Town fell to their second 3-2 defeat in two games as Nottingham Forest netted twice in the last six minutes to come from behind to deny the Blues their first win at the City Ground for 12 years. Danny Collins scored two goals in a game for the first time in his professional career, putting the Blues in front twice, but Robbie Findley equalised for the home side before the break, then Joel Lynch and Marcus Tudgay netted another leveller and the winner in injury time.
Blues boss Paul Jewell made four changes to the side which lost 3-2 at home to Doncaster a fortnight ago. Josh Carson came into the midfield diamond for Keith Andrews, who missed out having undergone surgery on Thursday on the broken nose he suffered while away with the Republic of Ireland.
Carlos Edwards returned at right-back for Reece Wabara, who dropped to the bench, while Lee Bowyer was back in the midfield with Colin Healy out of the 16. Up front, Jason Scotland came in for Tamás Priskin, the Hungarian not having made the trip.
The home side named a team unchanged from their 3-0 defeat to manager Steve Cotterill’s former club Portsmouth before the international break.
Town started brightly with Jason Scotland hammering a shot wide in the first minute after a move in which skipper Grant Leadbitter had been clattered by Wes Morgan, who probably only avoided a yellow card as it was so early in the game.
On 12, with neither side having gained the upper hand, Forest centre-half was also the perpetrator of a challenge on Michael Chopra on halfway which left the striker requiring treatment to his face, referee James Linington continuing his lenient approach to the game by not even awarding a freekick
The home side began to get on top as the match moved into its second quarter hour, summer Blues target Guy Moussi seeing a shot from the edge of the box saved, then striker Robbie Findley having the ball taken away from him when well-placed inside the area on a couple of occasions.
Town’s midfield quartet were still to really stamp their authority on the game with passes misplaced all too often. In the 23rd minute Bowyer failed to find Edwards down the right, gifting possession to Lewis McGugan, the midfielder, the scorer of a stunning 35-yard strike in this fixture a year ago, this time shooting well over.
Two minutes later, the Blues were in front. After Marcus Tudgay had felled Bullard, Aaron Cresswell whipped in a freekick from the right and Danny Collins powered a header across Lee Camp and into the net for his first goal for Town.
The goal was probably against the overall run of play and the home side came close to pulling a goal back within a minute, Findley again being found in the area but Collins, whose goal was his first since January 2009, slid in to end the danger.
Seconds later, Josh Carson might have been in for Town’s second when a Leadbitter pass was missed by a defender but the Northern Irish youngster had already given up the chase.
As the game approached the half hour mark, the Blues enjoyed more time on the ball but with possession tending to break down once they got to the edge of the box. For the home side, Findley shot over.
Forest got back on terms in the 42nd minute, also from a freekick sent in from the right, after Scotland had been adjudged to have handled the ball. McGugan whipped in a dangerous cross which Stockdale came for but didn’t claim and Findley, a danger throughout, turned home from close range.
McGugan had a go at replicating last year’s wonder goal, hitting a powerful freekick goalwards as the game approached the 45-minute mark but it was too close to Stockdale, who did well to hold on at the first attempt.
As the game moved into injury time, Carson almost found Chopra at the far post with a cross from the left, Greg Cunningham just getting his head to the ball ahead of the Blues frontman.
The scoreline was probably fair at the break, neither side having been overly impressive during the first half, excellent freekick-creating goals aside.
Town had their best spell after Collins’s headed goal but didn’t create any significant opportunities during that spell. For Forest, Findley had always been a danger and eventually the ball was going to fall kindly for him inside the Blues box.
Stockdale went some way towards making amends for his error with the save from McGugan and given Town’s tendency to concede a second goal once the opposition has scored their first, Paul Jewell was probably happy to see half-time arrive.
The Blues went close to going back in front 10 minutes after the break when the generally quiet Carson hit a low shot from the left which Camp couldn’t hold, the ball hitting Scotland on the way out but too quickly for the Trinidadian to react.
At the other end, the home support called for a foul on the edge of the area after Findley had somewhat needlessly gone to ground when under pressure from Edwards, then Moussi saw a shot from the edge of the box deflect wide.
Forest were an inch from going in front from the resultant corner on the right. Skipper James Chambers powerfully headed the ball goalwards only for Cresswell to make another of the superb goal-line clearances which have been so common since he joined the club in the summer.
Town went back in front in the 62nd minute, via Collins’s second goal in 34 months. Bullard sent in a corner and the centre-half on loan from Stoke stooped to powerfully head past Camp once again, to claim the first brace of his career.
After Cunningham had been booked for a foul on Leadbitter, Tudgay tried to get his side back on terms with a low shot which Stockdale claimed at the second attempt.
On 70 Jay Emmanuel-Thomas replaced Lee Bowyer in the Blues’ midfield, presumably a planned substitution with the veteran ex-Leeds man having only just returned after a hamstring injury.
As the game entered its final 15 minutes Emmanuel-Thomas and Chopra went high and wide for Town, then sub Andy Reid hit a similar strike not far past Stockdale’s left post for the Tricky Trees. Nathan Ellington took over from Scotland for the final 12 minutes, the Trinidad and Tobago striker having limped off with a knock. Soon after, Lee Martin took over from Chopra.
The home side were starting to push Town back and on 84 they got back on terms. Bullard headed away a poor corner but Reid sent in a better ball from the left and Joe Lynch nodded across Stockdale and into the net.
As the game entered its final five minutes, Ellington hit a shot on the turn for the Blues which deflected up in the air to Camp after good work from Cresswell, then at the other end Tudgay teed-up McGugan, who shot straight at Stockdale.
The home side were continuing to put the Blues under pressure and with the match having moved into injury time, they scored a winner. Cunningham crossed from the left, Leadbitter missed his header and Tudgay nodded home at the far post.
Town were unable to create anything in the remaining minutes and referee Linington’s whistle signalled the Blues’ fourth successive loss and a continuation of their poor run at the City Ground.
Boss Paul Jewell will again be left ruing the individual defensive errors which led to Forest’s goals, while at the same time Town didn’t make the most of their spells in the ascendancy after Collins had scored his two goals.
Once again too many of the midfield were too inconsistent, drifting in and out of the match, and despite the home side having grabbed the goals late on, a defeat would probably have been harsh on Steve Cotterill’s men with little between two not overly impressive sides in a game which was entertaining if not packed with quality football.
With the loan deadline on Thursday, it will be interesting to see whether the Blues boss will look to add to his options as he seeks to address his side’s alarming dip in form.
Town: Stockdale, Edwards, Ingimarsson, Collins, Cresswell, Bullard, Carson, Leadbitter, Bowyer (Emmanuel-Thomas 70), Chopra (Martin 82), Scotland (Ellington 78). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Wabara.
Nottingham Forest: Camp, Chambers, Morgan, Lynch, Cunningham, Gunter (Anderson 75), Moussi, McGugan, Greening (Reid 75), Tudgay, Findley (McGoldrick 81). Unused: Smith, Majewski, Referee: James Linington (Newport Isle of Wight). Att: 21,143 (Town: 1,481).
Photos: Action Images