Damien Delaney’s own goal just before half-time was enough to see Nottingham Forest to a 1-0 victory over a Town side which was reduced to 10 men in the final moments when Grant Leadbitter was red-carded for a studs-up challenge on visitors’ midfielder Paul Anderson.

Blues boss Roy Keane decided to stick with central defender Gareth McAuley and striker Rory Fallon, despite saying that neither of them would be able to play two games in three days after the draw at Coventry.

In total Keane, like Forest manager Billy Davies, made five changes with Connor Wickham replacing Jason Scotland up front, Mark Kennedy coming in for Darren O’Dea at left-back, Damien Delaney for Tommy Smith at centre-half, Troy Brown for Jaime Peters at right-back and Jake Livermore for Carlos Edwards in midfield, the on-loan Tottenham man starting in the centre with David Norris moving to the right.

Neither goal was much under threat in the opening 10 minutes, although the Blues had started the better and Wickham had almost managed to cut a dangerous ball across the box to Jack Colback after dispossessing Luke Chambers, the Forest central defender managing to get back to block.

A shot was finally fired in anger in the 19th minute but Jack Colback’s strike from the edge of the box, after a typically tenacious battle for the ball following a clever chipped Wickham pass, failed to test Lee Camp. The Forest keeper had already begun to irk the Blues’ support by taking an age over his kicks.

The Town players felt they should have been awarded a penalty in the 22nd minute when Joel Lynch had his arms around Fallon as the pair challenged for a Colback cross, but referee Darren Sheldrake, positioned close by, decided otherwise.

There was a scare for the Blues in the 24th minute when Chris Cohen’s cross from the right was missed by David McGoldrick and Fülöp was forced to save with his feet with the ball goalbound.

Town came close to going in front in the 25th minute when Norris played Wickham in on the right of the area, the striker standing up a cross, which Fallon headed straight at Camp. At the other end, Paul Anderson similarly failed to test Fülöp with his header from Nathan Tyson’s cross from the right.

The Blues were still on top and created another opportunity in the 28th minute when Fallon’s knock-down from Brown’s cross from deep was scooped over the bar by Norris.

A minute later, Brown almost scored his first professional goal, Camp superbly saving his powerful header from Leadbitter’s corner on the right. From the subsequent flag-kick Lynch got in ahead of McAuley and Delaney but referee Sheldrake awarded a goalkick. The official’s patience with Camp finally wore out from and the Forest keeper was booked for timewasting.

A lead would by no means have flattered the Blues but they were served with a warning just before the half hour mark when Guy Moussi cut in from the left and forced Fülöp to save after McGoldrick had deftly chested the ball into his midfielder’s path.

David Norris became the first Town player to get his name in referee Sheldrake’s book in the 35th minute for a foul on a breaking Aaron Ramsey, playing the final game of his loan spell from Arsenal. The visitors were starting to threaten more and were seeing more of the ball as the game moved towards half-time.

Forest almost scored in bizarre circumstances in the 40th minute when McGoldrick hit the angle of crossbar and post from 45 yards when returning the ball to Fülöp after Tyson had been down receiving treatment. On the touchline visitors’ boss Billy Davies appeared to apologise to a not overly impressed Roy Keane for the incident.

Town went close again on 42 when Camp’s fingertips helped Leadbitter’s well-struck drive over the bar, referee Sheldrake again incorrectly awarding a goalkick.

There was another scare for the Blues on 43 when Lynch headed narrowly wide from a freekick on the left.

Right on half-time, Forest went in front. McGoldrick cut in from the left and played a ball across the six-yard box, which Fülöp could only divert into the path of the by now bandaged Damien Delaney couldn’t avoid stumbling into his own net.

The half-time scoreline was harsh on the Blues, who had been on top for spells but again had failed to make their periods of superiority tell. Forest had come more and more into it as the half wore on and had looked increasingly threatening, while Fülöp had had one or two earlier shaky moments prior to the goal, punching weakly on a couple of occasions.

