IT still seems strange to look at the Ladbrokes Premiership table and not see Celtic at the top of it.
But after ten months unbroken up there and the best part of eight years generally ruling the roost, that is the state of the affairs at the summit of the Scottish top-flight right now.
Back-to-back Celtic slip-ups against Hibs and then Livingston have seen Rangers open up a two-point gap on the reigning champions after eight rounds of matches.
Neil Lennon’s side, mind you, have the power to change all that. They host Ross County on Saturday knowing that victory over the Highlanders would see them ascend to the head of affairs for the 24 hours or so until Rangers kick-off at Tynecastle at least.
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In years gone by, Celtic could be assured of further slip-ups across the city not to mention the chance to make their greater resources count during both the crowded December calendar and after the winter break. Forrest admits Rangers are stronger this season. No longer can any of this be taken for granted.
“It’s a bit strange not being at the top of the table because it’s around 10 months since that was last the case,” admitted the Parkhead winger. “But it keeps us on our toes because we know that if we slip up then Rangers are winning regularly so it’s vital that we take the three points off Ross County on Saturday.
“We have to get winning ways,” he added. “Rangers went into the New Year level on points with us last season but we tend to become stronger after the winter break in January.
“However, we can’t take anything for granted. It’s always tight going into the second half of the season and Rangers are stronger than they were a year ago.
“Hopefully, that is our bad performance and result behind us [the 2-0 defeat to Livingston]. Was it a wake-up call? You’d prefer to just keep winning but it’s practically impossible to maintain that high a level right through a campaign. Now we need to show a reaction to that display this weekend.”
Most Celtic fans will chalk up Ross County at home as a straightforward source of three points. The Highlanders' league record, which sees them sit fifth in the table having only lost to Aberdeen and Livingston all season long, suggests the possibility of more intrigue than that.
Celtic will be without one of their most influential performers in the form of the suspended Ryan Christie but Forrest feels the Parkhead side can return to full stride in a period of games which could prove pivotal in their season. After Ross County on Saturday, Celtic host Lazio the following Thursday, then visit Aberdeen. At the end of the following week is the BetFred Cup semi-final against Hibernian at Hampden.
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“We’d been doing really well but, obviously, we had a bad performance and a bad result just before the international break but we have a lot of big games coming up now and our squad will be used to the full,” said Forrest. “We’re all going to push on now.
“Ryan has been spot-on since his red card that afternoon,” Forrest added. “He trained with Scotland the next day and looked well all week. He’s suspended for County but he got another two caps under his belt and he’ll be fine once he comes back into the team.
“It’s a tough schedule, with the BetFred Cup semi-final, the double-header with Lazio in the Europa League and Aberdeen away as well. But it’s also exciting and the boys are looking forward to it."
The chance to play host to the Serie A superstars is clearly something which is focusing minds. “Lazio are the favourites to win the group but we’re aiming to get a positive result against them at Parkhead and then take something from the away game as well," said Forrest. “Cluj have already beaten them but I believe the four clubs are all of a similar standard. Everyone can beat everyone else so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.
"Our fans were with us right from the start when we beat Cluj the other week," he added. "We started well and gave the crowd something to cheer about; it’s probably the best we’ve played all season and another display like that would do next time out. It’s really good that the match against Lazio is already sold out. The atmosphere is going to be electric when we kick off and then it’s up to us to ensure that we keep everyone roaring us on after that.”
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Having been left out of the mauling in Moscow, Forrest seemed back to his old self as he tormented poor San Marino amid atrocious conditions at Hampden Park on Sunday. He is determined to play his part as the national team build towards hopefully two seismic Euro 2020 play-offs come March which Forrest admits will be the biggest of his international career.
“The rain started to come down heavily at the end of the first half and we were still doing well but it became really hard in the second half. The left-hand side of the pitch was particularly bad, the ball was holding up and the game could easily have been called off but we dug in. The most important thing was banging in a few goals and getting the confidence levels back up again going into our last two games.
“Confidence was down a bit after losing in Russia but we did what was expected of us on Sunday and that will give us a boost,” he said. “We want to use the matches against Cyprus and Kazakhstan in November to get the supporters and everyone else on board with us again so that we’re ready when the play-offs come around in March.
“We played Belgium and Russia twice each in short succession and the manner we lost to them wasn’t what anyone wanted, which is why we need to use the next two ties to get people back onside. These play-off ties will be the biggest any of us have ever had for our country so it would really help if we’ve generated some momentum and the fans are right behind us.”
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