Clough’s cold Caul
NIGEL CLOUGH delivered a second hammer blow to the club he dreams of managing.
Clough turned his back on an offer to become Nottingham Forest boss in January as he wants to stay loyal to Burton and not leave “them in the lurch”.
And he followed that up by inspiring his relegation dog-fighters yesterday to plunge Forest deep into relegation trouble.
He will feel vindicated in his decision to stay and guide Burton’s relegation fight, thanks to Cauley Woodrow’s third goal since joining on loan from Fulham.
That helped Burton leapfrog Forest in the manic survival contest and push his former club to within two points of the bottom three.
Woodrow spotted a gap in Forest’s wall to squeeze his shot through and beat Forest keeper Jordan Smith, after Joe Worrall fouled Jackson Irvine on the edge of the box, to leave Clough punching the air.
“That’s why they call it a relegation scrap and all my players have their sleeves rolled up. You can have all the quality in the world, but if you are not prepared to fight, you’re in trouble,” said Clough.
“We could have been in the bottom three, had results been different, that is how tight it is.”
To add to Forest’s problems Britt Assombalonga could face disciplinary action after tweeting that he was left out “due to selection” – after the club had officially claimed he was injured.
Boss Gary Brazil insisted: “He has a problem with his glute and we decided it was best for him not to sit on the bench. That is the real version of events.”
Brazil added: “We did not show enough quality and now we have to show some character. The players have to believe in themselves.”
He thinks they have the perfect fixture to show that – against archenemies Derby next week end.