can and leave everything out there.”
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