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Town 3-4 Forest
Town 3-4 Forest
Saturday, 5th Apr 2003 18:55

Town will feel they deserved at least a point from a rip-roaring thriller which ended 4-3 to Forest. The Blues were 2-0 up, then 3-2 down before equalising and looked the likelier side to take the three points until former loanee Marlon Harewood popped up with a 74th minute winner.

Town lined up 3-5-2 as expected with Matt Holland taking Thomas Gaardsøe's place in central defence. Martijn Reuser started on the bench while Darren Bent missed out due to a hamstring problem, although Alun Armstrong returned as a sub after his wrist injury. Other than Holland the side was unchanged from the one that started at Gillingham last week.

The early stages were very tight and gave little hint of the goals to come. Town created the first opportunity of the game in the sixth minute, Jim Magilton playing in Pablo Couñago on the right but the Spaniard's shot flew across the face of goal.

Two minutes later Couñago hit a shot on the turn which deflected and was easy for keeper Darren Ward to claim. For Forest Darren Huckerby hit their first shot but sent it well over Andy Marshall's goal.

On 10 Jon-Olav Hjelde became the first player to enter the book for a tackle from behind on Couñago. A number of Town players were particularly incensed at the challenge and referee Howard Webb had to calm things down.

Town went ahead in the 15th minute, slick play down the left involving Matt Richards and Jim Magilton led to Marcus Bent flicking the ball into the centre. Pablo Couñago had two attempts saved by Ward but Tommy Miller followed up for his ninth goal of the season.

A minute later Couñago could have put the Blues further in front, Marcus Bent finding him on the edge of the area but the former Celta Vigo man's shot was too close to Ward who saved.

Soon after Richard Naylor was caught in possession on the right of the Town area by David Johnson, the striker earlier having been given a warm reception by his old fans. Johnson made a run across the face of goal but Naylor got back to stab the ball away but saw it land at Marlon Harewood's feet seven yards out. Fortunately for Town Andy Marshall was off his line quickly to block Harewood's goal-bound shot.

Despite that chance, Town were having the best of it and around the 20-minute mark Marcus Bent had a shot blocked and Tommy Miller struck a shot wide, both from the edge of the Forest area.

A minute later Town were awarded a penalty. Marcus Bent played the ball into the area from the 18-yard line to Couñago. The Spaniard turned tightly and Andy Reid caught him and sent him to the floor. Referee Webb had no doubt and pointed to the spot.

Tommy Miller was on the field for once when Town had a penalty, the midfielder hoping to continue his 100% record from the spot. He hit his kick low and hard to Ward's left but the keeper got down to save but failed to hold on, the ball coming off the post. However, he retrieved the situation as the on-rushing Pablo Couñago dived in for the rebound, sending keeper and ball over the line.


Confusion reigned as the referee signalled a freekick to Forest and booked Couñago. He then spoke to his linesman and awarded another penalty, booking Harewood and Huckerby for dissent. Video evidence confirmed that Ward was well off his line before Miller had taken his kick the reason for the retake.

The former Hartlepool man stayed cool and put his kick in exactly the same place but this time Ward guessed wrong and Town were two-up, Miller has his tenth of the season and the Blues were seemingly on their way to three points. Trouble appeared to erupt at the front of the Forest section with the police involved and removing several fans.

On 26 Naylor was again caught in possession by Johnson but followed the former Town striker, putting in a tackle which pushed the ball to Forest sub John Thompson 25 yards out in the centre of field. Thompson took one touch before hitting a low shot beyond Marshall into the corner of the net.

The goal seemed to give Forest a massive lift and they took over for the rest of the half having been very subdued up until then. Two minutes after the first goal the visitors were on terms, Harewood waltzing past the Town defence and hitting a low shot which deflected wildly off Chris Makin and into the corner of Andy Marshall's net.

Town were clearly rocked by the game's sudden turnaround and in the 32nd minute they conceded again. Harewood hit a low shot from the right Marshall saved, the ball cannoning out to Thompson. His low ball into the box hit Naylor in the six-yard box and wrong-footed the keeper before coming to rest in the net. Within six minutes Town had gone from two-up to being behind.

