Nottingham Forest 0-1 BFC, Monday 2nd January 2016

‘Shooooot!’……’Not from there!’……’GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ 

Welcome to ..... the away end!

Crikey, it’s good this winning every week.  Despite having played 2 days earlier, compared with Forest’s 3, we triumph once again.  And that despite (because?) having Roberts and Morsy suspended and Marley and Winnall ‘rested’.  (How can Marley be rested, he’s only just come back from suspension, ironically after that fracas v Forest at home).  Mind, they were without arch wind-up merchant Lansbury, a transfer target for every Championship team with money, it seems.

A stall on the riverside

Of course, we had an axe to grind.  And coming only a month after the 2-5 home debacle, I really fancied us to turn them over.  There’s no way a team as poor as Forest could do the double over us…could they?  And I guaranteed my 2 guests there’d be goals.  I must have sounded confident; my mate didn’t take up my bet there’d be at least 3 goals in this one.  Phew.  I also guaranteed them lots of brouhaha over some socio-economic kerfuffle or other some 31 years ago.  They certainly got that, as every other chant involved the word ‘scabs’.  I love it.

Outside the Trent End

We controlled the 1^st half.  But Forest weren’t as dumb as Cardiff and never came forward enough for us to hit them on the break.  Also, we kept giving the ball to Kent…who kept giving it to Forest.  No surprise then that he didn’t return 2^nd half (Marley on) cos all I heard at half time were Reds fans moaning about him.  Scowen missed the big chance of the half, somehow blazing high and wide from 2 yards out on the back post.

The teams come out.  Come on you Reds Blacks!

2^nd half, Hammill took over Kent’s role, losing the ball constantly.  About the only thing he managed was to time waste late on off corners.  You can imagine how wound up the defenders were getting as Hammill dummied his way to (their) infuriation.  Otherwise, neither side looked like scoring.  Winnall had a one-on-one saved (but was flagged offside anyway) while they had a header off the bar.  Then Lord Bendtner came off the bench for Forest to cut inside and fire home.  Cue celebrations in the Forest end…which were soon joined in by us as we realised it had been chalked off for offside. Given he beat a defender, we could but presume he’d come back from an offside position.  It was at the far end – so I’m sure the linesman was right!

The view behind the goal

I do take issue with one ‘official’ stat.  If Forest never had a shot on target, how comes me and my mate can remember Davies tipping a long shot round the post.  I remember saying ‘nice height for the keeper’ (one for the cameras).  Maybe those who study these things thought it was going wide?  Didn’t look it.

Then, with 2 mins left, up pops the Championship’s best player (allegedly).  Certainly most ‘assists’ this season (FYI: Marley is joint 3^rd!).  The ball drops kindly, and while I’m telling him not to shoot from so far out, Conor cracks a 30 yarder on the half volley over the keeper and into the net.  An absolute screamer.  The away fans go ballistic and Forest applaud a great goal.  (I made the last bit up.)  With 2 mins left, we are home and dry, particular once we’ve got a corner and they’ve no idea how to get the ball off Hammill.

The (not so) Tricky Trees

*** Yiadom.  Quality defending, as well as the ability to go forward, all on his ‘wrong’ side.  Who else but BFC and Yiadom would have the left back rampaging past 2 defenders to win a corner in the 92^nd minute?  He is as fit as a butcher’s dog.

** Ryan Williams.  I’d love to say how he put in a cracking 90 minutes, the 1^st time in….well, possibly ever for us.  But despite having a massive say in midfield, he was dragged off with 10 left for Armstrong.

* Hourihane.  You can’t argue with a goal like that.

Londontykes' top 3:
1. Yiadom   2= Williams/Hourihane

Looking towards the Trent End.

Despatches:
I firmly expected the Forest crowd to insist on the home side attacking, thereby giving us chance after chance on the break, but it never quite turned out.  They looked like what they are; a side devoid of confidence doing their best not to lose.  Davies had little to do, possibly cos Bree had another stormer on the right.  Jackson came in for Roberts and marked a lot tighter than previous; he really was up the forward’s ar5e.  (Forgot to say, Assombalonga missed a sitter of a header from a corner 1^st half).  Scowen and Bradshaw were pretty anonymous.  Perhaps the latter prefers a front 2?  SSW came on for him with half an hour left and did what he does when he doesn’t score.  And Armstrong had 10 mins of which I can’t remember anything about him.

