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The week that saw us lose the cup tie at Watford and follow it up with defeats at Sheffield United and Walsall must have been one of the worst weeks for some time, three defeats and three performances that were, if we are being kind, appalling. Things got worse and culminated in throwing one in big style against Watford in the most farcical of ways.
Since then there have been a couple of home wins but more defeats away from home but today’s defeat at Forest, as was the case last week at Portsmouth, was light years away from those in that most miserable of weeks.
The defeat in effect means nothing, we can neither go up nor down, and those Burnley fans today were looking for some positives to start taking into the summer break. We lost it 2-0 but most left the City Ground more upbeat than anyone could have imagined after a performance that could quite easily have upset Forest’s play off hopes.
There is no doubt that we could have gone in at half time in front but failed to take the chances that came our way. The first of them fell to youngster Richard Chaplow who was enjoying his first start in the first team.
To say it fell to him is unfair, it came of all his own making as he turned England hopeful Michael Dawson with a superb piece of skill but then with just goalkeeper Darren Ward he put his shot from the edge of the area just wide of the keeper’s left hand post.
He will probably know he should have hit the target but he will surely get more chances to open his account.
In what was a fairly even first half the better chances did fall to the Clarets and Ian Moore should have done better when he hit the bar and then Gareth Taylor was unlucky with a header at the back post.
Matt O’Neill, this time on as a substitute, almost worked the oracle again with one of his trademark long throws but Forest were able to scramble it away.
It wasn’t all Burnley by any means but we were handling the pacy Forest attack well and that despite the fact that we lost Driss Diallo to injury during that first half with Arthur moving into the middle to partner Graham Branch.
A 0-0 half time scoreline was the least we deserved, and from a Burnley line up that would have been impossible to predict just a short time ago.
Forest are a good side although to be fair not exceptional. But what they do have is two strikers who don’t seem to be able to stop scoring goals, two strikers who both have incredible pace.
The home side came at us a bit more in the second half and there was a worrying spell when Andy Reid was getting too much space down our right hand side but we sorted that. More importantly these two strikers David Johnson and Marlon Harewood were getting nothing out of Branchy and Arthur both of who were in outstanding form.
We weren’t able to create just as much in the second half but we looked comfortable and you sensed that Forest were running out of ideas. Bu this time they were knocking balls into Johnson’s feet with his back to goal and in those situations he is not the most dangerous striker to deal with.
We got to within fifteen minutes of earning ourselves a first away point since Millwall in early March but again shot ourselves in the foot by gifting Forest a goal. We had just dealt easily with a Forest attack but Steve Davis gave the ball away with a poor clearance that fell to central defender Dawson some 30 yards or more from goal.
Dawson hit a shot from that distance that should not have given Nik Michopoulos any problems whatsoever but inexplicably he allowed it to squirm from his grasp and into the bottom corner.
It was nearly 2-0 within a minute but Jack Lester shot wide when he should have done better but that looked about it from Forest. Not once though did we trouble them and an equaliser was never on the cards.
The second, and another bad mistake by the Clarets’ keeper, came in stoppage time and from our former loan player David Johnson. He had no problem after Nik had made a hash of a kick out straight to Eugen Bopp who quickly put Johnson clear.
With news of an Ipswich defeat it was party time at the City Ground and time for us to make yet another quick exit on the final whistle.
Another defeat yes but the positives were there. The two central defenders were outstanding and I wouldn’t argue with either of them as man of the match. My choice is Arthur who had his best game for some time.
There was also a case for the award to go to Richard Chaplow who had an outstanding full debut, played the full 90 minutes, and apart from the chance made very few mistakes. Matt O’Neill on as a sub before half time is growing in confidence and this for me was his best performance yet.
I said on Saturday and am more than happy to repeat that these two have given everyone a lift, they have taken their opportunities well in the last two to three weeks and have made excellent starts to their first team careers. Both could have scored today, O’Neill had a second half shot blocked, and both would have deserved it.
We do though still have a goalkeeping problem. Nik looked confident today but did in the end play a major part in both goals. It was also sad to see Steve Davis struggling and he gave the ball away on countless occasions.
Everything is certainly not rosy in our garden right now, it is another defeat and we have now picked up only 23 points from the last 22 games and that tells a sorry story. But, despite the fact that half the squad are either injured or missing, things are a lot better than they were a few weeks ago and the ovation the players received at the end was more than justified.
It is fair to say that the discussions on the coach journey home were all about the positives rather than the negatives – and that says much about our performance at a ground where we haven’t picked up a single point since a draw in 1969 and a ground where it is almost 40 years since we last won.
The teams were,
Nottingham Forest: Darren Ward, Matthieu Louis-Jean (Des Walker 45), Michael Dawson, John Thompson, Jim Brennan, Gareth Williams (Eugen Bopp 8), Riccardo Scimeca, Eoin Jess (Jack Lester 70), Andy Reid, David Johnson, Marlon Harewood. Subs not used: Barry Roche, Chris Doig.
Burnley: Nik Michopoulos, Mark McGregor, Driss Diallo (Gordon Armstrong 19, Mark Rasmussen 81), Graham Branch, Arthur Gnohere, Ian Moore, Robbie Blake, Steve Davis, Richard Chaplow, Dimitri Papadopoulos (Matt O’Neill 38), Gareth Taylor. Subs not used: Andrew Leeson, Andrew Waine.
Referee: Tony Bates (Stoke-on-Trent).