" Match report Forest v Cardiff 31 Dec 2011 "
Sun Jan 01, 2012 5:01 pm
Arrived at Nottingham railway station around 12:30 pm only to realise I had left my ticket back home. So I had 2 hours 30 minutes to get back home, pick up my ticket and get to the ground. I jumped on the train on the next platform as I heard the whistle blow for it to leave. So far so good and it got better as I arrived back home without being asked for my railcard ticket. That's right it had not been docked as I was on my way to Nottingham and I was not approached by a conductor as I made my way home. So officially I had not made that first trip there or the emergency one back but don't tell anyone. I finally returned to Nottingham with my match ticket at 1:30 pm, well impressed with myself I was.
I stopped off at the Notts County bar where they welcomed away fans for Forest games. I've got to give them a mention as it was a top place with top staff working there. I doubt any other place on our trips will beat them.
It was a bit of a walk to the ground, had to do a round circuit over the river to get there. I arrived at the ground well on time for KO which under the circumstances was a great achievement. Over a 1000 fans had made the effort and the thing that stood out for me was the amount of families there. Now to most that is normal but to guys like me who have been following Cardiff since the 70s and 80s well it still is an eye opener and will be for a long time. Some will say we have come a long way and some will reply how. As far as I am concerned there is the answer.
I had a bit of a buzz for this game as I learnt about the team line up while inside the Notts County bar. To hear Rudy starting with Miller up front meant a change of formation from the 4 5 1 to 4 4 2. Now Forest have been struggling and went into this game without scoring for 8 hours. So were we reverting to an attack mode and if so was it wise? It made for an interesting first period.
Marshall took to the goal again with Blake starting for the first time in a while partnering Hudson, Turner and Taylor in defence. In midfield we had the ever present Cowie and Whittingham with Mason surprising playing on the wing and Gunnarson also in midfield. Up front as already mentioned was Rudy with Miller. Malki has decided to go with a diamond midfield with Mason although expected on the wing had to also play the front man of the midfield. I personally felt this was a bit unbalanced but somehow felt comfortable with it.
From the start it was Forest who had all the play. Considering they are a team out of form this must have been a refreshing change for their fans. This showed as their fans made all the noise and the visiting fans were very quiet. The home side attacked the end where the away supporters had been placed and as a result saw most of the play in front of them.
The first real incident of the game came in the 3rd minutes when a pass from midfield hit Hudson head and the ball deflected nicely into the tracks of a Forest striker who raced onto the ball. With the play just outside the edge of the Cardiff area Marshall decided to rush out from his position in the hope of getting to the ball first. From where I stood he was always going to be second and his challenged resulted in him bringing down the pacey striker. The home fans wanted a red card but all Marshall got was a yellow which was the right decision. From the resulting free kick Cardiff cleared easily and this was going to be the way most of the game went.
Forest seemed well up for this as they enjoyed most of the possession in the first 15 minutes of the game. They controlled midfield which to me seemed to be a mistake in us changing our formation. All of Forests attacks seem to be coming down the Taylor side where they seemed to be given a lot of space. However each attack was easily handled by our 2 big central defenders be it a cross or close play. Also it must be mentioned that Whittingham help out quite a bit here.
Cardiff real first chance came after 8 minutes when Mason broke away and tried to force a pass to Cowie in the centre who looked in an ideal situation to score. Unfortunately the pass cut out but it was a relief to see the play up the other end.
Forest got the initiative back but each time they got near the Cardiff area their play was brought to a sudden half. During this time the nearest they got to scoring was from a weak shot just outside the area that trickled to Marshalls arms. It was out of desperation the shot was taken as each Forest attack just seemed to be going nowhere.
Cardiff relied on the break away and once again their next chance happened that way. From a cross Forest failed to clear and the ball fell to Rudy on the 18 yard line. He caught well with a half volley but his effort was blocked.
