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Standing ovations and happy smiling faces… welcome to a rejuvenated City Ground where the manager can do no wrong and that rumbling sound in the background is early promise of a sleeping giant ready to awake.

New boss Steve Cooper's biggest problem a month into his role at Nottingham Forest is dampening down expectations.

His team recorded their first home win in front of fans since February 2020 and they did it in some style too, which is another Forest requirement.

Nottingham Forest produced their first home league win since April against Blackpool 

Steve Cooper has been a positive influence for Forest since replacing Chris Hughton as boss

Homegrown and blossoming Brennan Johnson delivered the first goal and Lewis Grabban, his mojo rediscovered, the decider. Inbetween a horrible, horrible, mix-up gifted Blackpool a Jerry Yates equaliser.

Watching goalkeeper Brice Samba and defender Djed Spence argue the toss about who should have tidied up was a salutary reminder that this is a club where more has gone wrong than right in previous decades.

'They deserved that,' Cooper said after a clenched fist acknowledgement to all four corners of the ground.' He meant the team but he could have been talking about the fans.

Jerry Yates threatened to spoil Forest's day but it proved no more than a consolation strike

'The atmosphere was amazing. We made hard work of it. We gave away a poor goal, we know that, but we could have scored four or five and had some decent chances.

'We're on a good little run but it's only a start and we've got to work harder now.'

Cooper, who replaced Chris Hughton last month, has collected 10 out of 12 points and the trajectory is upwards.

Forest pride themselves as a club with a mandate to entertain and the opener certainly fitted that bill.

Joe Worrall delivered a cross-field pass of laser precision which found Max Lowe out on the left. The cross was equally inviting and charging Johnson swept the ball past Daniel Grimshaw.

The biggest crowd of the season – 27,946 – rose as one to hail one of their own and began to dream of a first home win since April when there was no-one there to see it.

Lowe almost put Forest further ahead, cutting inside to collect a pass from Philip Zinckernagel, but his effort flew just over the bar.

Blackpool, after a slow start to the season, had picked up 10 out of 12 points before this match which suggested a streak of stubbornness in their team. Sure enough, they came within a whisker of an equaliser just before half-time when Yates's effort was somehow blocked on the line.

Lewis Grabban was on hand to net the winner to send a packed City Ground into raptures 

Forest are slowly rising up the table and Cooper is having to now manage expectations

Having had that let-off, Forest then conceded in the most disappointing way. Spence and Samba got in each other's way and Yates cleaned up. The lead lasted minutes as Forest's pass and move beat Blackpool again.

Zinckernagel fed Lowe, who crossed to Worrall. His shot was saved and Grabban did exactly what it says on his tin and scored with the close-range finishing touch. It was his fifth in seven games.

'They looked more dangerous in the second half on the counter-attack,' was the honest assessment of Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley. 'We didn't do enough.'