Town's confidence continues to soar after another quick start
The Huddersfield Town juggernaut is showing no indications of subsiding anytime soon. The Terriers were irrepressible from the get-go once more against an out-of-form Forest and having sensed their chance, they grabbed it with both hands.
It was the third home game in succession in which Town have broken the deadlock in the opening 10 minutes, but on this occasion barely a minute had been played as Joel Lynch headed home to ease any nerves over Nottingham Forest prolonging their hex over the Terriers.
Chris Powell's side had failed to beat Forest in nine years but their outstanding run of form, coupled with Forest's own failure to win in seven games, was capitalised on and some, with every Town player looking inspired despite facing some of the division's most potent attacking threats.
The nutmegs, flicks and tricks performed by the likes of Harry Bunn, Jacob Butterfield and Sean Scannell were symptomatic of the confidence and belief instilled into this Terriers side by Powell, who has handed his players a platform from which to express themselves.
And Lynch's goal after just 44 seconds served to further settle them, with the counter-attacking moves thereafter as rapier-like as ever and the finishing was clinical from a Town perspective as another significant scalp was it secured to make it seven unbeaten for Town.
Lynch showcases his talent at both ends
That seven-game run is Town's longest stretch without defeat since returning to this division two years ago and it was a former Forest player who did the damage both from a defensive and offensive perspective.
Ultimately, the clean sheet secured against such a star-studded attack will prove equally satisfying to Powell and his defence as the three-goal haul will.
And a chief figure in both respects was Lynch, whose courage was evident in latching onto Jack Robinson's missile of a throw-in to net the opener as much as it was in denying Forest debutant Tom Ince, who was thwarted by a stunning last-gasp challenge which led to the central defender requiring medical treatment.
It was a credit to the defence that Assombalonga and Antonio, plunderers of 16 of Forest's 23 league goals between them, were bullied into submission and though chances did arrive on a fleeting basis, the duo were reduced to mere bystander status alongside the peripheral Ince.
It was a solid effort from the whole backline, with both full-backs Tommy Smith and Jack Robinson refusing to let up in a positional sense but Lynch rightly stole the show for crucial interventions to hand his side a precious lead and then preserving it.
Holt leads from the front once more
The seven-match run has been built on a team ethic which has led to a fierce pressing game, swift transitions and effervescent movement - that much cannot be denied.
But no matter how much manager Powell dresses it up, Grant Holt's impact on this Town side has directly coincided with Town's best run of league form since their promotion campaign from League One.
His loan move was confirmed on the day the unbeaten sequence began at home to Millwall last month and while he has often been called upon to plough a lone furrow so far at Town, his ameliorating relationship with Nahki Wells was a delight to see against Forest.
The fact he took up a left-wing station before delivering a stunning low cross with his supposed weaker foot for Wells to nod home epitomised the selfless nature of his game and he backed that up with a distinctively menacing forward performance.
It featured plenty of aerial battles, something he revelled in against Jamaal Lascelles and Michael Mancienne, great hold-up play and defensive work at the tip of the side which acted as a domino effect throughout the rest of the side before capping it off with a stunning finish for Town's third.
Goal difference improving rapidly with every game
The upturn in form has seen a dramatic rise in league placings and Powell's rejuvenated team have earned three times as many points from the last seven games as they did in their opening eight.
He inherited a team languishing in 21st and has taken them to 14th in no time at all and with the goals flowing at one end and Town's only three clean sheets of the season secured under his stewardship, Town's goal difference has been boosted considerably.
Town entered the relegation zone after losing 3-0 in the West Yorkshire derby with a -11 return appearing to put the team in dire straits and with the 2-1 home reverse to Middlesbrough on Powell's Terriers bow factored in too, it was five goals conceded with one in reply from three opening games.
15 goals for and seven goals away later and the outlook is far brighter, particularly given how dangerous Town look in attack against just about everyone that comes into their path.
The one team in able to withhold Town's attacking verve across the last seven was Blackburn Rovers, who themselves were unable to breach Powell's dogged side, with Wigan Athletic the only other side to stop Town this term other than the opening-day anomaly against second-placed Bournemouth.
Powell refuses to entertain discussion of a top-six place at this rate but with the goal difference beginning to resemble that of the teams in the upper echelons, he may soon have to revise his stance.
Smithies' role should not be understated
Tommy Smith or Lee Peltier? Jack Robinson or Paul Dixon? Nahki Wells or Jonathan Hogg and thus, 4-4-2 or 4-3-3?
In terms of personnel, there have been a series of ever-presents in fans' minds whose first-team berths are as good as guaranteed but Smithies does not quite fit that category.
He relates more closely to the likes of Smith and Robinson in that there is palpable debate over his status as the club's No.1 but on each occasion question marks have arisen, he has arrived with the answers to silence those who believe Joe Murphy should be given a chance to stake his claim.
Against Leeds there were fingers pointed for his involvement in the opening goal for Rudy Austin but a week later he was making a match-winning save to deny Millwall's Mark Beevers and, in turn, demonstrate his bouncebackability.
And he did exactly that against Forest as he made a stunning string of saves, commanded his area and oozed the same confidence as every other member of the starting XI to help atone for his part in Ipswich Town's opener last weekend.