The rest of the half was quiet in comparison with what had gone before, but was mainly Forest's. Matt Holland and Gareth Williams clashed heads causing a lengthy stoppage while they were treated.

In fact five minutes injury time was required, the only serious effort in that time from Fabian Wilnis after being played in on the right by Couñago, but his shot deflected into the arms of Ward.

No changes at the break for either side. Soon after the restart Marcus Bent almost played in Jim Magilton but his pass was just behind the Ulsterman and the ball got stuck under his feet.

A minute later Naylor did well to clear a dangerous Harewood cross from inside his own six-yard box, the ball going for a Forest corner.

In the 56th minute Couñago did well on the Town right and played the ball low across the box where it was cleared. Shortly afterwards the Spanish striker was unlucky to be penalised when he took the ball from Jim Brennan in a dangerous position on the Town right edge of the visitors' penalty area.

On the hour the Blues were back on terms. Town broke from a Forest corner and Jim Magilton played the pass of the afternoon into Marcus Bent's path. The striker took the ball into the penalty area and coolly slid it past Ward for his third goal in three games.

Portman Road was by now at its most voluble with the spirit of the earlier Sheffield United game again in evidence. Joe Royle decided a change was in order, Martijn Reuser coming on for Matt Richards and the Blues switching to 4-4-2.

Town were having the best of it but two minutes later Andy Marshall did well to save from David Johnson. In the 65th minute young Forest defender Michael Dawson was in the book for a high and late challenge on Pablo Couñago. The Town striker had beaten Dawson to the ball and played it beyond him, the Forest player catching him in the shoulder with his boot.

On 68 there were calls for a penalty from the visiting support as Holland and Johnson clashed shoulder to shoulder in the penalty area. There seemed to be few calls on the pitch and the referee was unmoved.

A minute later there were further claims for a Forest penalty when Naylor tackled a marauding Huckerby inside the area. The Town man appeared to get something on the ball and Mr Webb gave a corner.

In the 74th minute Johnson, who spent a significant amount of the game on the floor often with little encouragement from Town players, was shoulder-charged by Richard Naylor on the edge of the area, the incident looking almost identical to the clash with Holland shortly before. The award of a freekick looked harsh and Town were to pay a heavy price.

Reid sent the ball in and Harewood, a dramatic flop in his spell at Town a few years back, rose above two Blues' defenders to head home for his second and Forest's fourth.

Three minutes later Reid had another opportunity from a freekick on the edge of the area but his shot went over the bar.

With 11 minutes of normal time remaining the ball fell to Jim Magilton on the edge of the box after a fine run and cross on the left from Couñago. The Northern Irishman screwed his shot wide when it looked easier to get the ball on target and was clearly angry with himself.

On 83 Marcus Bent went over from 22 yards before a Pablo Couñago shot from the edge of the area looped to the keeper. For Forest Reid went wide in the 87th minute from the 18-yard line. While Andy Marshall prepared to take the goal-kick Alun Armstrong replaced Fabian Wilnis as Joe Royle's side went back to a three-man defence.

With a minute of normal time left a promising Magilton shot deflected for a corner from which Matt Holland headed to Ward in the visitors' goal. As injury time ran out Jermaine Wright struck a 30-yard shot but Ward claimed it without moving.

A disappointing result although Forest can probably count themselves a little fortunate to gain all three points. That said defensively Town were suspect for all the goals, although the second would probably have been claimed by Andy Marshall but for the deflection and Richard Naylor was unlucky to deflect in the third.

At 2-0 the game ought to have been over but a defensive error from Naylor, who had a difficult time against the pace of Harewood, Huckerby and Johnson, was at fault for Thompson's goal which was the spur for Paul Hart's side to get back into the game.

The Blues were certainly the better side early on and deserved their two-goal lead. They also had the better of it in the second half and will rue their defensive collapse in the second half of the first period, particularly with Wolves drawing and Norwich losing.

However, those results still leave the play-offs as an attainable target, but one which would have been all the closer had another home game not ended with the away side taking home points.


Photo: Action Images



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