Billy Davies made two changes to the line-up, with the injured Adebola and Wilson replaced by Anderson and Chambers respectively:

Camp

Gunter        Morgan          Chambers       Cohen

McKenna (c)       Majewski

Anderson                    Garner                       Tyson

Blackstock

Subs: McGoldrick for Garner, Moooosssse for Madge, Lynch for Tyson. Not used: Smith, McGugan, Earnshaw, Adebola.

It was great to not only get a win, but a relatively comfortable scoreline with a clean sheet and a bit of daylight between us and the opposition. While Forest were worthy winners, with a strong performance and lots of chances created, occasional heebee-jeebees at the back meant that 4-1 might have been a more appropriate scoreline.

Forest attacked from the off, and Messrs Majewski and Cohen have clearly been working on their delivery from set-pieces, as there were three “oooh” moments in the first couple of minutes, all from corners. However, the best chances fell to Chambers (excellent save from Murphy, followed by a goalmouth scramble where somehow the ball stayed out of the net), Ando (cracking header inches wide into the side netting – a proper training ground routine from Majewski’s corner), and Garner (snatched at his mid-range shot just like he did at Plymouth on Sunday). In other news, Scunny keeper Murphy was booked for handling outside the area, but was lucky that the ref did not penalise him for dissent as well (throwing the ball down like a stroppy teenager, then refusing to come when called, like, erm, a stroppy teenage).

0-0 at half-time was OK, but seemed familiar. I was rather disturbed to see the players brought out for a warm-up, much like you would see before the match. I had disturbing visions of a Phil Brown half-time team talk, when I texted the absent Rahoul with this news, he remarked that he preferred the vision of Big Neville Southall having a good old sulk!

Goldie was introduced for the disappointing Garner at the break, but I guess the most disappointed would be Joseph himself, as he has now played everywhere across the front line, except for centre-forward, which I thought was his position (and he probably does too). However, the substitution was a masterstroke, as Goldie was here, there and every-bloomin’-where, and making incisive passes and movements in a way that Garner just hadn’t been able to. I guess this is why we have competition for places!

The ability of Wollaton’s finest to play little throughballs from the “hole” behind the centre-forward meant that the other front men were really able to break through the Scunny defence. Tys in particular burst through a couple of times, but displayed his irritating tendency to have a leaden-footed second touch, on one occasion allowing the keeper to smother, and on another pushing him wide enough that he could only shoot past the angle. Another Goldie throughball led to a collision between Dex and Murphy, which eventually saw the painfully slow withdrawal of the Scunny custodian, but not before he made a fine, point-blank, reflex save from Gunter who must have wondered how it didn’t go in.

So far, so much like all the other games where we create chances but don’t score any. However, a sustained period of pressure from the Reds finally paid off, when a succession of crosses into the box from open play and corners led to Chris Cohen’s fine delivery being decisively headed home by Luke Chambers. Relief. Only a few minutes after that, Ando took a really heavy touch when clean through, it looked as though the chance had gone, but it gave some of the others a chance to catch up with Mr Speedy Gonzales; when he got the ball back he played a cracking cross, hard and low into the box and Dex poked home from all of a yard out. Great.

Billy then pretty much shut up shop, including putting only four men into the box for a corner, and Kenzie heading to the corner flag with about five minutes left(!). Campo picked up a stupid booking for dissent (not giving the ball back when he conceded a throw-in). Mooooossssse and Lynch were introduced as subs and there was a hairy moment when Jonathan Forte (who had given Wes a decent game) bundled through before getting in a shot which Campo got a touch to; in slow motion, it looked for all the world as though Scunny had pulled one back but the ball bounced back off the post and Campo gathered it in his arms.

In the end, a very good result against a relatively high-flying team, and Billy and the players and fans were pleased as punch. Post-match, the wee man alluded to the moaning minnies in the crowd, and Mattyboy has left an interesting comment on NFFCBlog about the, erm, “interaction” between crowd and manager. Actually, although it was a bit quiet, I thought the Forest fans were generally very positive (or at least they were in my part of the Trent End), and I think that this will only get better if results continue to reflect the performances.