After a beautifully observed silence for Brian Clough, nerves got the better of Forest as they struggled to get going against Rotherham this evening.
And Rotherham, the Football League’s lowest scorers, took full advantage of Forest’s lethargy as they took a ninth-minute lead through Chris Sedgwick, who pounced on Phil Gilchrist’s flick before slotting the ball under Paul Gerrard.
It was probably a mistake on Rotherham’s behalf as the goal seemed to spark Forest into life, and seven minutes later the Reds were back on equal terms when David Johnson pulled the ball across the Rotherham box for Gareth Taylor to send past Mike Pollitt.
The second half saw a much livelier performance from Forest and they started to dominate more, though chances were scarce for both sides.
With extra time looming, David Johnson had a golden opportunity to end the game as Alan Rogers flashed a ball across the Rotherham goal, but he arrived a fraction too late to connect with the cross.
Forest took the lead three minutes into the first period of extra time after a long run by Jess saw Pollitt save his shot, but he couldn’t hold the ball, and Taylor took advantage of the slip to net the rebound.
Rotherham came out fighting for the second period of extra time, and at times they put the Forest defence under considerable pressure, but they hung on to the lead.
Their reward is a trip to Doncaster Rovers for the third round of the Carling Cup, not exactly mouth-watering, but let’s hope it will see us through to the next round.
|
