Villain Reds Give Hero's Effort at Elland Road

Bennett: Goal
By The Daily Red
February 13 2008

Forest's under-fire stars gave a tremendous effort in a fantastic clash at Elland Road, only to be denied victory by a late penalty equaliser. Left back Julian Bennett headed home the Reds opener before Beckford equalised from the spot. The Daily Red brings you the Alternative Report.

It is just so typical of Nottingham Forest in recent years. The faces change, but the song remains the same.

They rise to the big occasion and dare us to dream, only to fall just short and leave us too proud, too devastated, to be angry.

Tonight’s result is not a bad one, but again we leave with the anguish of coming desperately close to so much better.

The Leeds game took on an added significance this season; it served as this year’s Derby game, a chance for us to showcase our merits as supporters on an occasion of genuine significance to the league table.

And as supporters, we were fantastic.

This evening was a reminder of the potential we have as a supporter group – when there is something worth being excited about we are among the best outside the Premiership, and better than several in it.

For all of the lip service about keeping your colours concealed and taking along your ear defenders, the Leeds fans were massively disappointing.

We all know that they’ve only got one song, but we didn’t get to hear it very often. Hopefully they are marching on to another season in the footballing abyss of League One.

All credit to the travelling Reds who made themselves heard, especially those who are obviously used to seat-slumping and flask-slipping. Let’s be having you on the road more often, and in the same good voice.

The game itself? I didn’t know what to make of Calderwood’s system.

It was one of those games where everybody is too busy contributing to (and absorbing) the atmosphere to take full notice of what is happening on the turf.

In the first half there was ten times the effort we are usually treated to on the road, but we were negative.

The midfield was bypassed completely and we relied on scraps. Tyson’s pace and Hoskins’ efforts to hold up the ball and link in the rest of the side were our only outlets.

Having five at the back tempted Leeds into the channels but we kept tight. Even so, I felt like I was waiting for an inevitable Leeds goal.

We were too scrappy, too reluctant to play it, too negative. Something needed to change and, in the second half, it did.

For long periods we were far more enterprising. Commons’ trickery finally got us somewhere, Tyson began slipping beneath the radar, and we gave the impression of wanting to attack.

Leeds wobbled, creaked and eventually buckled.

Bennett’s header followed a series of near-misses, as Tyson continued to do everything well – until faced with the simple task of sticking it in the net, that is.

This shows what we can do to teams when Calderwood takes off his negative hat.

I did not for a split second think that we would hold on to the lead. I have been on the road with the Reds for too long to expect the best.

We immediately sat back and submitted ourselves to fate. Leeds obliged us with wave after wave of pressure and it seemed to be only a matter of when and not if.

It was reasonably fitting that a refereeing blunder should ultimately deliver the blow.

Halsey had a poor game; bringing his ‘Premiership standard’ nit-picking and none-contact laws to an unwelcome milieu. In the first half he gave a series of corner kicks that were, quite simply, not corner kicks.

In the second half he awarded a penalty for seemingly nothing. My view was poor, but the Leeds player seemed to jump, fall, and rise to see the referee’s decision. He looked as surprised as the rest of us.

Overall I find myself grateful that Leeds did not romp on to another late victory, and grateful for the minute-long onslaught of enraged and uncontrollable joy that exploded across the away end after our goal.

Those are the moments that make being a football fan worthwhile. And I believe that you have to spit and curse through the Bournemouths and the Walsalls to really embrace them.

Sadly, the longer we stay in League One, the rarer those moments become – and a fourth year in the third tier is looking likely.

I am resigned to the fact that Calderwood is unlikely to leave until a point where he fails to achieve promotion (even though I feel this is one of the few available catalysts to spur us on to promotion). I am also resigned to the fact that we are one of several teams vying for one place, which we already find ourselves adrift of.

I don’t want to think about that tonight, though. I want to enjoy the fact that Forest gave us something to be proud of for a change, and the fact that we can all be very proud as Forest supporters.

 

 

Ratings:

Smith – 6

Wilson – 7.5 – one or two little errors nearly cost us, but the amount of times he gracefully dragged us out of danger was superb. He is a fantastic defender, and he frequently weaves a way out of danger where his colleagues would be staining their undergarments.

Chambers – 7 – solid performance; strong effort at the back and made himself available on the wings (though cautiously). Absolutely loved the goal celebrations.

Morgan – 7 – played well, and is unfortunate to have conceded the penalty. It looked soft to me as the player missed his header. But even from the distance of the away end I saw the shirt pull.

Breckin – 6.5 – won some important headers and generally hoofed forward rather than needlessly into the stand (which was good to see). Coped well compared with his form overall this season, but was turned and left for dead with embarrassing ease late in the first half.

Bennett – 8 – for all of his faults, and there is a bucketload of them, this is the kind of man I want on my side in games like this. ‘Oh, he gives 110%’ is often a euphemism for somebody being hard-working but wholly crap, in Bennett’s case it is a true reflection of his attitude. Talented he is generally not, but he would cut off a testacle for Forest – and I appreciate it.

McGugan – 5 – he may have been told to sit deep, or he may have been searching in vain for possession, but either way he was cut out of the game today and scarcely involved.

Cohen – 7 – not much in the way of creative possession but he was frenetically busy and always up the backside of a Leeds player with the ball at his feet.

Commons – 7.5 – poor first half, but worked a bit of magic to give us an outlet in the second.

Hoskins – 7 – I thought he had a few decent touches and held the ball up very well in difficult circumstances. A tidy forward.

Tyson – 6 – if he had buried one of the sitters he missed I would be giving him a ‘10’. He was a constant threat, but he is paid several grand a week to make the net bulge and he missed a number of gilt-edged chances to do it.

It was a good move to introduce Clingan, and probably Holt as Hoskins tired, but Perch’s introduction was always likely to be a bad thing on this season’s performances.

Nice to feel that a game was worth the entrance fee tonight, we could get used to it. It’s a shame I don’t think we’ll have the chance to.

WIAN