“He’s come back to life”— Forest Coach hails Awoniyi after ending goal drought

Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche has lauded Taiwo Awoniyi after the Nigerian forward ended a near year-long goal drought to inspire a vital 2-0 Premier League victory over Brentford.

The win pushed Forest further away from the relegation zone, extending their safety margin to five points above 18th-placed West Ham and injecting fresh confidence into their survival push.

Forest took control of the contest early, going ahead in the 12th minute when Igor Jesus calmly finished off a move set up by Ola Aina.

Awoniyi, introduced from the bench in the 68th minute, wasted little time in making his presence felt. Eleven minutes from time, the striker produced a powerful individual run into the box before slotting home Forest’s second goal to seal all three points.

The strike marked Awoniyi’s first goal for the Tricky Trees since February 11, 2025, when he scored in a 2-2 draw against Exeter, ending a long spell without finding the back of the net.

Speaking after the match, Dyche praised the striker’s patience, work ethic and mentality.

“We are absolutely buzzing,” Dyche said. “He works hard for us, and he’s trained well. Funnily enough, I chatted with him last week and reminded him to be free, and he looked free when he came on.

“It was a very good finish. He’s been knocking on the door, he’s been working hard for the team, and he gets a reward with a really good bit of play and a really fine finish.

“He had a bit of a soft spell a couple of weeks ago, and then he came out of it last week. He’s looked sharper and come back to life, let’s say.

“I had absolutely no doubt in putting him on. I thought, ‘Yeah, absolutely, go and play.’”

Awoniyi’s return to the scoresheet highlighted Forest’s growing belief as they continue their fight to secure Premier League survival.