Billy Davies has told his Nottingham Forest players to prepare for three months of 'muck and nettles' football.

The Reds have 17 Championship games left, starting with tonight's clash with Coventry at The Ricoh Arena (kick-off 7.45pm).

They are currently in third spot in the table, just one point adrift of West Brom, and boss Davies and his players know what to expect.

"We have 17 games left and I can guarantee they won't all be pretty games of football," he said. "It's muck and nettles time.

"We won't always be able to pass the ball the way we would like and there will be occasions when we're really forced to scrap.

"We'll start seeing bobbly pitches and difficult surfaces but we're ready for that.

"The players know that they will face many different types of games and types of matches.

"But so far they haven't let anyone down and we'll continue to work very hard to win matches."

Forest have back-to-back away games, with tonight's game at Coventry followed by a trip to Doncaster on Saturday.

They will have the backing of sell-out away crowds for both games - a source of great pride for Davies.

"Average attendances at home are up by 2,000 and our support away from home is magnificent," he said.

"Coventry and Doncaster are both sold out and I think the fans can see and smell the situation here. They know what a wonderful job the players have done so far this season."