Saints got back into the groove away from home.

There are two min facts that need to be noted before we look at this game, the first is that this was a good Saints performance but the second is a cautionary note that Nottingham Forest were a very poor side.

Having acknowledged that they were a poor side we can look at the facts of the matter, Forest didnt play badly, they were just not good enough in all departments, they didnt lay down and die at any time during the game, they kept going right to the final whistle, because if they hadny of Saints would have hit six and in the final minutes almost did.

But you can only play what in front of you and from that point of view it was a great Saints victory, the team still lacked a bit of shape and seemed for most of the game to not have a right midfielder but Dan Harding pushing forward into the space and from this it should be noted that although this worked against Forest I would not like to see it being tried against a better side, but horses for courses it worked for this game.

In truth from the opening minutes Saints looked comfortable in a way that they havent done away from home in a long time, they dealt with the Forest attacks easily and you sensed as the game went on they would grow in confidence and get back their passing game, the key was always going to be getting the first goal, and do that they did.

From then on it was a case of making sure that we made no errors ourselves, Steve Cotterill will claim the game turned on the sending off shortly after the break, after seeing in again on TV I have to say I thionk it was a sending off, I agree he didnt swing an elbow, but he lead with his arm and thats risky, if you catch a player then its a red card for dangerous play end of story, yes another ref might only have given yellow, but they would be wrong and this ref was right, too many players and managers dont seem to understand the rules of the game, if you have your arms flying around, if the ball hits them its handball and if you catch someone else its dangerous play, just because he didnt do it with intent doesnt mean it wasnt dangerous.

But I dont think this would have altered the course of the game even if he hadnt been send off, in truth it actually buoyed up Forest a little and if anything kept them going a lot longer on adrenalin than they would have been if they had kept 10 men.

Shortly after the hour the home side were dead and buried when Connolly reacted quickly to a cross touched on by Scheiderlin that really was going nowhere until Connolly showed why he is such a clever and quick thinking player, Schneiderlin's long range goal should really have been stopped by the keeper.

From then on it was only a case of how many and only a couple of appalling air shots from Hooiveld and Martin, especially Martin lol aligned with several fine saves from the Forest keeper meant that the score stayed respectful for Forest, made all the more satisfying when we see how many first choice players were out, I would say Fonte, Richardson, Lambert & Chaplow would have all started if they had been fit.

Two special mentions, firstly Dean Hammond, he played a captains game and kept himself and the team going throughout and secondly Lee Holmes, there has been rumour of Holmes leaving, I feel Saints would be foolish to let him go, he showed in this cameo that the game is all about end product, he might not have the speed of De Ridder, but he knows how to get in position, control a ball and use it with only the best save of the match denying him a goal.

A good win, but we need to be cautious this was against the side with the poorest home record, it was a step in the right direction though and that cant be stressed enough, it is something to build on and confidence building for the two important home games to come, win them both and we will have taken gigantic steps towards the Premiership.

Photo: Action Images

rjh added 12:10 - Jan 15 Key moment for me was JH's block from Harewood at 0-0. On the way to the game I was listening to a programme on Five Live where Spurs were being discussed. They made the point that good teams have an eleven which picks itself week in week out. I don't reckon we quite have that yet?? Good win though and an enjoyable day out.
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geezershoong added 13:30 - Jan 15 No mention of Jack Cork? MOM.
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SaintNick added 14:44 - Jan 15 Cork played well, personally my mom were Hammond & Fox, the football league paper today agreed with me and gave both 8 out of 10
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CovSaint added 15:26 - Jan 15 Listening to a commentary of the game yesterday, it seemed like 'end to end' stuff for the first twenty minutes or so, and could have gone either way. The sending off was obviously crucial in some respects, but it was good for us that the game played out almost 'in reverse' to the Brighton game at the AMEX a fortnight ago. Just good to see us win away convincingly, with key players still out. As you say Nick, we can only play what's put before us and Dan Harding had another good game, particularly the ball into the box for the 2nd goal.

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CovSaint added 15:32 - Jan 15 ... Also, another lacklustre and disjointed performance from Leicester City yesterday, indicates that they are hopefully there for the taking a week on Monday at St Mary's... COYR!
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legod7 added 16:48 - Jan 15 Nick, MOM in my paper was Jack Cork 9/10
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DJI added 18:58 - Jan 15 Even Cotterill admitted after the game that with 11 men, his team were being outplayed, so the sending off didn't swing the game hugely in our favour. I watched this live on video stream and thought we started to look back to our best again. Good passing, plenty of movement and taking chances from outside the box. Regardless of whether Forrest are good or not, this was a good performance from Saints and one that will restore any confidence-loss they might have been suffering. I also agree with you Nick about Lee Holmes. I have always liked this lad from day one. As you say, he may not have the pace of De Ridder but he can cross a ball better than most in this Club. He always works hard and I would have been made up for him had his shot beat the keeper yesterday. I hope Nigel decides to keep him here and use him more. His crossing ability is the kind of service Tadanari will feed off all day, every day from what I've seen of him. I too thought Nigel got the team right yesterday with Cork wide and Morgan in the middle. Morgans' ability to break up play and his range of passing always seems to give us the push forward to attack. As for Harding at right-back; that's 3 games he's played there and three games we've won! I'm not suggesting he should stay there but let's not forget his record when he does get asked to!

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Jackflash1975 added 19:00 - Jan 15 Good overall performance without the usual key players. Maybe its time to play them a bit more than they have been this season? As i have said and others at SMS... SHOOT !!! The stats of 17 taken and 10 on target shows what we can do. Yes its against 10 men but still this should be taken onto the next game as confidence can only grow from here. 61 percent for possession was again good (against 10 men) but this is one of our strengths that has not been forsaken during the blip we had and which all teams go through. COYR.

