Millwall Home Pre-Match Preview

On Saturday (31st January 2015), Forest face Millwall at the City Ground in what is a great chance to get back to winning ways on home turf. They will want to wipe a disappointing 3-2 defeat away to Fulham at Craven Cottage out of the memory by securing all three points this Saturday. Stuart Pearce will want his players to respond to the defeat in the best possible way.

Millwall have had a shocking season to date and currently sit 22nd in the table and in the relegation zone. Ian Holloway's men have failed to build on what was a good end to the season last time out. They haven't won since 12th December when they beat Brighton 1-0 at the Amex Stadium in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Since then they have lost six matches and drawn two. Some of these defeats were also very heavy as they lost 6-1 away to Norwich City and 4-0 away to Bradford in the FA Cup. This has raised serious doubts about Holloway's future but he so far seems up to the challenge. Last time out they drew 0-0 against Reading at The New Den. They will most likely be coming to the City Ground with the aim of frustrating the hosts. In comparison, Forest seem to be taking one step forward and one step back at this moment in time. The dramatic late 2-1 win against local rivals Derby County looked to be a turning point in their season. However, this was only to be followed up with a 3-2 defeat away to Fulham which involved Forest going 3-0 down after 35 minutes. It was a shocking defensive display which resulted in Eric Lichaj getting subbed off after half an hour. This means that Forest's win over Derby is their only win in their last ten games. This is terrible form which has seen them drop into 12th place and 13 points off the play-offs. However, due to Watford's defeat last night, this gap could be reduced to 10 points.




Ross McCormack earned the match ball after his 35 minute hat trick against Forest at Craven Cottage last time out.





Stuart Pearce has confirmed that Matty Fryatt is fit and available for selection again after missing a couple of weeks through injury. However, this game is still too soon for Michael Mancienne. Gary Gardner will miss out after picking up an illness. Andy Reid will also miss out after having an operation but says he hopes to be fit enough to return in just four weeks. Chris Cohen is the only other long-term absentee.

My prediction for this game is Nottingham Forest 2-1 Millwall. I think it is going to be a very tough game as I think Millwall will come to try and frustrate Forest. Forest also seem to be very predictable so Millwall might be successful in this approach. However, I do think Forest will have enough attacking threat to breach what is a pretty shocking Millwall defence and go on to win the game.

Fulham 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest returned to losing ways after they fell to a 3-2 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Ross McCormack scored a first half hat trick which punished Forest for yet another slow start and again gave them too much to do. Henri Lansbury scored either side of half-time but it wasn't enough for Forest to get anything out of the game.

Fulham's attacking threat was shown from the first whistle as McCormack tested Dorus De Vries in the Forest goal who made a superb acrobatic save. However, McCormack got the better of the keeper in the 7th minute as his left footed strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the area gave Fulham a 1-0 lead. McCormack then again punished Forest in the 18th minute as he popped up in a similar position and stuck the ball into the same corner as he previously had minutes earlier but this time the post came to his aid. Forest were giving the £11 million striker far too much room and space for a player of his quality and he was punishing them. Britt Assombalonga got his first chance of the game after a poor header but the Fulham keeper did well. One player who was playing well for Forest was Dorus De Vries who produced another save to deny Fofana. Eric Lichaj was taken off after half an hour after a dismal display and was replaced by McLaughlin. Ross McCormack then sealed his hat trick in the 35th minute as his deflected strike made it 3-0 to Fulham. A well worked free-kick did get Forest a slimmer of hope before half-time as Henri Lansbury curled one around the wall and into the top right hand corner to make it 3-1.

Forest came out for the second half looking a different team with arguably nothing to lose after a first half performance which left them with a lot to do. Jack Hobbs had an effort cleared off the line which signified Forest's intentions. Michail Antonio also then had a header saved as Forest piled the pressure on the home side. Forest then pulled another goal back to make it 3-2. Ben Osborn played a good ball into Michail Antonio who chested it down in the area and laid it off for Henri Lansbury to smash into the corner of the net in the 62nd minute. Assombalonga then had several great chances to level the scores, but failed to do so. One of his attempts was a failed lob of the keeper when he perhaps should have done better. Michail Antonio fired wide to end what was a very frustrating evening for Forest.

