Blues boss Roy Keane dismissed suggestions that Damien Delaney’s own goal in the 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest was unlucky. The loss was the Blues seventh in nine league games and leaves Keane’s side only three points from the relegation places.
The Town manager was less than impressed with the build-up to the own goal: "A lot went on before the ball goes in. It was a minute before half-time and we had possession before that. We talk about being streetwise.
"I think we would have been disappointed at coming in 0-0 at half-time, never mind 1-0 down. But there’ll be no pity parties tonight.”
Keane felt his side again lacked quality in and around the box: "The one or two half-chances we had, the final ball let us down. David Norris got in a good position, Jason did, and Connor, but that’s been a problem for us.
"We need to be cleverer in and around the box, whether that’s playing a one-two, knowing when to cross it, knowing when to take someone on. I think we make the wrong decision too many times.”
The former Manchester United man wasn’t too unhappy with the overall performance: "I thought we played not bad. In any game when you’re up a good team there’s not going to be too much in it. They were cancelling us out, they hit us on the break once or twice in the first half and their keeper made a good save from Troy. We looked a bit dangerous from set pieces.
"In the second half we were chasing the game and Forest were always going to be decent on the break and I think it would have been the same the other way around.
"The first goal is massively important in the Championship and if we’d scored the first goal today we certainly wouldn’t have gone on to lose the game. That maybe sums up the game, we’re nearly a good team, but nearly never made it.”
Keane says he missed the tackle which led to Grant Leadbitter’s red card: "I didn’t really see it and I really should have had the best view. Because the referee initially gave the foul [to Town], I was looking forward already and thinking about getting Márton Fülöp forward for the freekick.
"I think he was trying to play some sort of advantage, but what he was playing an advantage for I don’t know because Grant’s got a lad hanging off him and there was no advantage there.
"Anyone who knows Grant knows he’s not that type of player and the boy was OK. I need to see it on video again. We certainly didn’t need Grant getting a three-game ban as Grant’s an important player for us. That rubs salt into the wounds today.”
Keane, who says no moves in or out are immediately on the cards, revealed that Gareth McAuley came off at half-time due to a hamstring injury.
Asked if he was determined to carry on as Town boss, he said: "I've not had a stupid question for a while, but well done."
Forest boss Billy Davies believed his side deserved the three points: "The goal was fortunate but I think we had some great chances.
"I was very concerned before the game that they’d had one game less than us over the Christmas period, but seven points from a possible nine we’ve got to be delighted with.
"It was scrappy, they made it difficult for us, they brought in a lot of physical presence and played a certain way. We had to defend well and at times we got the ball down and played, but it was a difficult surface, very slippy, and it was a difficult afternoon with the type of game that it was.”
Davies said he and Keane got on fine on the touchline, despite a potentially explosive incident in the first half: "I apologised to Roy when McGoldrick nearly scored from the drop and I genuinely think that it was accidental.
"I apologised straight away, it certainly wasn't what we wanted and we’d have been gutted if the ball had gone in the net. I apologised before he punched me!”
The Scot said he would have looked to have made amends had the ball gone in rather than striking the woodwork: "I would probably have asked the referee to take the drop again or done all we could to make sure the goal didn’t stand, if that were possible. Without a doubt we’d have done something about it, I don’t want him to kick my head in!”