Nottingham Forest winger Ben Osborn says last season's defeat to Burton Albion is still fresh in the memory as the sides prepare to meet at the City Ground this weekend.

Burton avenged last season's opening day 4-3 loss to Forest with a memorable 1-0 win at the Pirelli Stadium the following March.

Cauley Woodrow's first-half free-kick sent the Brewers to a vital win that played a crucial role in their Championship survival.

Twenty-three-year-old Osborn knows all about local rivalries, having just been involved in one at the weekend as his Forest side were downed 2-0 by arch-rivals Derby County.

And the talented winger is keen to make sure his team don't suffer the same fate against nearby Burton, in what he ranks as another 'derby' clash.

"It is a bit of a local derby," Osborn told Forest's website.

"They beat us towards the back end of last season so that is still fresh in some of our minds.

"We want to put it right, play some good stuff and be ruthless on Saturday.

"It can't come quickly enough and we owe it to the fans, to the manager and to ourselves to put in a performance and get a good result."

Ben Osborn grapples with former Burton skipper John Mousinho in last season's 4-3 Forest win
Ben Osborn grapples with former Burton skipper John Mousinho in last season's 4-3 Forest win

Despite their impressive 2-1 win over Sheffield United last month, Forest have managed only one victory in six games in all competitions.

Osborn is targeting this weekend's fixture as the chance to kick-start their season.

The Reds can take heart from their performance against Derby, with a number of chances created and their in-form man Barry McKay at the heart of every Forest move.

But having gone a goal down inside 24 seconds following Matej Vydra's opener, it was always going to be an uphill task.

"We were really disappointed after the way it ended on Sunday," Osborn added.

Burton Albion's Matt Palmer is tackled by Nottingham Forest's Ben Osborn
Burton Albion's Matt Palmer is tackled by Nottingham Forest's Ben Osborn

"The early goal wasn't ideal and to come off losing 2-0 was really frustrating.

"We played quite well at times but we made it too easy for them to score and we have been looking at that this week and we are all eager to put it right.

"I am glad we are back at home as there will be a good atmosphere.

"We owe it to the fans to put on a performance and get a result and hopefully we can show people that we are just about there and we can start taking teams apart.

"The fans have been great all season, especially at home. It is some of the highest attendances since I have been here and if they can keep that up then it can help us massively."