Nottingham Forest 1 - 0 Swansea City
With the season throwing up all sorts of twists and turns as it tends to do at this stage, and given the current form of The Swans (unbeaten in the league since we nicked a win at theirs just before Christmas) against our impressive home record offset by an alarming sequence of away defeats (last week - ouch!), this game was always going to be a difficult one to call.
And that's before you even consider goals scored and conceded by both sides: The Swans not scoring many, either home or away, but doing a more than passable impression of a brick wall when it comes to keeping them out; and then of course we've suddenly started to find scoring a little harder to come by of late, managing only four from the last seven games - all at home.
Therefore today's line-up featuring Dexter Blackstock playing on his own up front was always going to raise one or two eyebrows, even allowing for the fact his usual strike partner was ruled out through injury during training, but the main attention was going to be focussed on George Boyd, having arrived this week on loan from The Posh. I have to confess to knowing nothing about him prior to his arrival, which at least avoided expectations being raised beyond reason, but then this season has been somewhat unique in that every player brought in has served their purpose in one capacity or another - some more than others, maybe, but given the way the season has turned out so far we could have done far worse.
And by George, did the latest arrival make his presence quickly! As early as the opening minute with a shot which went just wide of the post after a great run in from the left, and a couple of minutes later some deft footwork enabled him to set up Blackstock with a great pass. Too bad the offside flag was up, but an inspiring start nonetheless. The programme notes on Boyd made it clear he was looking forward to express himself in a manner denied to him so far this season, and the way he did just that rather made up for the lack of creativity from most of the other players in red shirts. Although not as pacey as, say, Blackstock or Earnshaw, what he lacks there is more than made up for by great skill on the ball which was a rare commodity for most players on the pitch today.
Not surprisingly, Swansea defended in numbers and the opening twenty minutes was a stodgy period in which few chances were created, with the ball being hoisted high on many occasions in the hope either side might catch the other on the break. However, during this period we were forced into a Plan B when McKenna limped off very early, and which might have major ramifications for the remainder of the season.
It took a while for Forest to regain shape with a rather patched-up look about it. Luke Chambers was already deputising for Kelvin Wilson (also absent through injury), and Lewis McGugan ought to have used the opportunity to prove his worth with over eighty minutes on the field. Granted, around the half-hour mark was arguably Forest's best period of the game as Boyd managed to threaten De Vries' goal, and Anderson set up Chris Cohen with a great cross, however to meet it Cohen had to arrive at speed, and instead of burying it (seemingly the easier option) he sent the ball flying into the stands. The Swans made the occasional break without really threatening - Thomas Butler was their main provider of pace, especially on the break, the diminutive Leon Britton produced his usual mix of tackles and fouls, and that lumbering journeyman Shefki Kuqi was always the likely beneficiary of any service from midfield, although only really challenged Camp the once with a one-on-one which he weakly prodded to be charged down by the deputising captain.
But in the main it was a fairly scrappy game, with the ball spending large periods in the air, either being cleared with a degree of desperation by both defences, or being booted from one 'keeper to the other. Ball control was difficult to come by as some players (Moussi especially) struggled to pass to their intended targets, and there was frequently a dearth of red shirts in and around the box when it mattered, with Radi, for all his brilliance perhaps keeping a little too much distance between himself and the frontmen. The ref was also helping break up continuity by awarding Forest free kicks when allowing to play advantage seemed far more logical, and most 50/50 balls went Swansea's way (quel surprise!). On the other hand however, Swansea's most dangerous threat came midway through the second half when Darren Pratley burst into the Trent End box to go one-on-one with Lee Camp, only to be denied by a Chris Cohen tackle in what was undoubtedly the talking point of the game.
Whether Pratley was brought down or not, he made a meal of it (and looking at it again on TV he did go down more than a tad too easily), and whilst I've seen penalties given for tackles like that, equally I've seen players sent off for manhandling the referee in the way the Swansea players did as the challenge was waved away. Needless to say Pratley was branded a cheat by the Forest fans who gave him the John Terry treatment with every subsequent touch of the ball. Nonetheless, though we may have considered ourselves fortunate with the ref's decision, it should be remembered we were ourselves on the wrong end of a similar incident at The Keepmoat recently (not to mention countless others), so however much Swansea may feel hard done by, they can be assured they are not alone!
