Why Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson is upbeat ahead of Sheffield United play-off test

Steve Cooper’s side visit Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United in the Championship play-off semi-final, having seen their hopes of automatic promotion dashed in the penultimate game of the season. Forest lost 1-0 at Bournemouth, in a result which secured promotion for the Cherries.

On the final day, they looked poised to finish third and set up a play-off semi-final with Luton Town after Johnson’s stoppage-time penalty gave them the lead at Hull City.

However, Lewie Coyle’s equaliser a minute later meant a winless end to the season and a clash with the Blades.

“The mood has been really positive,” said Johnson.

“We all know it’s a big game and bigger than just a normal league game, but we’ve got to approach it the same way we approach a league game.

“We never come away from what we do, we always want to play in the style we play, so there’s no point coming away from that as we are best at playing that way. Against any team, we’ve wanted to play our football and attack them.”

Johnson is one of Forest’s chief goal threats with an impressive 16 goals and nine assists in the Championship this season.

He added: “I’ve been playing a lot of games and been getting a lot of minutes under my belt and I’ve been given the confidence to play.

“As the season’s gone on, I’ve grown as a player and I’m really enjoying it.

“It’s been a really good season for me.”