LFL: FOREST

Apart from a few decent minutes very early in the game, we were very much second best all over the field here. Forest were really up for the win and a combination of their sharp finishing and our appalling defending gave them a great result. 

BEFORE

The Villa match left with me feeling pretty good about a defeat, which sounds strange, but this evening I'm hoping to be feeling very good about a win. Forest find themselves in the unusual position of being in a Europa League semi while also fighting to stave off relegation. They had a good result on Sunday, winning 4-1 against doomed Burnley, and with Gibbs-White being in such good scoring form they'll be no pushover. Of course we'll need to do a better job at defending than we did on Sunday and I think Ballard will probably start in place of O'Nien this evening. Villa's finishing was clinical but we allowed them to get down the flanks too easily in the first place. I'm not aware of any injuries arising from that game so I don't expect there to be more than one or two changes in our starting line-up. Like many others I'd like to see Isidor given more time as it was great to see that he still had what it takes to zip through the opposition's half and score. Once again I'll be watching the game in the company of other members of the London Branch and it should be a hoot 'n' a holler. Match prediction: 2-1 to us.

I got the team news on the way over to the bar and there were two changes from Sunday with Ballard and Hume coming in for O’Nien and Reinildo, both of whom were on the bench. I got to the bar just before 7.30 but couldn’t see any of the Faithful though about ten had appeared as we neared kick-off. 

THE GAME

Forest forced a corner in the third minute after a poor clearance had set up a chance. We got it clear and were very soon attacking their end. Sadiki went to ground after taking what looked like a knock in the nether regions and had to go off for a while but was finally able to continue. We were pressing well down the right and exchanging a back-heel or two culminating in a shot on target by Rigg in the eighth. Three minutes later Forest won another corner and after plenty of wrestling in the box, as usual, we got it clear. Another poor pass at the back set up a shooting chance for Forest and Roefs dived to make a great save. We’d got away with it twice but I hoped we weren’t going to make a habit of it. We won our first corner in the fourteenth but it was easily cleared. We soon had a great chance but nobody was there when a low Ballard pass rolled across their box. Next thing Forest were ahead from their third corner. They took it short and then a Jesus header at the far post took a big deflection off Hume and went in. I had a feeling that there were going be a few more goals. We conceded a free-kick in a dangerous area just to the left of our box in the nineteenth and managed to head it out for a throw. A powerful shot from Wood forced Roefs into another good save and Forest were clearly hoping for a goal or two more.

We were awarded a free-kick just outside their box in the twenty-fifth and after it had bounced off their wall Alderete headed well over the bar. Forest soon had their fourth corner and we cleared it no bother but then we were 2-0 down and again it was due to poor passing. Roefs was passing it out from the back and it was partially-intercepted by Wood who exchanged a pass before knocking it into the net. In the thirty-fifth things got even worse when Gibbs-White had oceans of space in our box before slamming it into the bottom-left corner. This was greeted with curses and cries of disbelief in the bar but the way it was shaping up, Forest were looking good for another goal. As soon as I typed that it was 0-4. It came when Jesus also had loads of space in our box and he received a ricochet before smashing it into the net. Our defending had been dodgy against Villa but this was a great deal worse with all their goals coming from elementary mistakes. They were well-taken, though. We were looking shell-shocked and I couldn’t wait for half-time so Regis could make some emergency repairs. Three minutes of added-time were announced and there were boos as the whistle went. Many people had already left their seats.

When we kicked off again, Rigg had been replaced by Reinildo while for them Dominguez had come on for Sangare. Brobbey and Jair Cunha had a coming together which resulted in the former being on the deck for a while before he managed to recover. Dominguez wasn’t wasting any time as he was booked for a foul on Diarra, who also received a yellow for waving an imaginary card. Hume conceded another corner as Forest threatened once more. In the fifty-fifth I realised Forest hadn’t scored for a while and I had a feeling that we were going to get one back. Next thing we had a shot on target so who knew? Just after the hour-mark we thought we had pulled one back when Ballard headed in from close range following a free-kick but after a very long VAR inspection it was ruled out for a Mukiele foul on goalie Sels. Isidor replaced Diarra in the sixty-fifth.

With twenty minutes on the clock at least things had settled down a bit and Forest had mercifully eased off. Of course I was still hoping that we could pull one or two back to put a teeny gloss on what had been an awful evening. In the seventy-fifth Xhaka was booked for mouthing off too much. Alderete skied a shot but I’m glad he was having a go. We soon won a rare corner but it was easily cleared and then we had a very good penalty shout when Alderete’s foot received a good stomp. Nothing was forthcoming. Ten minutes to go and Forest were basically sitting back and we were attacking more but it was going to be hard to get through that defence. In the eighty-fifth Isidor swivelled and put a good low shot on target but Sels was there to block it. Next minute he made a great save from Le Fee and we had a corner. Forest were the first to nearly every ball and we couldn’t capitalise on it. We were still trying but we couldn’t create a decent chance. Seven minutes of added-time were announced and half the crowd had gone home by the look of it. They missed Forest’s fifth goal scored by Anderson and then people in the bar started to make a rapid exit. It ended, none too soon, 0-5.