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Jackflash1975 added 19:01 - Jan 15 Good overall performance without the usual key players. Maybe its time to play them a bit more than they have been this season? As i have said and others at SMS... SHOOT !!! The stats of 17 taken and 10 on target shows what we can do. Yes its against 10 men but still this should be taken onto the next game as confidence can only grow from here. 61 percent for possession was again good (against 10 men) but this is one of our strengths that has not been forsaken during the blip we had and which all teams go through. COYR.

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davepid added 19:11 - Jan 15 Good to see a decisive performance from us. I agree wholeheartedly withthe comments on Holmes: he always gives his best when played. Felt sorry for Notts Forest, a club with a history to respect. Seems down on its uppers currently,not much atmosphere in the ground. And can any one explain their strange choice of team anthem - Mull of Kintyre .
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A1079 added 21:33 - Jan 15 Even before we scored I felt that there was a renewed attitude and dynamicism within the team. There seemed to be a determination and togetherness that I had not seen on too many away trips (I have not been to a home game this year so only have away performances to judge upon). Forest actually had a couple of cast iron opportunities but even if they had taken one of them I felt the spirit and the movement etc would have allowed us to have handled it. The support was brilliant from the fans. The red card clearly helped our cause but I believe we would have won even if that had not happened and rarely do I feel that away from home. I think one disappointment about the sending off incident is the way our players surrounded and Kelvin sprinted from his line. I know most players do it, but I wish we didn't. Forest were poor, but you still have to have the right attitude. Good to see some young players coming through and challenging. Similarly to davepid, does anyone know why they play Mull O'Kintyre? I have to say, Forest and the ground seemed a shadow of its former self, but it is one of the most pleasant away trips and places to visit. Hope this is a turning point for another run, but equally we will face tougher games and should not get over-confident.

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simmo400 added 06:23 - Jan 16 Was a good win against a poor team. Jos made the block of the match and also an excellent (yellow card) block to prevent Tudguy breaking through. Excellent defending that. Took one for the team lol. Agree with all Lee Holmes comments. Desesves more chance after a long battle with injury.
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ThereIn76 added 08:27 - Jan 16 Mull of Kintyre was the biggest selling record the season Forest won the title. A reminder of happier times for those old enough to remember.
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SaintNick50 added 09:30 - Jan 16 The answer to the burning question 'Mull of Kintyre':- The song was adopted soon after release by fans of several popular football clubs in the United Kingdom and is still played before and sung during games, most notably since the 1970s by fans of Nottingham Forest F.C.; the song's lyrics were adapted for the now firmly established crowd favourite 'City Ground'. The adapted lyrics read: "City Ground, Oh mist rolling in from the Trent, my desire, is always to be here, oh City Ground". As for the game no negatives, yes Forest were poor but we have lost to Bristol City and Doncaster. No goals conceeded, Jos great but what about a word or two for Aaron Martin, he has been a superb replacement for Jose in fact will Jose get back into the team (not as good as last year)? Three different goal scorers. Was Guly injured or was it just cramp? The midfield were great total domination. Spiderman MOTM. With regards shooting from distance, most of our shots were on target which stating the obvious is a must. How many times do we see shots blasted over into row ZZ a total waste it is much better to have a softer shot but on target more chance of a rebound opportunity, or a corner. Hooters for my pre-match drink - a perfect day out!

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SaintNick added 09:59 - Jan 16 A couple of points from above, firstly agree that Hooivelds block was vital, however his booking incident highlights why we have conceded too many goals on the road, he got caught out and had to foul the man Secondly I have never heard mull of kintyre sung at any ground apart from Charlton, certainly on many visits to orest i cant recall it apart from perhaps the odd rendition from the trent end, but not as an anthemic pre match song

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ericofarabia added 10:15 - Jan 16 I thought we were pretty poor 1st half, giving away posession far too cheaply with poor passing or control. Guly was pretty lightweight, too easily knocked off the ball but scored hey ho!! MY MoM has to be Jos, refused to be bullied by Harewood, the block was awesome and should have scored a couple at the end. The look of sheer delight at the end as he was applauding the away support shows just how much he is enjoying being on the bus. It was nice to see Holmes joining in as well, he could still be an important squad member. he did well when he came on, and his attitude is to be commended - he could well have down a Puncheon and sulked. Lala showed some great touches and turns, getting baack to his best again. Forest were woeful, it could have been 6 the way we were pulling them apart with our passing which 2nd half was so much better. Shooting from the edge of the box and corner taking needs to be high on the agenda in training this week. Any team that seems to shoot against us seems to hit the back of the net with screamers - we wasted at least 4 free shots. great day out, as mentioned elsewhere support could have been better considering numbers, but at times the game was lie a training match so there wasn;t much to spark up an atmosphere. Top of the league and having a larf still.

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stmichael added 10:20 - Jan 16 I have to hold my hands up and say I thought we would lose. I put that on record on this site on Friday. The boys proved me wrong and I could not be more happy with that. The confidence seems to have returned and the Coventry cup game is where it all started. I personally think DC might be about to make the same impact he made at the end of last season. If he stays fit his goals and link up play will get us promoted. Pleased for Lee Holmes - amazed he has not made more appearances this season.

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eusebio added 13:32 - Jan 16 "however his booking incident highlights why we have conceded too many goals on the road, he got caught out and had to foul the man " Why doesn't the same thing happen at home?
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tiptop added 13:32 - Jan 16 So Nick how do you feel about Harding at left back? I didnt see that coming but it sounds like he did a god job. He would prob be ahead of Danny Butterfield at this stage for a left back slot judging by how much NA likes his energy..Can't see him holding off Frazier but the two of them could now be the option on the right you were suggesting
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