Match Report 2001-2002

Thursday 20 September, 2001, Division One

Nottingham Forest Away

Tired City lag behind at Forest

Jim Jefferies targeted nine point from the past three games, he emerged with four and a lesson about his team.

While Paul Hart's Nottingham Forest look sprightly and young Jefferies Bantams were old and tired. The gap, potential and at times obvious, in the quality in the teams was bridged by the youth on display at the City Ground. In terms of skill and in terms of effort there is not a team in the division to match City, but with the heart engaged the body only feels young.

Not that City should not have had something form the game. As with Monday night's draw with Wednesday City made the play but were unable to convert possession into clear cut chances. Ashley Ward had returned, but a lack of match fitness showed. With Andy Tod injured Jefferies had no option but to rush the striker back, something that shows a problem in City's wafer thin squad.

Indeed Jefferies may have wanted other changes, Gunnar Halle and Wayne Jacobs, forced into a lot of work by the 433 system that leaves significant areas in front of them unmanned and in need of extra energy to be expended to cover, were heavy limbed in comparison to the youth of Alan Prutton and Chris Bart Williams they faced.

Nevertheless City had chances, Benito Carbone once again inspirational in all things, but those chances went begging. Ashley Ward went close in on three separate occasions where his mobility in the box opened up chances that his sharpness could not convert.

In comparison Forest rarely threatened in the first half, a smartly chipped free kick aside, and would have gone into half time pleased to have the score at 0-0, which is what it looked very much like it would stay until the 75th minute when Forest youngster Jermaine Jenas was shown across the box rather than to the touch line by Jacobs, he cut inside and after a dribble finished past Gary Walsh. The trouble with our little Italian is that when his plays well it seems to encourage the opposition to try match his tricks. Every buggar wants to be Benito Carbone, Jenas was for a minute, the minute that decided the game.

City never looked like getting back on level terms after that. Forest stoutly defended and ended 1-0. City trudged off at the end heavy limbed, following Robert Molenaar who had exited two minutes early when a sprightly young Forest thing had run and beaten him and, to earn a second yellow card, the Dutchman had gone through and not round. Blame it on the tiredness, but that misses the point.

Style is the Premiership's domain. You can show your flair and have time to recover or you can work like dogs and recover despite your advancing years but the First Division is about picking up points in games like this at at the moment, and o9nly slightly, City are lagging behind.

Man of the Match

Gareth Whalley

Controlled the game well and has show great improvements in developing a combative style.

City Team:

Walsh
Halle Wetherall Molenaar Jacobs
Locke McCall Whalley
Jess
Ward Carbone

Subs: Blake for Halle, Makel for Whalley.