Match Reports

05/05/2008 - Forest 3 Yeovil 2

It was a sentiment that Colin Calderwood was too noble to voice himself, but after a season in which his managerial credentials had been questioned as often as his side’s ability to secure promotion, this was a day of vindication at the City Ground.
Barely a month ago there had been a very different banner unfurled, reading simply ‘‘Calderwood out’’, after an awful run of results in March had left Forest nine points off the pace in the promotion race and the manager to face chants of  ‘‘You don’t know what you’re doing.”
But in the space of 90 nervous, anxiety-filled minutes, Nottingham Forest rounded off a remarkable run of form that had seen them win six of their final matches to not only force the most dramatic of final-day turnarounds, but also restore a large amount of faith among  their supporters.

Where Calderwood is concerned, belief has never been in short supply. But even he, in his most optimistic of moments, must have struggled to envisage the story that has unfolded in the past few weeks.

It’s finale was a performance that was just about sufficient to see off an honest Yeovil side who were determined that these last three, vital points, had to be earned through determination and hard work. But then, that has perhaps been the story of a season where Forest have just done enough to edge themselves over the finishing line.

As Calderwood has often said, it is not important what position your team hold in October, January or even April, all that counts is what position you finish in on the final day.

And, come the final whistle on Saturday, thanks in part to the heroics of Cheltenham at Whaddon Road, Forest  secured that all-important second place. Forest’s journey to promotion may not have been emphatic, but it was certainly dramatic.

There was a moment of empathy from Russell Slade, Yeovil’s Nottingham-born manager who had a spell in charge  at Notts County, swept up Calderwood in a bear-hug, seeming genuinely pleased for his opposite number.

While, once the players had emerged for a lap of honour, after initially retreating into the dressing room from a joyous pitch invasion, Calderwood was left to look-on alone, as his squad were swept up for a second time in a red and white sea of delighted supporters. It took a few seconds before a few straggling fans seemed to spot the manager on, before he  was surrounded by euphoric fans eager to pat him on the back, ruffle his hair or shake his hand.

It was a symbolic moment for a man who has struggled to win over the Forest faithful, who had been unimpressed by the club’s failure to sweep all opponents aside and charge to promotion. This success, however it may have been achieved, may finally be enough to win them over. But, while promotion will bring a few months of respite, by the time the new campaign kicks off, the expectation level and demands of fans will only have been refreshed by a summer of  anticipation.

For the past few months, few have dared to consider a future in the Championship, such had been the inconsistent nature of this team. It says everything that it took until April for Forest to string together more than two back-to-back victories. But they chose a fine time to find their form. In the end, you could not have scripted a more exciting finish to the season.

There was the court-room drama surrounding Leeds United and their quest to win back points, the unexpected collapse of not just one, but two teams in the form of Carlisle and Doncaster and there, above all else, was this remarkable surge from Calderwood’s side, capped off by a day of incredible tension.

It was poignant that Julian Bennett was to get things going with a  crunching  challenge to win the ball on the edge of the Yeovil area, before bending an emphatic finish  from 20 yards.

The full-back had penned a success story of his own this season. The arrival of Matt Lockwood from Leyton Orient  looked likely to confine Bennett to life on the fringes of the team. Instead, the Nottingham-born player not only made the left-back spot his own, but was the deserved winner of the player-of-the-year award, following a string of committed, swashbuckling performances. Before the cheers had died down from his 12th minute strike, Brett Ormerod intercepted a poor pass in the Yeovil defence and sent Kris Commons  clear.

It seems the winger is likely to join Derby on a free-transfer in the summer but, if this was to prove to be his final goal for Forest, it was a crucial one, as he scored confidently. Jaime Peters then  whipped-up a few nerves with a close range finish that made it 2-1.

But the local connection was continued as a third Nottingham-born player struck to edge Forest a step closer to the Championship, with Lewis McGugan bending an unstoppable free-kick beyond Steve Mildenhall from 25 yards.

Again Yeovil rallied, with substitute Andy Kirk inspiring a tense final 15 minutes with a precise header from a corner. But, as the news that Cheltenham had taken the lead for a second time against Doncaster was greeted as if Forest had scored again themselves, for the first time, the impossible seemed possible.

And, this time, Forest rarely looked like letting their opportunity slip. There remain some  question-marks, the most noteworthy of which is over how this young, vibrant squad Calderwood has assembled will cope with the increased demands of Championship football.

It also remains to be seen what the quality and quantity of the players brought in will be. But, as the banner said, there is a growing belief that Calderwood knows what he is doing,