Overall, it was a very strange and disappointing evening at Craven Cottage. It is a shame that Forest could not build on the euphoria of beating Derby County just a couple of days previous. It is also disappointing that it was yet another slow start to a match which has ultimately cost us three points. If Forest had played like they had in the second in the first half, they would no doubt be coming home with all three points. It is games like this that Forest have to play ugly to start with to make sure they do not give themselves too much to do. Going 3-0 down after 35 minutes is unacceptable from any team in any division.

Fulham Away Pre-Match Preview

On Wednesday (21st January 2015), Forest will look to build on the momentum gained by a dramatic 2-1 win over arch rivals Derby County at the iPro Stadium on Saturday. It was a very impressive result which has given everyone connected with the club a much needed boost. Stuart Pearce will now urge his players to follow up this result with another one when they visit Fulham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night.

Fulham started the Sky Bet Championship season in shocking fashion after their recent relegation from the Premier League. Under Felix Magath, they failed to win any of their first eight league matches. In this run it included heavy defeats to Derby, Reading and Forest. Forest beat Fulham 5-3 in a goal feast at the City Ground after Fulham were leading 3-2. This outlined the defensive problems that Fulham were suffering from. It was the result at Forest which confirmed Felix Magath's fate and he was replaced by Kit Symons. Fulham's form has improved sit he took charge of the team, and they have gradually pulled themselves back up the league table after sitting bottom when he took over. They have won their last two matches as they beat Wolves on penalties after a 3-3 draw in the Capital One Cup and also beat Reading 2-1 at Craven Cottage on Saturday. In comparison, Forest have been suffering the sort of form which Fulham had at the beginning of the season recently. However, that may all be set to change after a late Ben Osborn goal gave Forest a dramatic late victory against local rivals Derby County. After a run of just two wins in twenty matches, Pearce's men will now look to go on some sort of run which can pull them closer to the play-off places. Forest are currently sat in 12th position with Fulham in 15th position and within just three points. Forest need to start winning games if they are to overturn the ten point gap which separates them from the play-offs.

Robert Tesche celebrates with Ben Osborn after his goal secures a dramatic victory over Derby County which is Forest's first win over Derby on their turf since Rob Earnshaw scored a late winner in 2011 at Pride Park to give Forest a 1-0 win. 





Forest face no fresh injury concerns ahead of this game. No injuries were caused in the Derby match on Saturday which is a surprise considering the amount of casualties there were from the previous meeting in September. Britt Assombalonga was said to have played through the pain on Saturday as he suffers with a slight hip injury. However, he is still said to be available for this game. Michail Antonio also came off due to injury on Saturday even though he wanted to play on with an injury to his ribs. He is also said to be available for the trip to Fulham. Andy Reid has recently been ruled out a further four to six weeks as he has now decided to have an operation which is a huge blow. This game is also likely to come too soon for both Matty Fryatt and Michael Mancienne who are both still suffering with injuries. Chris Cohen is the only other long-term absentee.

My prediction for this game is Fulham 0-2 Nottingham Forest. I hope that Forest will use the momentum gained from the Derby win to go on a string of positive results. I believe that Fulham are there for the taking and are a very beatable team for this Forest side. I think they should go there full of confidence believing that they can bring home the three points. I still believe that the play-offs are possible this season and as long as the players and management still believe this, then there is a chance.

Derby 1-2 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest ended their miserable run of form in the most dramatic fashion as they beat Derby County late on at the iPro Stadium. Henri Lansbury's own goal gave Derby a deserved 1-0 defeat heading into the break. However, the second half was a different story as late goals from Britt Assombalonga and Ben Osborn gave Forest a sweet 2-1 victory at the home of their arch rivals.

