This week, our correspondent Steven Toplis examines the Derby fans’ stunt from last week, and the Forest supporters’ positive response:

For us Nottingham Forest fans, the events of Saturday, September 17^th 2011 are ones to banish to the very back of our minds. Seeing Derby come away from the City Ground with a 2-1 success, having trailed 1-0 and been down to ten men so early in the match was hard to stomach, especially the manner in which the Reds slumped to defeat.

So the thought of Derby fans raising money in order to fly a banner over the City Ground prior to Saturday’s match against Ipswich Town was hardly going to go down well amongst sections of support at this end of the A52.

Some fans were incensed, undecided, amused or not too bothered – attempts to halt the flight were made by people complaining to the police and Civil Aviation Authority.

It was the latter organisation who allowed the stunt to go ahead, and a 38ft by 15ft banner with the words “We only had ten men” and “Never forgotten” was flown through the Nottingham skies and over Forest’s home before kick-off against Ipswich, although those within the ground claimed it was barely visible and did not have much of an effect.

The stunt cost over £2000 (£2226 to be precise according to the website We Only Had 10 Men) leading some Forest fans to question the point of doing the flyover when the sum raised could have gone to charities and good causes. One of the organisers from the website says in response to this:

“I understand their point but I can’t agree, and I don’t think that people should tell others what to do with their money. When you break it down, us football supporters all ‘waste’ thousands every year following our clubs up and down the country which could be better spent elsewhere, nobody criticises that (except maybe our own wives!)”

While there were Forest supporters who disagreed with the flyover idea, voicing opinions on Facebook, Twitter and forums, there were some willing to take it with a pinch of salt. One fan on the Forest Vital forum said:

“People in glass houses etc….how much did we spend on A 5-2 T-shirts, both the production thereof and the money spent on buying them.”

Forest and Derby have both had results against one another to shout about, both this season and last, as the above quote suggests. After Forest’s 5-2 win at the City Ground last December and the 1-0 success at Pride Park a month later, Reds fans savoured doing the double over their East Midlands rivals. While there was nothing such as a flyover arranged, A 5-2 T shirts were produced and supporters loved having the bragging rights.

It is a part of football. If Forest won at Pride Park in the same way Derby did at The City Ground earlier in the season, we would be basking in victory and taking the opportunity to enjoy a great win. The best thing is to take it on the chin and move on, which seems to be the reaction from a lot of Reds followers.

In recent years the fixture has had its fair share of heated moments, from Robbie Savage’s scarf waving, Nathan Tyson’s flag antics and the pitch side brawl at Pride Park in 2010. Even the Derby Telegraph was quite clear in its belief the flyover should not have gone ahead for fear of inciting some sections of Forest support. When asked about this, the organiser from We Only Had 10 Men said they were not worried this would be the case, going on to state:

“I have friends and family who are Reds, were at the game and took it in jest. There will always be a minority of fans that look to cause trouble when we play each other and I don’t think this will change that any more than Tyson’s flag antics, Savage’s scarf waving or Billy and Nigel’s handbags.”

In response to the flyover, Forest fans have responded by pledging to raise over £2,000 for two charities – The Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes. A website called Forest Fans for Charity has been set up to take donations and a statement on the site says:

“We thought it was time to put aside petty rivalries and, as like minded Forest fans, decided that now would be a good time to show the world that we are different.”

It is an excellent idea for the Forest fans to come together, raising money for two great causes. The plan is to better the money raised by Derby supporters for their flyover and is a positive reaction to the stunt. If this means the two sets of fans will be willing to better one another, whilst raising money for worthy charities, then that can only be a good thing.

The plan has also been commended by the Derby supporter I spoke to who was behind the flyover, saying:

“It’s a great idea and a positive response. I have supported it as much as possible by linking from our site and tweeting about it. I would also like to point out that the Derby fans who organised the flyover helped to raise over £10k for cancer research last year and have continued to raise money for Sight Support Derbyshire whilst raising the flyover cash. This is not an ‘either / or’ situation.”

Forest won 3-2 on Saturday while Derby lost 2-0 at home to Hull City and the sides are now separated by four points in the Championship table. The organisers of the flyover have even been asked by some Reds fans in jest to repeat the stunt every week as it’s become a lucky omen!

While the stunt could have stoked the Forest – Derby rivalry even further, it seems to have led to a positive response from both ends of the Brian Clough Way. Derby have had their moment to enjoy a victory, whilst Reds supporters have come back with an excellent fundraising plan, which even their rivals have agreed is a good one.

There’s still over two months to go until Forest and Derby meet again at Pride Park so the plane flyover will be largely forgotten by then and the emphasis should be on the match itself.

Hopefully this time around it’ll be Forest avenging that home defeat – roll on February 5th 2012!