PAUL SMITH is convinced life in the wilderness of League One with Nottingham Forest will prove to be a short-lived experience.

Smith turned his back on Saints last summer to join the Colin Calderwood revolution at The City Ground.

The goalkeeper has been one of the biggest success stories of the season so far for the twice-former European Cup winners, helping them establish a six-point lead over their promotion rivals.

Forest are gunning for a potentially money-spinning Cup run but a return to the Championship is their No.1 priority.

Smith returns south tomorrow for Forest's FA Cup clash at Nick Holmes' Salisbury City= insisting: "Forest are a club that match my own ambitions.

"To be honest, if I had got the impression from Colin Calderwood that Forest were content to stay in League One it would have been a different story - I wouldn't have joined them.

"But he made it plain that he regarded this as THE season for Forest to get promoted and explained how he saw me as a key figure in what he wanted to achieve.

"I want to help Forest get back in the Championship and then look to go even further than that.

"Things are going well for us; we have given ourselves a great chance of promotion but we're only too aware that nothing is decided in December."

Forest offered Smith the chance to get his career back on track after it had stalled at St Mary's following the arrival of George Burley.

He found himself relegated down the pecking order, despite having played 22 times for the club and produced performances that carried him to the brink of the England squad in March 2005.

Smith was dropped twice by Burley in a matter of months earlier this year - once in January in favour of previously untested youngster Bartosz Bialkowski and again in late March in place of veteran Kevin Miller.

Revitalised by his move to the Midlands, Smith has kept no fewer than 12 clean sheets so far this term - 11 in 19 league appearances - and won rave reviews.

He has conceded just 12 goals in league action this season - four of them in one game, a 4-0 home loss to second-placed Scunthorpe.

"I've no regrets about leaving Southampton," he reflected. "I don't think I've looked back since joining Forest. I've played 20-odd games, we're top of League One and things couldn't be better.

"There was so much about my time at Southampton that I enjoyed.

"I'll always be grateful to the club for giving me the chance to play in the Premiership but I've moved on and I'm looking forward to the future."

Smith adds: "Salisbury are going really well and we know they will make it tough for us.

"We've got to make sure we adopt the right attitude. There's a big prize at stake - a place in the third round of the Cup - and we desperately want to be in the draw."

Forest's main injury concerns are over centre back Danny Cullip and striker Junior Agogo, who both picked up hamstring injuries against Millwall last weekend and who missed the midweek Johnstone's Paint Trophy loss to Bristol City.

If Agogo plays he will take his place at the front of Forest's forward trio which also includes Kris Commons and Neil Harris.