It was a typical start to a derby game, with little real action going on in the match. It was a nervy start from both teams as they looked to get the better of their arch rivals. Robert Tesche had his cross cleared for a corner, which Ben Osborn failed to deliver anything meaningful from. Forest could have had a penalty after just six minutes as Jake Buxton appeared to do almost a rugby tackle on Britt Assombalonga from a corner but amazingly nothing was given. Derby were looking the better team and full of confidence in the first 15 minutes of the game. Kelvin Wilson had to be alert to block Craig Bryson's goal bound effort. Then came a sickening moment for the Forest faithful who had travelled up in their numbers from Nottingham. Johnny Russell took a corner for Derby heading towards the near post and Henri Lansbury who appeared to be put off by Chris Martin inadvertently headed the ball into the back of his own net. This have Derby a 1-0 lead after 16 minutes, which Derby fans would argue they probably deserved. Then came what I think was a huge point in the game. Jamie Ward caused Forest lots of problems on the edge of the box and managed to pull of a shot which was headed on by Jake Buxton and Dorus De Vries came up with a superb stop to put the ball over the bar. This answered many questions as to why Karl Darlow was dropped from the Forest line-up. Jack Hobbs then tried his luck with an ambitious volley from a long way out which went miles wide of the target. Will Hughes was just inches away from making it 2-0 Derby as his shot just curled away from the top corner at the last minute. Britt Assombalonga managed to get his first real chance of the game as he shrugged off his marker and hit a dipping shot just over the bar. This gave Forest reason to be optimistic as they went into half-time 1-0 down.

Forest started the second half very well and started to put some pressure onto Derby. A Ben Osborn corner caused Derby lots of problems and it ended up with Michail Antonio having two shots blocked when it looked like he was going to divert the ball into the back of the net. There was then an appeal for handball from Forest as Ben Osborn's shot was blocked. Forest then deservedly found their route back into the match. Derby failed to deal with Osborn's free-kick which ended up with Keogh failing to clear and Britt Assombalonga turning the ball past Lee Grant in the Derby goal and into the back of the net to make it 1-1. Derby appeared to be stunned and rarely threatened to go back in front after the equalizer. Then came the huge moment in the game. As Derby piled forward, they lost the ball to Robert Tesche who allowed Ben Osborn some space on the left hand side of the pitch. Osborn didn't look back as he raced forward into the box, he could have passed to Assombalonga but instead hit an absolute scorcher into the top left hand corner. This gave Forest a famous 2-1 victory over Derby and was also their first win at Derby since Rob Earnshaw gave Forest a 1-0 win back in 2011.

Overall, it was a fantastic day for everyone connected with Forest. The build up was full of speculation about the manager, and the club seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. Now this massive win over our rivals could do the complete opposite. It should now give the players the confidence and some momentum to go on a good run of results to push us back up the league table. This was a very important game in which this sort of run could be started. It will be interesting to see if the players perform with the same sort of commitment which they showed in this match.

Derby Away Pre-Match Preview

On Saturday (17th January 2015), Forest will look to end their dreadful run of form when they travel to face their arch rivals Derby County at the iPro Stadium. Forest have suffered four straight defeats in a row and have failed to win a game since they won 3-0 at Molineux against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the 22nd November.

Derby County go into this match sat high and pretty in 2nd place in the Sky Bet Championship after another impressive start to the season under Steve McClaren. Last time out they had a very impressive result as they came out 1-0 winners at Portman Road against what is a very good Ipswich Town side who are incredibly difficult to beat this season. This has put them level on points with leaders Bournemouth and early candidates to win promotion to the Premier League. However, Derby have had dips in form this season. One of the main ones they have suffered this season came around Christmas time as they suffered defeats to Leeds, Middlesbrough, Chelsea and drew to Norwich at home. This put in doubt Derby's promotion credentials but they have since responded very well. The last East Midlands Derby finished 1-1 at the City Ground as Leon Best cancelled out a stunning goal from Britt Assombalonga. In comparison, Forest couldn't been on a worse run of form as they have suffered four straight defeats and have gone through a terrible Christmas period which has continued into 2015. Forest have suffered defeats to Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Rochdale and Sheffield Wednesday in recent times to really raise concerns over the future of Stuart Pearce. They have won just two games in twenty matches which is a truly shocking record for any team at this level. There is no doubt that it is relegation form which Forest are suffering with at the moment. The last time they won was when they won 3-0 at Molineux against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the 22nd November.

Kieran Lee celebrates putting Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 up against Nottingham Forest last weekend.







