Nottingham Forest end goal famine against Watford but drop still looms | Jeremy Alexa

[admin]

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.22.4/879?ns=guardian&pageName=Nottingham+Forest+end+goal+famine+against+Watford+but+drop+still+looms+%7C%3AArticle%3A1702931&ch=Football&c3=Guardian&c4=Championship+2011-12+%28football%29%2CNottingham+Forest+%28Football+club%29%2CWatford+%28Football%29%2CChampionship+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&c5=Unclassified%2CNot+commercially+useful&c6=Jeremy+Alexander&c7=12-Feb-12&c8=1702931&c9=Article&c10=Feature%2CMatch+report&c11=Football&c13=&c25=Football+League+blog%2CSport+blog&c30=content&c51=MVT+group+&h2=GU%2FFootball%2Fblog%2FFootball+League+blog" width="1" height="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">Nottingham Forest finally had a goal to celebrate as they honoured their former chairman Nigel Doughty but Watford hit back and relegation remains a real threat</p><p>For a split-second Garath McCleary's 19th-minute goal for Nottingham Forest was greeted with silence. After seven matches, 649 minutes and 12 weeks without a home goal the City Ground had forgotten how to celebrate. A moment later the players, too, remembered the occasion. In their cluster of delight they looked to the skies. This one was for Nigel Doughty, their owner, who died, aged 54, the previous weekend.</p><p>Unfortunately Forest could not turn the lead into victory. Just before half-time Troy Deeney headed in Sean Murray's free-kick for Watford and, although Forest "had enough chances to have won two games", according to their manager, Steve Cotterill, they had to settle for ending a six-match losing home run. "We would like to have won the game for Nigel," Cotterill said. "It's been a tough week."</p><p>During the course of it a young couple from Nottingham won £45m on the lottery. Thanks to Doughty, a lifelong fan, Forest had been reaping the lottery since 1999, when they were facing administration and falling out of the Premier League. He saved them with £11m and in time became sole owner and benefactor to the tune of £75m, with undertakings to invest another £23m by the end of 2013-14.</p><p>Colleagues paid tribute in the programme to much more than his generosity, notably his humility, dignity and friendship. He was a friend of Forest who wanted neither thanks nor limelight, only a return to the Premier League. Instead they had three seasons in League One, the rest in the Championship, <a href="http://guardian.touch-line.com/?Lang=0&CTID=11&CPID=82" title="">where they lie 22nd</a>. The master of the hedge fund was less successful with his Forest fund.</p><p>Brian Clough had 18 years as manager, ending in relegation from the top tier. It is now as long again and, though Frank Clark took them straight back, they have had 14 managers in that time, nine of them before Cotterill was appointed by Doughty, who lived the European Cup dream before he knew it was beyond reason. Many were firefighters, Billy Davies more a fire raiser, wanting greater investment in players while taking Forest to the play-offs in the past two seasons. The last straw was Steve McClaren, who was meant to come with a sunshade but screwed up the wage structure to certain discontent and resigned in October after two wins in 10 league games. Cotterill has managed five in 19.</p><p>Doughty resigned as chairman at the same time, taking the blame and sadly not returning to watch. He had sometimes, thanks perhaps to fans basing expectation on the club's remarkable achievements under Clough, been referred to as Forest's "unpopular owner" but on Saturday he was remembered with nothing but warmth and gratitude. For a spell a few years ago everyone talked about handbags. Now it is handshakes. Here the minute's applause was thunderous in a worthy crescendo of hand-claps.</p><p>Forest were unrecognisable except in their chronic ineptitude in front of goal. Their back four comprised three debutants on loan and their captain, Luke Chambers, returning from a three-match suspension. Cotterill, far from boosting his strike force, reinforced an injury-hit defence in late January. Danny Higginbotham brought assurance from Stoke City, Scott Wootton steadiness from Manchester United and George Elokobi unpredictability from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Algerian Adlène Guedioura, another newcomer from Molineux, made a striking impression in midfield, showing vision and loosing off bullets which Watford repelled with breach-block defence in the mode of their manager, Sean Dyche.</p><p>Cotterill said you "cannot hang people for missing chances". Chris Gunter will be relieved. He missed four in the second half, closing from right midfield on to crosses from the left. Once he rapped the bar, which John Eustace answered in kind for Watford. There was bone in the ground to challenge balance but he knows what to expect in training before tomorrow's game at Middlesbrough. In added time Andy Reid, a late substitute, split Watford's defence but Robbie Findley ran the ball too far and Scott Loach gathered.</p><p>The Premier League looked light years away. League One is not much worse than the present but, for them, not much fun. Not only football, as the judge in the Redknapp case said, has "rather lost its way". But Forest had better keep looking up to remind themselves of their good fortune.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/championship-2011-12">Championship 2011-12</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/nottinghamforest">Nottingham Forest</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/watford">Watford</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/championship">Championship</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jeremyalexander">Jeremy Alexander</a></div><br/><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" />
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VnVUWXXJeb-vBqLjpsgAquuAXpg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VnVUWXXJeb-vBqLjpsgAquuAXpg/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VnVUWXXJeb-vBqLjpsgAquuAXpg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VnVUWXXJeb-vBqLjpsgAquuAXpg/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/theguardian/football/rss/~4/e6g6LoGFTP4" height="1" width="1"/>

More...