Nottingham Forest may have ended last season in mid-table, but they began the 2014-15 campaign amongst the favourites to gain promotion to the Premier League.
Club legend Stuart Pearce came in as manager, while chairman Fawaz Al-Hasawi splashed the cash to bring the likes of Britt Assombalonga, Michail Antonio and Michael Mancienne to the club.
It all started so well as they began the season as the early pace-setters, with Assombalonga and Antonio in particular hitting the ground running.
However, a similar slump to last season's has seen them drop away from the playoff places, and they now have work to do to bridge the nine-point gap that separates them from the top six.
August
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Forest were handed a kind opening fixture as they welcomed troubled Blackpool to The City Ground, and Pearce ensured that he got off to a winning start with a comfortable 2-0 triumph. Antonio was among the scorers in that match, and he also got the only goal of the game to send his side through to the second round of the League Cup at the expense of Tranmere Rovers.
Assombalonga got his own account up and running in the next game, although his brace was only enough for a point in a 2-2 draw with Bolton Wanderers. That was to be the first and last time they dropped points in August, however, returning to winning ways straight away courtesy of a comeback victory over Bournemouth.
There was no need to come from behind in their next outing as Reading were swept aside, with Antonio (2) and Assombalonga once again on the scoresheet in a 4-0 hammering. Two goals in the final 20 minutes eliminated Huddersfield Town from the League Cup, before a second trip to Yorkshire in the space of four days saw Forest emerge with a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
September
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September began with an East Midlands clash against Derby County, but the spoils were shared between the two promotion hopefuls as Ryan Shotton cancelled out Assombalonga's opener. The Forest striker was in unstoppable form again when Fulham came to town, netting a hat-trick to help his side to a 5-3 victory over the Cottagers.
Curiously, though, the goals soon dried up for both Assombalonga and Forest. They finished the month with three consecutive goalless draws in the league, drawing blanks against the struggling trio of Millwall, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan Athletic, the second of which saw them relinquish top spot.
They also fell to their first defeat of the season in the midst of that run, blowing a lead against Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur to crash out of the League Cup in the third round.
October
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Forest needed a 94th-minute equaliser to keep their unbeaten league record intact against Ipswich Town, with Antonio netting deep into stoppage time to make it four consecutive draws for his side. They were merely delaying the inevitable, however, as Cardiff City became the first Championship side to beat Forest in 2014-15, ending an 11-match streak with a 2-1 win.
By now, the honeymoon period for Pearce was well and truly over, and he needed Antonio to come to the rescue once again to earn a point against Watford at Vicarage Road. Three goals in 11 second-half minutes saw them slump to defeat against Blackburn Rovers in their final match of the month as they continued to slide down the table.
November
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Things only got worse for Forest at the start of November, however, with their opening encounter ending in a convincing 3-0 defeat to struggling Huddersfield Town. They shipped three more goals at home to Brentford in their next match, with Antonio's strike a mere consolation in a third consecutive defeat.
They finally ended their 10-match winless streak in all competitions against Norwich City at Carrow Road, with Assombalonga and Antonio both finding the net in the final five minutes to clinch a come-from-behind 2-1 victory. Their troubles then appeared to be behind them after the international break as they cruised to an impressive 3-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, the resurgence was short-lived as Birmingham City emerged victorious following a dramatic ending to their final match of the month. Assombalonga appeared to have rescued a point with an 84th-minute equaliser, but the striker then conceded a penalty and received his marching orders, allowing Birmingham to seal the win from the spot.
December
Forest began the month ninth in the table and fared no better over December as they went through to 2015 without winning another game. They began with more dropped points at home courtesy of a draw against Charlton Athletic, while there was also a share of the spoils at New York Stadium, where Rotherham United held their visitors to a goalless 90 minutes.
Assombalonga was controversially left on the bench for the final match before Christmas as Pearce looked for a solution to his side's alarming form, but the experiment was short-lived during a 1-1 draw with Leeds United.
Boxing Day brought with it yet more misery as Middlesbrough cruised to a 3-0 triumph over the 10 men of Forest, while Birmingham completed the double over their fellow Midlanders courtesy of a 3-1 win to leave Pearce's job in jeopardy.
Star man: Michail Antonio
Must do better: Jamie Paterson
Where to strengthen in January: Midfield
Position at start of 2015: 11th
Mid-season grade: C
To see Forest's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.
Barney Corkhill
