After a poor first half Nottingham Forest produced some good football in the second to take a share of the points against Southend.

Southend dominated the first half and created the better chances. Forest lacked quality and had only two chances on goal while Paul Smith made two good saves to prevent Southend from going in more than a goal up at half time.

Forest were greatly improved in the second half and were rewarded with an equalizer. They put considerable pressure on the Southend defence but in spite of some good end-to-end football neither side could produce a winner.

It was a slow start by Forest who were kept busy defending as Southend pushed forward and created several chances.

They came close after Ian Breckin initially had to head the ball out for a corner from which Paul Smith had to use his agility to punch the ball clear as Mark Gower's shot flew in from the near post.

Forest almost pinched the lead on 16 minutes from Chris Cohen's corner. It was good delivery which found Julian Bennett whose shot flew across the face of goal and just wide of the far post.

Southend scored in the 20th minute when the ball broke for Hal Robson-Kanu as he caught Forest out, ran into the penalty area and knocked the ball into the far corner of the net past a diving Smith.

Forest were almost caught out when Tommy Black got past Grant Holt and crossed to Franck Moussa. Holt got on the end of the ball but cleared it across face of his own goal as Moussa ran in to follow up and, luckily for Forest, hit the ball off the post at a narrow angle.

Forest had their best chance when Sammy Clingan won the ball, played it quickly to Cohen who in turn played it out to James Perch on the right. He put in a good cross which was well held by Darryl Flahavan at the second attempt.

There were cries for Wes Morgan to be sent off when he rose to block the ball as it came down in front of goal. Morgan turned his back in the air and clattered into the Southend keeper but it was not malicious and the referee only produced a yellow card to the Forest player.

There was more danger for Forest when Adam Barrett got the ball away from Holt and crossed it to Peter Clarke who got his head to it on the back post. He knocked it back across the face of goal and Smith did well to punch the ball away.

Holt and Junior Agogo paid the price for their lack of chances in the first half and were replaced at the start of the second half by Matt Thornhill and Nathan Tyson.

Forest looked sharper after the second half got under way and started to look as if they might make holes in the Southend defence.

But it was Southend that had the first real chance when James Walker fired in a cross which Smith managed to put round for a corner.

Forest's two substitutes combined to produce the equaliser twenty minutes into the half. The move started when Bennett sent the ball through to Tyson. He sent the ball in from the left to Thornhill as he slid in at the post and side-footed the ball into the roof of the net.

And they came close to taking the lead with a great move which started with Thornhill winning the ball at back. Brett Ormerod then fed it to Cohen and he played the ball in to Tyson who was only just wide of the post.

Forest were a different side as they continually put the home side under pressure.

But then Gower almost created a winner for Southend when Forest gave him too much space. He was denied first by a great save from Smith and then Bennett followed up to clear the ball off the line.

Forest were awarded a free kick in stoppage time 25 yards out when Cohen was brought down after a great break but Clingan's effort went off the wall. The ball eventually went out for a corner as Forest battled to get a late winner but Bennett went down with cramp as he tried to get on the end of the ball.

There was still time when play re-started for Southend to put the Forest goal under pressure when Gower sent the ball flying from 25 yards out and the ball bounced in front of Smith who was able to put the ball out for a corner.

Nottingham Forest: Paul Smith, Kelvin Wilson, Ian Breckin(C), Wes Morgan, Julian Bennett, James Perch, , Sammy Clingan, Chris Cohen, Brett Ormerod(Lewis McGugan, 80min), Junior Agogo(Nathan Tyson, 45minHT), Grant Holt(Matt Thornhill, 45minHT)
Subs not used: Luke Chambers, Matt Lockwood, ,
Bookings: Morgan 42min, Breckin 45min, Clingan 49min
Scorer: Thornhill 64min

Southend United: Darryl Flahavan, Simon Francis, Peter Clarke, Adam Barrett, Charlie Mulgrew, Tommy Black, Nick Bailey, Franck Moussa, Mark Gower, Hal Robson-Kanu(Anthony Grant 75min), James Walker.
Subs not used: Steven Collis, Zoltan Liptak, Lewis Hunt, Damian Scannell
Bookings: Bailey 90min
Scorer: Robson-Kanu 20min

Referee: P.Melin
Attendance: 8,376 away attn: 716