The second incident which caused controversy led to the set piece which ultimately decided the game. In a forward move by Forest, there was debate over whether Blackstock was offside in which case a free kick would have been awarded instead of a Forest corner. Looking at the playback it appeared Blackstock was in an offside position, albeit not interfering with play when the ball was played, but onside when the ball went anywhere near him. McGugan's corner kick, just about the only one to evade De Vries all afternoon, sailed across to find an unmarked Luke Chambers over by the far post, who promptly headed it straight past De Vries and in to the back of the net. Ninety minutes plus two, and The City Ground crowd erupts into raptures. Suddenly the cold breeze bearing down on the Trent End all afternoon didn't bother us any more, such was the burst of adrenaline in this dramatic climax to an otherwise forgettable encounter.
Sixty seconds later and it was all over, and for the third home game in a row an explosion of noise from the fans at the final whistle, in acknowledgement of just how precious these slender wins are, especially with the news filtering in that QPR had beaten West Brom to put us back in an automatic spot. Everyone knows we're some 14 points clear of seventh place, but if the P-word is clearly on the agenda then achieving it through the automatic places has to be the very minimum to aim for. By merely settling for a play-off spot is missing the point, especially given our propensity to blow two-goal advantages in past ties resulting in heartache.
Up to second place one week, down to third the next - I suspect there'll be plenty more swapping places between now and May, possibly starting as early as this Tuesday when West Brom play their game in hand, meaning more pressure on us by the time we kick off at Deepdale next Saturday, especially with it being one of those grounds we never seem to win at. Not a pleasant prospect given our inability to score away from home, and Preston coming into a mini run of form just lately, and no doubt heartened by the fact they won't have to face McKenna who showed them emphatically before Christmas just what they'd lost.
But, hey! If we can rediscover that killer touch we demonstrated at The Hawthorns at New Year then there will be at least one Preston resident smiling this time next week!
Ref Watch: Colin Webster - Seem to remember him as one of the more inept refs we've had over the years. Today he continued in that vein with some very erratic decisions, though credit where it's due I suppose, we have to be grateful for the denied penalty claim, however contentious the incident may have been.
Entertainment Value: Another one of those games where both sides cancelled one another out, making for long fustrating periods of football in the sky, stray passes and relatively few chances. 5/10
Atmosphere: Lifted by the odd burst of banter between rival sets of supporters in a patriotic manner, although the only real buzz was in the final sixty seconds of the game. A warm round of applause for the late Keith Alexander preceded the game, though yet again this took place well after the advertised 3pm kick-off time. At this rate if our games start any later they'll be declaring our fixture as 'Late Kick-off' during the classified check on Final Score.
Highlights: A lively debut performance from George Boyd who made an attempt on goal in the opening minute and set up other chances throughout the game. Another clean sheet combined with results elsewhere made the win all the sweeter.
Lowlights: Losing Paul McKenna so early in the game was bad enough, though suspected ligament damage raising the prospect of him being sidelined for the rest of the season is a major blow.
Stinker: Moussi looked cumbersome and clumsy, with some dreadful passing; McGugan also looked too much a spectator-cum-glory hunter, waiting for the ball to come to him rather than make things happen.
Stormer: George Boyd expressed the desire to show flair and entertain, and duly delivered on both in an otherwise scrappy encounter. Thought BD's comments on Boyd's performance were surprisingly understated, mind.
Premiership Chump Of The Week: Funny how it all went quiet in the Alex Ferguson camp after no sending off for Vidic after conceding that penalty whilst clearly last man. I hope he remembers that when he's on the receiving end of such an oversight. Double standards or what? Oh, and the stinging rebuke given to Wayne Rooney just for playing for his country will no doubt help make Fergie public enemy number one when England don't gel during the World Cup.
