If staying cool, calm and collected under pressure is a virtue then Nottingham Forest manager Colin Calderwood is indeed a virtuous individual.

After leading Forest to promotion from Coca-Cola League 1 last season Calderwood has to date seen his team struggle to cope with the demands of the Championship.

Before Saturday's meeting with Barnsley at the City Ground, Forest were pinned to the bottom of the table with only two wins to their name.

And speculation, perhaps inevitably as the former Scotland defender and Northampton Town boss himself admits, was rife that he was about to lose his job.

He remains in the un-dimming spotlight despite Forest's 1-0 win against Barnsley, but he is handling the situation head-on and with dignity.

"After the results we've had recently," he said, "it's obvious that speculation is going to happen. But I don't worry about it.

"I speak every day to the club's chairman and the chief executive and of course we talk about our League position.

"But I've not felt any pressure. Feeling pressure can sap your energy and that can transmit itself to the players."

What Calderwood transmitted to the players on Saturday was the need to battle and scrap for three points after taking the lead through Joe Garner.

Forest's young and inexperienced team were outplayed for long spells but nevertheless held on to claim a much-needed and vitally important victory.

Calderwood said: "I never thought it would take until the end of November to get our third win, but I've always had faith in my players.

"They've been with me right through these difficult times and what's kept me going is turning up for training and seeing no fear in their young faces.

"It's that immaturity I love about them - they make some wrong decisions, but they've got great potential.

"We've put in some fantastic foundations here and it would be very unfortunate indeed if all that got broken up."

Calderwood is hoping that he will be given the time to build on those foundations and deliver the success that is craved by himself as well as by all Forest fans.

"The fans want the club to do well," he said, "and if you can do that for them you'll get fantastic support here.

"Well, we've got ourselves in a pickle but we can get ourselves out - and I can get my pay-back by being successful."

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