Michael Mancienne and Matty Fryatt are very doubtful to face Derby County at the iPro this weekend after both missing out the last few games with slight knocks. Britt Assombalonga is the interesting one as Pearce says he is doubtful whereas the Official Site claimed that he should be ready to face Derby. I would be very surprised if Assombalonga wasn't involved on Saturday. Henri Lansbury is back from his suspension and is now available for selection. Another injury boost is that Kelvin Wilson has also returned from his slight injury and is now again available for selection. New loan signing Gary Gardner will be hoping to push for a place in the starting eleven after only being able to get on the bench last weekend.

My score prediction for this game is Derby County 0-1 Nottingham Forest. My main reason for this score prediction even though it may seem bizarre is because anything can happen in these local derby games. Sometimes it is the team in terrible form going into the game which come out on top. It is these sort of games which could completely turn Forest's season around for the better. If Pearce can't motivate his players and get them up for this game, he never will be able to.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Nottingham Forest have now suffered their fourth straight defeat in a row at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday at the City Ground. Kieran Lee bundled the ball in at the end of the first half to give the Owls an undeserved lead. Chris Maguire then capitalized on some poor defending at the start of the second half to put the game  beyond reach for Forest.

Stuart Pearce had made two loan signings during the week in the form of Todd Kane and Gary Gardner. Kane went straight into the starting eleven for this match whilst Gardner settled for a place on the bench. Kane had a lively start and showed early signs of promise of being a very good right back and was linking up well with Chris Burke on that right hand side. Sheffield Wednesday looked like they were going to take the lead when Maghoma ran through on goal after some poor defending but Jamaal Lascelles came up with a fantastic last ditch challenge just before he pulled the trigger. Chris Burke had the ball kindly fall to him on the edge of the box but he could only put this half chance high and wide of the mark. Forest looked to be building up momentum with both Assombalonga and Antonio having bright moments. Forest continued to push up the park and won quite a few corners. One of them Westwood had to be alert to prevent Tesche from turning the ball into the back of the net. Then came the sucker punch as Sheffield Wednesday took the lead just before half time and totally against the run of play. Nuhiu had his header blocked on the line by debutant Todd Kane, but Forest could do nothing to prevent Kieran Lee bundling home the rebound to take Sheffield Wednesday into the break 1-0 up.

The second half started in disastrous fashion for Forest as Wednesday soon took a 2-0 lead on around the 50th minute mark. Chris Maguire capitalized on some dreadful Forest defending to smash Wednesday 2-0 up from around ten yards out. Then came a period in the game where Forest seemed to completely fall apart. Wednesday had a couple of huge chances to maybe go around 5-0 up and embarrass Forest, but weren't clinical enough to do so. Nuhiu had a great chance to enhance the misery for Forest but his volley went just wide. Jamaal Lascelles also did well to prevent Wednesday scoring again when he blocked a shot which looked certain to destine in the back of the net. Forest never looked like getting back into the game but Jamie Paterson did have a good effort saved in the latter stages of the game.

Overall, this was a disappointing day for Forest. Not just the result, but the way the season seems to be going. The play-offs now seem out of reach unless Forest were able to go on a considerable winning streak which seems unlikely. Relegation seems to be more of a possibility than promotion now this season and it is up to Pearce to now get this season back on track because the players clearly aren't performing to their potential at this moment in time.

Sheffield Wednesday Home Pre-Match Preview

On Saturday (10th January 2015), Forest will look to end their poor run of form and reduce speculation on Stuart Pearce's future by securing a win at The City Ground against Sheffield Wednesday. Forest have failed to win a game in all competitions since they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 at Molineux.

Sheffield Wednesday have suffered a rather inconsistent start to the campaign picking up a mixed bag of results. They currently sit in 10th position in the Sky Bet Championship, three points clear of Nottingham Forest. They have had a relatively good Christmas period picking up some vital wins. They have won their last two league outings 1-0 at home to Blackpool and away to Wigan Athletic. In Stuart Gray they have a very good manager who makes them hard to break down and score against. Last time out they also put in a very good performance in away at Premier League champions Manchester City where they lost 2-1 after going 1-0 up through Atdhe Nuhiu. They met Forest earlier on in the season in August where Forest came out 1-0 winners through Henri Lansbury at Hillsborough. In comparison, Forest have had a disastrous Christmas period of results and performances. Last time out they suffered the humiliation of being knocked out of the FA Cup by lower league opposition as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Rochdale. Other results across the Christmas period have included a 3-0 defeat away to Middlesbrough, a 3-1 defeat at home to Birmingham and the Rochdale defeat. These results mean Forest have failed to win a game since they won 3-0 at Molineux back in November.