At half-time Jaime Peters replaced Gareth McAuley, who evidently couldn’t play two games in three days as Keane predicted prior to the match, Brown switching to centre-half with the Canadian going to right-back.

Chris Cohen smashed the first shot of the second half well over in the opening minute, then for Town Fallon went wide from a Leadbitter freekick from the left.

On 53 boss Roy Keane made both his two remaining substitutions, Jason Scotland and Carlos Edwards replacing Rory Fallon and Jake Livermore. While a brave move to use all three subs at such an early stage, the visitors had settled better after the break.

Town might have gone in front in the 56th minute — moments after Forest’s first corner of the game — when Wickham flicked Scotland’s pass into Norris’s path, the skipper taking the ball on into the area, but shooting across the face with Colback and one or two others looking for it to be squared across the box.

On 58 Forest’s Paul Anderson went to ground inside the penalty area when through on goal with Peters chasing back, referee Sheldrake deciding, probably rightly, that no contact had been made. Aaron Ramsey became the second Forest player to get his name in the book in the 66th minute for pulling back Scotland.

The Trinidadian striker shot wide a minute later then Leadbitter looped an effort to Camp front distance with the Blues having a fair amount of the ball but without significantly troubling the Forest keeper. The visitors were continuing to look a danger when on the break.

Fülöp pushed McGoldrick’s powerful shot wide in the 72nd minute, the Forest frontman’s last involvement with Marcus Tudgay replacing him as his side prepared to take the corner.

On 75 a Leadbitter corner almost fell for Wickham in the area, then Camp tipped Edwards’s cross from deep over the bar. From the subsequent short corner, Wickham’s header from Leadbitter’s cross was too high.

Norris required treatment after being laid out by a clearance in front of the Britannia Stand, but was able to carry on, prior to Forest having a golden chance to seal the win. Tudgay crossed from the right, Anderson nodded back across goal and Tyson headed wide when he should at least have hit the target.

The Blues were continuing to push with Forest by now sitting very deep and in the 86th minute Camp saved Leadbitter’s low 25-yard strike to his left, Wickham stabbing the resultant corner wide.

In five minutes of injury time Norris looped the ball over after Camp had mispunched to the edge of the box and was out of his ground.

Moments later the Blues were reduced to 10-men when Leadbitter was red-carded for a high tackle on Anderson. The Town midfielder had won the ball but his foot had gone over it and into the midfielder’s shin as he slid in. Town are unlikely to appeal.

Soon after, the whistle went to signal another defeat. Town might have deserved a goal on their first half display but looked short of ideas in the second, Norris missing their only clear-cut opportunity.

Roy Keane’s side continued to huff and puff until the end but once again lacked guile in and around the penalty area. The visitors looked by far the most dangerous side going forward, although they were fortunate with their winning goal, but should have sealed the victory when Tyson headed wide in the second half.

Leadbitter’s late sending off added to another disappointing afternoon with the midfielder set to miss the FA Cup tie at Chelsea, the home leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Arsenal and the league game at Millwall. The result sees the Blues remain 19th in the table but now only three points from the relegation zone.

Roy Keane's position as Town manager looks ever more perilous with calls for his head from the Sir Bobby Robson Stand and angry exchanges between the Blues boss and sections of the support behind the dug-out - which led to stewards intervening - and as he walked to the tunnel at the end of the match.

Town: Fülöp, Brown, Kennedy, McAuley (Peters, 46), Delaney, Leadbitter, Livermore (Edwards 53), Norris, Colback, Wickham, Fallon (Scotland 53). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Smith, Murray, O’Dea.

Forest: Camp, Gunter, Lynch (Wilson 82), Chambers, Morgan, Moussi, Anderson, Ramsey, Cohen, McGoldrick (Tudgay 72), Tyson (Adebola 87). Unused: Smith, McGugan, Earnshaw, Majewski. Referee: Darren Sheldrake (Surrey). Att: 19,455 (Forest: 1,365).

Photo: Action Images

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