Carl Jenkinson reacts honestly to his current situation at Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Carl Jenkinson admits ‘it’s not easy’ to come back into the side having not played regularly for a while.

Jenkinson joined Nottingham Forest from Arsenal at the start of last season, and has since made 14 appearances for the Reds.

Last season, he was used as back-up to Matty Cash and made only seven league starts for Forest under Sabri Lamouchi.

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This season, he has made only one start in the Championship, and made only his second start of the season in the 1-0 win over Cardiff in the FA Cup a fortnight ago.

Tomorrow, Jenkinson is in line to come back into the starting line-up, as Forest prepare to take on Swansea City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Chris Hughton is likely to make changes to his usual side, with Cyrus Christie likely to be among those rested.

Jenkinson could come in, then, but speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, the right-back has admitted that ‘it’s not easy’ to come straight back into the side having not played regularly for a while.

He said: “Simply put – it’s not easy. That’s the truth of it. A lot of us haven’t played together on the pitch, because the manager has been fairly consistent with the team that he puts out.

“When it came to the cup, a lot of us hadn’t played together. The result, and the way we set up defensively, was very good, and being a part of that, I was very happy.

“It might be much of the same at the weekend. We did a good job of it against Cardiff, and if we do the same again, then we will get a good result.

“But of course, it’s not easy. It’s the same in any job or any walk of life, the more you get to know the people around you, the easier it is to perform. It’s not easy, but it’s a good challenge.”

The Verdict

I feel slightly sorry for Jenkinson.

He was a bit-part player during the entirety of his time at Arsenal, and since joining Forest, he has been unable to feature regularly.

Matty Cash was superb last season and deserved his place in the side, before joining Aston Villa for big money in the summer.

Cyrus Christie has since come in and established himself as Forest’s first-choice right-back, since joining from Fulham.