Atdhe Nuhiu converts his big chance to put Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 up at the Etihad against Manchester City.





Forest are going to be without Michael Mancienne and Matty Fryatt this weekend as they are both sidelined with knocks. Andy Reid has this week revealed that he is still going to be out for a couple of weeks or so. Jack Hobbs managed to get through the 90 minutes at Rochdale unscathed and is ready to go again for the visit of Wednesday this weekend. Todd Kane arrived this week on loan from Chelsea and will give Stuart Pearce another option at full back. Chris Cohen is the only other player who misses out due to long term injury.

My prediction for this game is Nottingham Forest 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday. I think Wednesday are due a good result against Forest due to the fact Forest have got very lucky against Wednesday in previous encounters. I also think they are a very solid team who Forest will find difficult to break down like they have done with many other teams at The City Ground this season. Hopefully, the fans can get right behind the team and push them onto victory and reduce the speculation surrounding Stuart Pearce.

Rochdale 1-0 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest's poor run of form was extended as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Rochdale at Spotland. Stuart Pearce's strong looking side was defeated by a Peter Vincenti penalty early in the first half.

Forest started the first half brightly, with Michail Antonio winning the first corner of the game. The first big moment in the game is when Chris Burke went on a fantastic run down the right hand side of the pitch all the way into the penalty area when he was brought down. The referee failed to award a penalty however and only rewarded a free-kick on the edge of the box. David Vaughan stepped up to take the free-kick and forced the keeper into a good save. Rochdale themselves had a penalty decision go their way as Michail Antonio clumsily brought down the player in the area to give the referee no choice but to award the penalty. Peter Vincenti stepped up to take the penalty for Rochdale and converted into the bottom right hand corner to beat De Vries who dived the other way. Forest could easily have found themselves 2-0 down just moments after as Vincenti found himself with another glorious opportunity but could only volley wide. Britt Assombalonga had a claim for a penalty as he was pulled back in the area. Rochdale then had another fantastic opportunity as Done ran through on goal rounded De Vries and passed to Allen who failed to convert into an empty net before Danny Fox came in with a saving challenge. Forest were lucky to find themselves only one goal down at half-time.

Forest started the second half in search of an equalizer, Lichaj's cross which almost reached Assombalonga gave the Forest fans some hope of a comeback. Lars Veldwijk then had a fantastic chance from a Burke cross but could only head the ball wide of the mark. Britt Assombalonga then ran through on goal one on one with the keeper but the keeper came out on top with a good low save. Forest won a huge amount of corners, sixteen in total during the game but nothing was coming of any of them. Lars Veldwijk had a great chance to score a late equalizer but his header was comfortably tipped over the bar by the keeper. Eric Lichaj then had a shot deflected over as Forest's frustrations increased. In the end they couldn't break Rochdale down to find the equalizer.

Overall, it is always a poor result when a team loses to a team who are in a lower division. This was an especially poor result considering the strong team that Pearce named and the relatively weakened one Rochdale named. You'd expect Forest to be able to beat this sort of League One team quite comfortably with the quality they have within their squad. Even though this was not the case I do think Forest are very unlucky at the moment with everything going against them e.g. the Chris Burke penalty decision. If decisions like this started to go their way again they could start to turn their results around.

Rochdale Away Pre-Match Preview

On Saturday (3rd January 2015), Forest face what looks like a very tough FA Cup fixture away at Spotland to face Rochdale in the 3rd Round. Forest are in desperate need of a victory and a boost to their confidence as they are on a winless run which stretches back to the 22nd November last year when Forest beat Wolves 3-0 at Molineux. Forest will hope the FA Cup brings them some new impetus.

