Anderson gets an hour

Dexter Blackstock's return from injury might have been 'put on hold' due to his wife going into labour but Paul Anderson's was not.

The Forest winger, who has been limited to just a couple of games this season due to groin and hamstring injuries, featured for 60-minutes of the behind closed doors friendly with Mansfield on Thursday.

Anderson, as he told the official website, admits that he was 'blowing' at times as he looks to regain his fitness but is happy to be back: 'I was blowing a bit but it was great to be back and playing in some sort of game again.

'It's given me a big boost to be training with the other lads again but there is nothing like playing in a match and I was delighted to get through the hour without any problems.

'The good thing is that I didn't have any reaction to the injuries so hopefully I can build on that next week and start looking to get back into the manager's plans.'

Although admitting his frustration during his injury enforced absence Anderson has praised Steve Cotterill for the way he has treated the injured players and is keeping his fingers crossed that his injury problems are now behind him: 'I've been out for much of the season the manager has been great with me and the other injured lads. He's tried to keep us involved as part of the squad and that helps a lot when things are not going so well.

'It's been a frustrating time for me but hopefully I can now put the injury problems behind me.'

It is possible that Anderson could feature in the Forest squad for the league game next weekend, although that may come too soon for him.

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