On the half hour mark after some consistent pressure from the home side Cardiff were awarded a free kick inside the home half. Whittingham sent one of his dangerous crosses into the home area where it was met by Tuner who could only head the ball wide.
For the rest of the half it was Forest who enjoyed most of the possession, especially down their right side, but just got nowhere near scoring. In fact Marshall did not have to make one serious save but just before half time his oppo was forced into making the save of the game, the only real save to be honest.
As the half went into its final minute Miller collected the ball half way inside the forest half. He managed to create some space for himself and from about 25 yards sent a powerful low shot to the Forest right goalpost. The ball was on its way into the net but the home keeper got down well to parry the ball away.
The half ended with no goals scored.
The second half started very much the as the first with Forest applying the pressure at the other end of the pitch. They won a concession of corners and were awarded a number of free kicks. However none of it came to fruition as the Cardiff defence just dealt with everything at ease.
After the first 10 minutes of denying the Forest attack Cardiff started to work their way up field. Penetrating runs from Mason and Rudy were starting to cause the Forest defence concerns. One move from the middle after a couple of tap on looked like Miller was through. With only the keeper to beat he poked the ball wide of the goal but he looked a relieved man when he noticed the lineswoman flag was up for offside. That did not stop me calling him everything from under the sun.
The next move however my faith in him was restored. Rudy working hard in the Forest half won a ball that somehow found its way to Whittingham. The midfielder from 35 yards out sent a quality cross into the Forest area where he picked out Miller. The forward although closely marked managed to get in front of his marker and head the ball towards goal. Where I stood I had the perfect view and as soon as the ball left Millers head it was in the back of the net but that did not stop me helping it on its way by sucking it in.
From the restart Forest looked for a quick equaliser and nearly got it. They tried desperately by pumping the Cardiff area but their efforts were easily repelled. However one clearance fell to their top man McGugan who has been a thorn in the side of Cardiff over the last couple of seasons. From 25 yards he tried his luck and knowing what he can do as soon a she made good contact we all thought they had got their goal at last. From distance us away fans watched as Marshall dived but when we saw the ball go pass him it was a relief when we saw the home fans moved out of their seat. They did not move to celebrate but get out of the way of the thunderbolt that was coming. I turned my back on the game and took a deep breath and felt comforted as I watch everyone else take the same breath. Any more of that I we were in for a frightening time we all felt.
Strangely after that Forest got no where near scoring and although they had most of the possession it was the way side that went close to scoring. In this period of the game Rudy won the man of the match award. One moment he was helping the defence out, next he was winning 50/50s in the forest half then next he was breaking into the Forest area creating his own chances.
One move Rudy picked up the ball just outside the forest area and looked like he was through as he beat 2 tacked. With his gangly legs we looked like he was going to slide the ball pass the Forest keeper but unfortunately a desperate last gasp tackle prevented him doing that.
The next move however showed what Rudy was all about. From the left side Taylor sent a quality cross towards the back post. From the 6 yard line a Forest defender looked favourite to win the header with Rudy well off the play. However the Frenchman ate up the ground and his determination was a pleasure to watch for us away support. He won the header with aggression but headed it inches wide.
As the game approached its climax it was all Forest pressure but Marshall was not tested. Their last chance though caused a bit of concern for the away contingent. With the game deep into injury time Forest won a corner. This was half cleared as the ball fell to a Forest foot on the 18 yard line. The return was well blocked but the ball fell to that guy McGugan. Oh dear we all thought as he lined up his shot. We all gave out the biggest cheer when we sent his shot well well wide.
From the goal kick the referee brought the game to an end and it was going to be a great end to the year.
Summing up: Although in the relegation places Forest are not a bad side. I personally can not see them going down once they have sorted their problems out. So with this in mind it makes this win more of an achievement. Yes we were under pressure a lot but we were the ones that looked like scoring. We have a team that can scrap a win from nothing, not had that for a long time have we?