Rochdale have had a fairly good start to their League One campaign. They currently sit 8th in League One on the same amount of points as local neighbours Notts County. They are currently being managed by Keith Hill who is a very good manager at that level and was last in the Championship with Barnsley. However, Rochdale's form hasn't been as good as late, especially at Spotland. They haven't won a league game at Spotland since the 1st November when they beat Preston North End 3-0 in what was a very impressive result. Rochdale also needed a replay to overcome Aldershot Town in Round Two when they drew 0-0 away and then finished the tie at home when they won 4-1. Rochdale will definately be up for the game, last year they are remembered for beating Leeds United 2-0 at home in the Third Round. They have never played Forest in a competitive match before. In comparison, Forest are on a dreadful run of form and haven't won a game since they beat Wolves 3-0 on the 22nd November 2014 at Molineux. Their form seems to be getting worse after just picking up one point over the festive period at home to Leeds which was followed by heavy defeats to Middlesbrough and Birmingham City. Last time out they lost 3-1 at home to Birmingham City which was a fascinating goal which was lost due to dire defending from Forest.

Clayton Donaldson turns the ball into the back of the net for Birmingham City in their 3-1 victory at the City Ground.






Stuart Pearce has confirmed that Jack Hobbs will return to the starting eleven for Forest after missing out through injury since September's East Midland's derby. This will be a huge boost for Forest as Hobbs should provide the leader everybody has been looking for. Michael Mancienne and Matty Fryatt are likely to miss out after picking up knocks during training in the week. It may be a chance for some of the younger players to get a game such as Oliver Burke, Jorge Grant, Lars Veldwijk and others. Henri Lansbury is one who will definately miss out due to suspension.

My prediction for this game is Rochdale 1-2 Nottingham Forest. I think it will be a very difficult game which Forest will struggle in. I think Rochdale will prove very stern opposition for a Forest team low on confidence. However, I think Forest will have the class to get the result in the end, probably playing better in the second half when the League One outfit begin to tire. Lets hope for a Cup upset and a Forest win!

Nottingham Forest 1-3 Birmingham City

Nottingham Forest continued their slide down the league table at the hands of Birmingham City who beat them 3-1 at the City Ground. David Cotterill scored twice in the first half, with Clayton Donaldson adding a third in a ten minute spell which stunned the hosts. Britt Assombalonga scored a consolation goal late on to give the Forest fans something to cheer.

Stuart Pearce named the same team which lost 3-0 at Middlesbrough just a couple of days ago. Birmingham were the team who made the brighter start in the game, putting some early pressure on Forest. Henri Lansbury was the first to come close to scoring as hit shot just went wide of the target. Forest then started to play very good football, probably the best the Forest fans have seen in a long time. Matty Fryatt was next to miss a big chance as he headed just over. Then came Forest's best chance of the game so far as Assombalonga's shot was saved by the keeper and Lansbury's shot on the rebound was deflected just wide when it looked certain to be a goal. Henri Lansbury then picked up his yellow card which now means he is suspended for Rochdale and Sheffield Wednesday. The free kick proved costly as David Cotterill stepped up and slotted it into the bottom corner through a crowd of players. It was then 2-0 in a couple of minutes as David Cotterill picked up a quick throwing which the Forest defence failed to deal with and did a similar shot into the bottom corner again to put Birmingham 2-0 up. Forest's confidence looked shattered and the defence was all over the place. This was typified as Birmingham went 3-0 up as Darlow's save hit Michael Mancienne which let Clayton Donaldson tap home a third for the visitors. This left the Forest crowd stunned after what was a promising first half an hour. Robert Tesche almost gave Forest a lifeline in the game as his stunning shot from just outside the area hit the underside of the bar.

Forest started the second half brightly, and came out of the blocks looking for a route back into the game. Britt Assombalonga had a good chance to get Forest back into the game but couldn't quite get his foot around the ball to put it into the back of the net. Robert Tesche then arguably had a chance which was easier to score as he headed wide from a corner when he was unmarked. Eric Lichaj was looking dangerous down the right hand side and was putting some very good crosses into the box which was causing Birmingham problems. Ben Osborn was brought on by Stuart Pearce and he made a difference to the game. He put in a cross for Britt Assombalonga to head home for a consolation goal late on in the game.

Overall, it was a very strange game to watch at the City Ground. Forest probably deserved to go into half time in front but instead went in 3-0 down. This was mainly due to how fragile Forest now are in defence. As soon as they conceded the first goal, they looked like the lost confidence after a good start and went on to concede three goals in ten minutes. It wasn't good enough for a Forest side who really should be beating teams like Birmingham City at home.