Nottingham Forest 1 - 0 Middlesbrough
Among the fixtures I've looked forward to this season this definitely ranked in the top three since it represented our chance to prove once and for all who - between ourselves and Boro - were the most worthy promotion contenders. With a win and a draw already under our belts against this lot, never mind the difference in points going into this game, it was not rocket science to work out just who are the more credible candidates.
That said, we got a real contest of a game today, in stark contrast to some of the rather one-sided encounters we seem to have had this winter. And while they are real fun to watch, there is always the odd game going to come up requiring a real heads-down approach to get the job done, and a good test of the mettle required if we really do fancy ourselves as a potential
Premiership club. Tuesday night against The Blades was rather like that, only today was far more so.
However much I love to knock Middlesbrough as a grossly over-rated outfit, it cannot be denied they did what they originally set out to do and made a pretty good job of denying us space, making it far longer for us to get into our stride today. The few times we managed to get forward saw Earnie isolated, we were repeatedly coming up against a brick wall with few ideas how to breach it, and no-one was getting any change out of the towering David Wheater who seemed to have magnetic properties whenever the ball went within ten yards of him. Though we were not exactly doing ourselves any favours by trying to be too clever with the kind of flicks and deft passes which memerised the likes of Preston and QPR, but today just missed their targets completely. Almost as though the whole team were doing passable impersonations of Eugen Bopp (remember him?) whose clever stuff was great when it worked, though more often than not simply passed the ball to the opposition.
Our best chances in the first half came courtesy of a Majewski 25-yard free kick which just clipped the crossbar with Danny Coyne beaten, and a superb cross by Ando which Earnie missed by a whisker. Boro had a string of corners midway through the first half, though the sum total of their efforts was one feeble shot which Lee Camp could have caught blindfolded.
Yes, it was turning into a frustrating afternoon as we failed to string more than a couple of passes together, Boro continued to defend in numbers so the hoofball continued, and it was looking increasingly like one of those games in which a single goal would probably settle it. We thought Forest had broken the deadlock midway through the second half when Wilson picked up a deflected ball from a Radi shot through a crowded box. Wilson fired home from close range and we erupted into celebrations only to be silenced very quickly at the sight of an offside flag raised over to our left, giving the Boro fans a chance to at least celebrate their reprieve. Both linesmen today took great delight at waving their flags as if they were new toys, though maybe someone ought to have supplied a copy of the offside rule with them, given the number of poor decisions made, even if the disallowed goal proved an exception to this.
But Forest were at last starting to find a few gaps on the break, and shortly afterwards Wilson, from a contentious free kick following a tussle with Leroy Lita started a great move involving Blackstock twice and Radi with Cohen wide out on the right calling for the ball. One crisp diagonal pass from Dexter was enough for Chris to advance into the box, and in acres of space calmly slid the ball past Coyne inside the near post to send the City Ground into rapture. In a game with precious few clear cut chances this was clinical finishing to give Chris only his third goal of the season, but no-one was going to deny that this one, at such a critical stage of the game, was simply priceless. Naturally Gordon Strachan protested the award of the free kick, but the words boot and other foot would spring to mind here ... Sounds familiar?
Boro threw players forward, and the inevitable arrival of Lita (to replace the poncey Aliadiere) five minutes before we took the lead helped shake things up a little, though he did himself no favours having resorted to theatricals following the challenge by Wilson which started the move which led to the goal. Billy Davies countered by replacing Earnie and Radi (cries of 'sign him up' to accompany the usual standing ovation as he left the field) with Didsy and The Moooousse, and although Adebola would, even with a couple of minutes to go, have scared the life out of Boro's defence, it was probably a wise move to see him deployed in a more defensive role when he came on for Ando as we guarded the most slender of leads. A couple of stoppage time corners for a tense finish (James Perch had already made one clearance off the line), the first of which saw Danny Coyne come all the way upfield, so it was a massive relief to hear the final whistle, especially since seconds earlier Lee Camp had blocked a close range effort with his legs.
So that's two wins and a draw against Boro. Despite generous compliments offered by Radio Nottingham and having put up a spirited fight today, Boro are going nowhere. They are not play-off candidates, especially with at least five more credible cases (Swans, Foxes, Blades, Cardiff and Blackpool) outside the top three to consider. It's Forest who are enjoying the media attention with their brand of football now; Boro are just yesterday's news, and they are now firmly put in their place.
Anyway, never mind about them. The ninth consecutive home league win for us has given renewed cause for optimism, not just because we've followed consecutive away defeats with back-to-back home wins, but also that after a somewhat wobbly period the ship seems to have steadied once more as matters on the pitch have once more taken precedence over speculation over transfer activity, or the lack of it. And winning today against a side who have been active with various new signings shows that while boosting the resources won't guarantee success, it cannot be overlooked that with thirteen league games still to play (plus the dreaded play-offs if it comes to it) the need to strengthen the squad is still prevalent.
But for now let's relish the return to second place after a hard-fought win, and even BD is at least adopting a 'wait and see' stance with regards the P-word, which is an advance on a few short weeks ago when mention of the very word was all but taboo.
All the same, I reckon it's hang on to your hats time!
Ref Watch: P Crossley - Did OK most of the time, despite two rather inept, not to mention flag-happy assistants.
Entertainment Value: With the battle for midfield resulting in both sides tending to cancel each other out most of the time, it was not the most attractive football we've seen this season, but that's all part and parcel of a competitive match like this one was. 6/10
Atmosphere: The fans really played their part today, especially in the second half. Some banter with the large travelling contingent early on, though they were not the most vocal visiting fans we've had this season.
Highlights: No contest: Chris Cohen's goal was textbook stuff; Another clean sheet; Oh, and wasn't it good to see D3rby come unstuck, and better still, ManUre slip up at Goodison Park?
Lowlights: Too many passes went astray, especially during the second half; watching lots of hoofball was like turning the clock back four years; Majewski was lucky to escape with just a yellow card for a high tackle
Stinker: McKenna looked distinctly jaded today, though hardly surprising after a nasty knock from a challenge with Aliadiere.
Stormer: Chris Cohen, not just for the clinical way in which he broke the deadlock, but his hard work and creative play, setting up some good chances for Earnshaw in the first half.. And never mind those who wanted to knock your goal celebration, Chris. The fans were doing it all for you anyway!
Premiership Chump Of The Week (Pt 2): The Whingeing Arsey One gets his second entry having moaned about the goal conceded from a rapidly taken free kick midweek. Funny, since I seem to remember some time ago how Arsenal capitalised from the very same tactic. Double standards? Youbetcha.