I stopped off at the Notts County bar where they welcomed away fans for Forest games. I've got to give them a mention as it was a top place with top staff working there. I doubt any other place on our trips will beat them.
It was a bit of a walk to the ground, had to do a round circuit over the river to get there. I arrived at the ground well on time for KO which under the circumstances was a great achievement. Over a 1000 fans had made the effort and the thing that stood out for me was the amount of families there. Now to most that is normal but to guys like me who have been following Cardiff since the 70s and 80s well it still is an eye opener and will be for a long time. Some will say we have come a long way and some will reply how. As far as I am concerned there is the answer.
I had a bit of a buzz for this game as I learnt about the team line up while inside the Notts County bar. To hear Rudy starting with Miller up front meant a change of formation from the 4 5 1 to 4 4 2. Now Forest have been struggling and went into this game without scoring for 8 hours. So were we reverting to an attack mode and if so was it wise? It made for an interesting first period.
Marshall took to the goal again with Blake starting for the first time in a while partnering Hudson, Turner and Taylor in defence. In midfield we had the ever present Cowie and Whittingham with Mason surprising playing on the wing and Gunnarson also in midfield. Up front as already mentioned was Rudy with Miller. Malki has decided to go with a diamond midfield with Mason although expected on the wing had to also play the front man of the midfield. I personally felt this was a bit unbalanced but somehow felt comfortable with it.
From the start it was Forest who had all the play. Considering they are a team out of form this must have been a refreshing change for their fans. This showed as their fans made all the noise and the visiting fans were very quiet. The home side attacked the end where the away supporters had been placed and as a result saw most of the play in front of them.
The first real incident of the game came in the 3rd minutes when a pass from midfield hit Hudson head and the ball deflected nicely into the tracks of a Forest striker who raced onto the ball. With the play just outside the edge of the Cardiff area Marshall decided to rush out from his position in the hope of getting to the ball first. From where I stood he was always going to be second and his challenged resulted in him bringing down the pacey striker. The home fans wanted a red card but all Marshall got was a yellow which was the right decision. From the resulting free kick Cardiff cleared easily and this was going to be the way most of the game went.
Forest seemed well up for this as they enjoyed most of the possession in the first 15 minutes of the game. They controlled midfield which to me seemed to be a mistake in us changing our formation. All of Forests attacks seem to be coming down the Taylor side where they seemed to be given a lot of space. However each attack was easily handled by our 2 big central defenders be it a cross or close play. Also it must be mentioned that Whittingham help out quite a bit here.
Cardiff real first chance came after 8 minutes when Mason broke away and tried to force a pass to Cowie in the centre who looked in an ideal situation to score. Unfortunately the pass cut out but it was a relief to see the play up the other end.
Forest got the initiative back but each time they got near the Cardiff area their play was brought to a sudden half. During this time the nearest they got to scoring was from a weak shot just outside the area that trickled to Marshalls arms. It was out of desperation the shot was taken as each Forest attack just seemed to be going nowhere.
Cardiff relied on the break away and once again their next chance happened that way. From a cross Forest failed to clear and the ball fell to Rudy on the 18 yard line. He caught well with a half volley but his effort was blocked.
On the half hour mark after some consistent pressure from the home side Cardiff were awarded a free kick inside the home half. Whittingham sent one of his dangerous crosses into the home area where it was met by Tuner who could only head the ball wide.
For the rest of the half it was Forest who enjoyed most of the possession, especially down their right side, but just got nowhere near scoring. In fact Marshall did not have to make one serious save but just before half time his oppo was forced into making the save of the game, the only real save to be honest.
As the half went into its final minute Miller collected the ball half way inside the forest half. He managed to create some space for himself and from about 25 yards sent a powerful low shot to the Forest right goalpost. The ball was on its way into the net but the home keeper got down well to parry the ball away.
The half ended with no goals scored.
