| 08/04/2006 | Colchester |
(H)
|  | Won | 1 - 0 |  |
| Reporter:
|
Simon Hough |
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| Forget the poor performance, it's points that count at this time of the
season. These must-win games keep coming and Forest are doing the
business to make this season more interesting as the weeks pass. This
was our only chance to take points from our rivals as our remaining
games are against mid and lowly ranked teams.
Colchester were one of the more impressive sides to come to The City Ground this season. They came to win the game and can consider themselves unlucky not to have earned a point for their efforts. They were restricted to mainly long range efforts but missed a couple of decent chances after we'd scored. The 1st half was very forgettable with only a couple of Commons free kicks from the right causing problems. On both occasions the defence failed to cope with the height of Morgan, Breckin etc but we couldn't force the ball on target. The impressive Danns went closest for Colchester with a free 8 yard header than was straight at Pedersen. Apart from that it was very scrappy with Forest unable to keep possession well enough. The next 45 minutes was marginally better and the introduction of Lester improved things as he encourages the ball played on the floor. Both Holt and Tyson played deeper in midfield to get involved and this didn't help matters. With Commons struggling to get possession and missing Southall, we struggled to get any rhythm going. Forest will have to play much better at Tranmere to keep the run going. The goal was one of the most fortunate you'll see this season. Tyson ran down the left wing and crossed for Grant Holt in the area. The ball bobbled around and the defenders attempted clearance hit Perch and flew into the goal. No chance for the keeper and a great time and opponents to enjoy this luck against. Bennett missed our best other chance when he managed to head a Clingan cross over the bar with it looking easier to score. In fact, the in-swinging cross might even have been going in without an extra touch. Colchester failed to hit the target with a couple of late efforts from 10 yards and we also survived an injury time free kick which hit the wall. Having conceded 2 injury time goals at their place, we had to play to the final whistle this time around. Quick word about the appalling referee who managed to book 3 players for kicking the ball away and generally lost control. Tyson shot towards goal and was given offside and received yellow. However, Danns (who was on a yellow card for a bad challenge) then did the same but the ref bottled the obvious red card. Danns knew he was about to walk and even had his head in his hands. Can't complain too much as we're rubbish against 10 men though. Very tricky to pick a MOTM this week as Forest never really got going. I'd say that Gary Holt is probably the most deserving as he continues his impressive run of form. His ability to break up attacks and get Forest moving forward is proving to be a very useful asset to the side. Pedersen also showed decent handling and shot stopping as Colchester generally created the best chances. Must improve his distribution though as he's reluctant to throw the ball out and his kicking can be woeful at times. As in previous games, we really needed the width and presence of Southall down the right hand side. Clingan doesn't provide the width we need and should be allowed to play in the centre with Holt. The midfield has been out of sorts for a few games now and his re-introduction should freshen things up a bit. One of the best atmospheres at a home game all season and the relief from the goal was obvious. Was great to see the players watching the full time scores on the score board along with the fans. 4 points over Easter will be a very useful return and keep us in contention. |
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| Forest Man-of-the-Match: | Gary Holt | |||||
