He told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo: "The Nottingham fans will look at the table and see where they are, and then look and see where we are, and will think it is going to be a foregone conclusion.
"Forest fans are demanding of their team, and I think rightly so when you look at the set-up there and the fact they are steeped in history and tradition
"But we have to use that to our advantage and the most-important thing is to keep things tight early on.
"We had a game plan going to Swansea, but we conceded two goals in a minute and suddenly that woke their crowd up.
"So the tighter we can keep it early on, then the more frustrated their crowd will get."