The second half started very much the as the first with Forest applying the pressure at the other end of the pitch. They won a concession of corners and were awarded a number of free kicks. However none of it came to fruition as the Cardiff defence just dealt with everything at ease.
After the first 10 minutes of denying the Forest attack Cardiff started to work their way up field. Penetrating runs from Mason and Rudy were starting to cause the Forest defence concerns. One move from the middle after a couple of tap on looked like Miller was through. With only the keeper to beat he poked the ball wide of the goal but he looked a relieved man when he noticed the lineswoman flag was up for offside. That did not stop me calling him everything from under the sun.
The next move however my faith in him was restored. Rudy working hard in the Forest half won a ball that somehow found its way to Whittingham. The midfielder from 35 yards out sent a quality cross into the Forest area where he picked out Miller. The forward although closely marked managed to get in front of his marker and head the ball towards goal. Where I stood I had the perfect view and as soon as the ball left Millers head it was in the back of the net but that did not stop me helping it on its way by sucking it in.
From the restart Forest looked for a quick equaliser and nearly got it. They tried desperately by pumping the Cardiff area but their efforts were easily repelled. However one clearance fell to their top man McGugan who has been a thorn in the side of Cardiff over the last couple of seasons. From 25 yards he tried his luck and knowing what he can do as soon a she made good contact we all thought they had got their goal at last. From distance us away fans watched as Marshall dived but when we saw the ball go pass him it was a relief when we saw the home fans moved out of their seat. They did not move to celebrate but get out of the way of the thunderbolt that was coming. I turned my back on the game and took a deep breath and felt comforted as I watch everyone else take the same breath. Any more of that I we were in for a frightening time we all felt.
Strangely after that Forest got no where near scoring and although they had most of the possession it was the way side that went close to scoring. In this period of the game Rudy won the man of the match award. One moment he was helping the defence out, next he was winning 50/50s in the forest half then next he was breaking into the Forest area creating his own chances.
One move Rudy picked up the ball just outside the forest area and looked like he was through as he beat 2 tacked. With his gangly legs we looked like he was going to slide the ball pass the Forest keeper but unfortunately a desperate last gasp tackle prevented him doing that.
The next move however showed what Rudy was all about. From the left side Taylor sent a quality cross towards the back post. From the 6 yard line a Forest defender looked favourite to win the header with Rudy well off the play. However the Frenchman ate up the ground and his determination was a pleasure to watch for us away support. He won the header with aggression but headed it inches wide.
As the game approached its climax it was all Forest pressure but Marshall was not tested. Their last chance though caused a bit of concern for the away contingent. With the game deep into injury time Forest won a corner. This was half cleared as the ball fell to a Forest foot on the 18 yard line. The return was well blocked but the ball fell to that guy McGugan. Oh dear we all thought as he lined up his shot. We all gave out the biggest cheer when we sent his shot well well wide.
From the goal kick the referee brought the game to an end and it was going to be a great end to the year.
Summing up: Although in the relegation places Forest are not a bad side. I personally can not see them going down once they have sorted their problems out. So with this in mind it makes this win more of an achievement. Yes we were under pressure a lot but we were the ones that looked like scoring. We have a team that can scrap a win from nothing, not had that for a long time have we?
Re: " Match report Forest v Cardiff 31 Dec 2011 "
Sun Jan 01, 2012 5:34 pm
Cheers Ian, great report once again, see you in the Ninian tomorrow. 
Re: " Match report Forest v Cardiff 31 Dec 2011 "
Sun Jan 01, 2012 6:27 pm
Thanks another great match report.
Re: " Match report Forest v Cardiff 31 Dec 2011 "
Sun Jan 01, 2012 6:58 pm
A good read as always Ian
Re: " Match report Forest v Cardiff 31 Dec 2011 "
Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:24 pm
Who needs media reports, we have you... cheers...
Re: " Match report Forest v Cardiff 31 Dec 2011 "
Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:32 pm
Tops !!! For those of us that did not go