Will Winnall get 20?  Chris in Beckenham has offered me double or quits on Winnall.  Hecky has heard I can’t afford to lose any more money and put SSW on the bench today.  I wish he’d done this in November (before the goal rush!)

Onwards and upwards! 

The sun sets over Forest's chances.

Drink du jour: Hicksy was on watering hole duty and took us to Aunt Bessy’s breakfast club or summink.  Basically, an American eaterie with a few different beers on tap.  Not our usual, but everyone was pleased with the tucker, despite being surrounded by families.  Then onto that pub with the canal in it.  With work tomorrow, there was no room for spirits.  Lager lager lager (Bitburger, Stella and whatever I drank over the canal)

Away: c2000.  For a club with monetary issues, I’ll give them some advice: give the away club a bigger allocation, cos you’re not going to sell out the other 28,000 seats.

The Damage:26 train
20 ent
3 prog
=£49

City Ground panorama

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Barnsley, Saturday 20th April 2013

‘She’s Margaret Thatcher, she’s one of your own.’

Another battling performance away from home against top end of the table.  If we could score we’d be dangerous.  But if we could score, we’d probably be in their half of the field, which didn’t happen a lot to be honest.  From the 1^st minute, when Forest had a penalty appeal turned down, we were up against it.  Not that they were as dangerous as the media made out – yes, Steele saved a few, but apart from a diving save from a point blank header, 1^st half, they were mostly saves I’d expect him to make.  And he did flap at a couple of crosses (again) but together with centre halves Crainie and Wiseman, he kept us in the game.  That and the woodwork (4 times).

The midfield never kept the hold of the ball and when panicked clearances upfield landed to Scotland and O’Grady….or Dagnall and Harewood…they couldn’t hold it up long enough for the midfield cavalry.

*** Steele.  Save after save.  Woulda had a perfect score if he could catch a ball.
** Cranie.  Preverbial rock in defence.  Best DEFENDER we have.
* Wiseman.  Solid partnership with Crainie.

Despatches:
Decent turnout from Barnsley and it’s a shame our Thatcher-loving element weren’t there to join in with ‘Maggie Maggie Maggie DEAD DEAD DEAD’ which I thought was catchy enough to join in.  And I’d have also loved some Londontyke company for the journey back, as a) I had to leg it even to catch the train (that was a close shave) and b) it was held up just after Luton for an hour and a half due to a power failure on the line.  Probably not enough public subsidy, I say. And I didn’t have enough money for a beer AND a chocolate bar.  Three bloody pence short.  Barstewards.  Drink du jour: one can of Stella.

Pre-match, nice walk around Trent Bridge, before meeting Dave in ‘the famous Trent Bridge Inn’ (never heard of it) for a couple.  Pleasant, though a noticeable lack of Barnsley shirts, which concerned me a little.

As for the players, who’s this Andrai (sp?) Jones?  For them not there, I’ll tell you how bad he is.  In a season when Hill (then Flitcroft) would pick anyone in defence ahead of Hassell, this bloke has never had a game.  (If he’s brand new, apologies.)  As a right back, apart from one second half tackle, all I can see he does is stand off the opposition by 6 yards, allowing the player to do whatthehell he likes with the ball.  The best I can say is that this confuses the opposition, who don’t quite know what to do with being able to do whatever they like.  He was so bad, Forest didn’t even TRY and attack Kennedy on the other wing in the 1^st half.  And then there’s Kennedy himself.  Just ask Caton how poor his deadballs are. Once or twice we even got up the park and earned corners, but what’s the point if your left footer (that’s not a euphemism – I think) is going to dink in a nice little outswinger.  Can someone with a right foot bang it in, please?  And then, last kick of the game, we had the chance to nick it.  Free kick outside the box, up pops Kennedy to tamely deflect it off the wall.

Having said all that, what an effort.  We must be down to our last 15 players.  Key individuals such as Golbourne, Hassell, Foster all out injured…Dawson suspended…yet to see our lot battle on…and on…and still we have that chance of staying up.  These players are giving their ALL and deserve all the support they get.  Yes, we might still go down, but not without a fight – and that’s what counts.  All we need to do is beat Hull and Hudders.  It's in our own hands.

Come on you Reds!!!!!!!!