I.Saw's Match Report: Herded Rams See Honours End Even
Monday, 15th Sep 2014 13:23 by I.Saw

Sunday, early O' Clock, Manchester Piccadilly, Carluccio's cappuccino £1 a bargain, or maybe it's a special offer and they don't see many folk in Derby County tops in Lancashire.

Transpennine Express to Sheffield busier than a rush hour tube on account of the "Northern Pennine" route to York being closed for engineering works.

Sheffield Midland, waiting, engage with Forest Fans, we heed our parent’s advice and play nicely. 3-1 they reckon, I settle for the draw.

Train arrives to Kettering, presumably London's shut, at least to East Midland Trains. Plenty of room, opposite sits a veritable man mountain, more muscle than Mr Atlas, the overhead lights glisten on his naked head, a sequoia of a Tricky Tree with his girlfriend.

We play very nicely, very friendly couple, the old adage is true, never judge a book by its cover.

It's a good day, even pay the taxi when he went the long, long way round via the Broadmarsh to the Meadow Lane Club, nothing's going to spoil my day.

Inside, pre-match beer, good atmosphere, singing and chanting, positive moods abound. Go for my second and they're closing the bar. It's only twelve o'clock, there's no trouble whatsoever, speak to the manager nicely and ask why "Police Orders - they want everybody into the stadium early". "I'd rather be taking your money" he says. I counter I'd rather you be taking my money too.

We leave, a thin yellow fluorescent coated line forces us left towards the ground. We are herded like cattle.

We arrive, we queue to be searched, we cram into the concourse. It's rammed, truly, no chance of a drink or food. And in this age of Health & Safety banning confetti in pubs, banning street arts because too many people will stand on a pavement, isn't it about time somebody did a chuffing assessment on over 2,000 fans being forced through an area not fit for 200.

We give in, we take our seats, the first ones on our half of the West Bridgford Stand, back row, a line of stewards stands next to us "for our safety", there's fifty minutes before kick off.

My mood's blacker than the clouds over Bill's Mother's. Having been treated like an animal I feel I ought to revert to what's expected of me. I don't of course and the mood lifts.

The teams come out; Ryan Shotton starts at right back, John Eustace, Will Hughes and Craig Bryson in midfield, Simon Dawkins and Johnny Russell wide.

Forest kick off and both teams probe, the Trees more direct, in Britt Assombalonga they have strength and in Michail Antonio they have pace. In Stuart Peace's short time as boss they have bought well.

On ten minutes both sets of supporters applaud together, in memory of "Sir Brian" and then it's back to the usual banter, "We saw you Cry On TV" they chant, we respond "You Cried After One, You Cried After Two" etc all the way up to five. It was ever so thus, mind the Bobby Zamora masks made a change.

On the pitch, the game ebbs and flows, tackles fly in, players dive and the referee sorts it all out in a manner of his own choosing. Booking Eustace for clearly winning the ball, not booking Shotton for clearly taking the man and booking Andy Reid for attempting to upend Russell. I think that was the reason for that last one - although for being a whinging no longer fat boy is a good second guess.

Reid leaves the fray soon after anyway, joining Chris Cohen who had already departed.

Goalless at half time, the tension in the play evidenced by only one shot on target, Bryson a free kick that comfortably caressed Karl Darlow's midriff on the goal line.

Second half and the Rams stepped up the pace, we were looking the better team, before a wide boy stepped out of the Trent End and ambled his way towards us visiting supporters.

Eventually he reached us, decided not to join us, strolled over to his own fans, took his shirt off, threw it away, did a Savage like scarf waving act and then sauntered back. He was passed his shirt by Darlow and he walked the length of the pitch before disappearing back into the Trent End.

Incredibly he wasn't tackled by any of the plentiful stewards or the police who stood and watched. This in complete contrast to the Derby fan(s) who were pounced upon by four stewards, handcuffed and dragged over the advertising hoardings and away. Idiots the lot of them.

Play resumed, we took off Russell, Leon Best came on and Forest scored. Assombalonga in the penalty area given space to turn fired his shot into the corner of the net with Lee Grant a spectator. One nil to the Trees and at last we had a game of football.

With space appearing everywhere Antoinio well placed headed wide and some five minutes later Richard Keogh headed against the bar, the ball fell to Shotton who scrambled the ball into the back of the net with Best following through just to be sure. The equalizer.

Jake Buxton having quite rightly being earlier booked, tangled with Assombalonga, both players grabbing ample portions of each others shirts and the referee blew for the foul, but before the game had stopped Buxton upended another Forest player having won the ball in the challenge. With the Red Dog number nine waving imaginary cards (don't you just hate that) Jake departed and the Rams again "Only Had Ten Men".

We held out for the draw, honours even at least on the pitch. Coming out, in the toilets, we paddled, somebody had a ripped a sink off the wall, perhaps because we are all treated as animals, who knows.

Listening to the radio afterwards as we inched home in the traffic it was really good not to hear that whinging Billy Davies going on about how unlucky they were and how somebody had snubbed him or taken a photo in the wrong place.

Stuart Pearce may you long remain in charge at Forest!

We Said / They Said - Match Reaction:

We Said — Steve McClaren:

"It was totally absorbing. Not a classic in terms of football but for a local derby, that's never going to be with a lot at stake. Like I said at the beginning, you can't win unless you've got 11 players on the park.”

“Once we equalised, I thought we'd go on to win it. Then we dropped to 10 men - the players were heroic at the end for a good 12-15 minutes. We had to adjust with 10 men and showed great character. It's a big point for us."

They said — Stuart Pearce :

"I think a draw was a fair result as I didn't think we did enough to win it. I was a little disappointed with the quality of the football, from both teams really.”

"It was a scrappy derby, but the atmosphere before the game was outstanding, probably as good as I have ever known it in this stadium and that includes being a player.”

"I think the occasion maybe got to one or two. It was two points lost after being in front."

Match Info / Teams:

Ref: Paul Tierney

Crowd: 30,227 (1,947 Travelling Rams)

Goals: Assombalonga (Forest) 72’, Shotton (Derby) 80’.

Forest: Darlow, Hunt, Hobbs, Mancienne, Lichaj, Cohen (Tesche 15’), Lansbury, Reid (Osborn 43’ - Veldwijk 90 + 1), Antonio, Burke, Assombalonga. Other subs: De Vries (gk), Wilson, Fox, Paterson.

Rams: Grant, Shotton, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth, Eustace (Calero 76’), Hughes, Bryson (Ibe 76’), Dawkins, Russell (Best 69’), Martin. Other subs: Roos, Christie, Whitbread, Mascarell.