2010-11 Match Reports CCFC v Forest

20.10.2010

CCFC 0 v 2 NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Note not Notts Forest. We learned to get that right back in the 70’s when Old Big ‘ead was in his pomp. ‘Now young man take your hands out of your pockets, stand up straight and listen – it’s Nottingham Forest and Notts County and I’ll thank you for not getting that wrong again...’ Sensitive soul old Cloughie!

We entered the stadium to Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ a reminder that the Forest line-up would include former Bluebirds Earnshaw and Gunter. Sure enough, when the teams were introduced the City fans gave a rousing reception to former hero Earnie but inexplicably some sections jeered Gunter and continued to do so during the game. He’s a fan who spent his youth on the terraces at Ninian Park, was transferred to Spurs against his wishes to help save the club from going under and is a proud Welsh international. (For all their quaint customs and quirkiness, the average footie fans are somewhat lacking in objectivity and the finer points of intrapersonal intelligence. ’You what? You what? Youwhayouwhayouwha?’)

City had one or two injury problems with Naylor and Burke absent. Blake came in at right back with McNaughton moving over to the left and Koumas started for the first time since his return to the fold. From the start the shape of the team just didn’t look right. It was more or less a 4-3-3 with the newly-capped JB playing with two inside forwards, Chopra and Bellamy. The service was coming up the middle of the park which was far too congested. We had no options out wide and it’s now apparent that far from being a One Man Team (Bellamy) when the likes of Burke in particular and Bothroyd are not available we struggle to adapt. There were far too many misdirected passes and our attack was being out-muscled by the Forest defence. (Old Big ‘ead reckoned Kenny Burns was ‘the ugliest player I ever signed’. Wes Morgan is the ugliest player he never signed.)

We had our chances and didn’t particularly look to be in trouble against a very average Forest side. Bothroyd was put through by Bellamy, rounded the ‘keeper but went too wide and couldn’t recover with the open goal at his mercy. Soon afterwards however McGugan delivered a bolt out of the blue following some untidy work at the back from Gypes – a screamer from 20 yards out to the delight of the travelling fans (and a smattering of polite applause from those City fans who weren’t too stunned to react). A brave / daft / naive sole Forest fan in the Canton End celebrated, suffered a cuffing and left.

So, 0-1 at half time and we wondered how Jones would change things for the second half. His response was to revert to a 4-4-2 with Chopra replaced by Drinkwater who put in a particularly gutsy performance and looks to have returned to his best form following his long injury lay-off and a less than impressive performance against Swansea. Again we had chances to get back into the game, Bothroyd particularly at fault when after some great work by Whittingham and a pin-point cross from Bellamy, his free header hit the ‘keeper when it looked easier to score. We were now piling on the pressure but could not convert the chances we had and as the minutes passed there was a sense that it was just going to be ‘one of those days’. All fears were confirmed when Matthews (on for the injured Blake) let McGugan slip past him and angle a pass to Dexter Blackstock (a 70^th minute replacement for Earnie ) who slotted home past Heaton. 0-2 with five minutes to go and the City faithful, their belief sorely tested, abandoned the pews and left for the exits in their disgruntled droves...

Unfortunately for Blackstock his joy was short-lived as following an innocuous tackle from Olifinjana he collapsed in a heap and after a long delay was stretchered off. This was particularly upsetting. It meant that we had to endure an extra five minutes of our own agonies. As the final whistle blew, the boos echoed around the abandoned stadium which resonated with much puzzlement as Bothroyd was announced as the sponsors MOTM. Corporates – doncha just love ‘em?!

So as we approach the end of yet another November (for us the season of ‘misses and Bellers uselessness’ to misquote Keats) there are the usual worrying signs of inconsistency on the pitch and panic in the stands. This is probably unjustified. The Championship is not blessed with many quality teams and assuming money will be made available in the New Year to shore up our few weaknesses and Jones finds a way to exploit our undoubted stellar talents there are few that can match us. Perhaps he should invoke the spirit of Old Big ‘ead, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day. But I wasn’t on that particular job.’

So who’s up next? Oh, QPR...