Kight flying high as loan stars sparkle
MICHAEL KIGHTLY scored his third goal in three games as Burton moved four points clear of the relegation zone.
Kightly’s delightful lob from just outside the box proved decisive, with his strike coming minutes after Cameron Jerome had contentiously levelled for the Canaries, cancelling out Cauley Woodrow’s first-half opener.
And Burton boss Nigel Clough said of Kightly’s strike: “It was brilliant. I don’t think any other of our players would have scored that goal. It was a great ball from Cauley and to see the opportunity that the chip was on was as good as the finish.”
And he added: “That’s right up there with our best results this season, especially in the context of where we find ourselves in the league playing against a very good side.”
Woodrow made the breakthrough in the 25th minute, providing a simple finish after good work by fellow Fulham loanee Lasse Vigen Christensen.
The Danish midfielder chased down what looked like a lost cause when Tom Naylor hoisted a long ball up the wing and with only John Ruddy to beat, Christensen laid the ball into the path of Woodrow to net for the second home game in a row.
Jerome’s 51st-minute equaliser owed a lot to good fortune when he diverted Steven Whittaker’s wayward shot into the net with Burton adamant it was the striker’s outstretched arm that got the vital touch.
Then Kightly struck his third in three games for the Brewers since joining on transfer deadline day on loan from Burnley.
Woodrow sent Kightly on his way towards goal and an outstanding first touch from the winger took him past Russell Martin before he beat the advancing Ruddy with a superb 20-yard chipped effort.
Norwich boss Alex Neil said: “It’s hugely disappointing. We got into good areas at times but the final ball wasn’t good enough when we got it in there.
“When we scored we looked as if we were going to go on and win.
“We had the momentum and the fans were right behind us and everything was going well for us at that stage.
“We gave the ball away in a stupid area from our own throw-in and then didn’t defend well.”
This was Wednesday’s fifth consecutive win over Forest, who paid the price for missed chances as goals from Forestieri and Almen Abdi either side of half-time put the visitors into a 2-0 lead.
Ross McCormack had failed to net from the spot when the score was still 0-0 and – despite Ben Osborn pulling one back with half an hour still to play – the home side rarely threatened.
Rookie keeper Jordan Smith was handed his first Forest start and was tested within the opening three minutes when former Reds loanee Sam Hutchinson let fly from the edge of the box with a low shot that flew through a host of bodies.
Jamie Ward then hammered a shot against the bar for the hosts after a superb piece of control and an unselfish lay-off from teenage striker Ben Brereton.
Brereton himself had Keiren Westwood scrambling across his goal nervously as he hit an instant shot from 20 yards that found the side-netting. Forest should have taken the lead when Brereton threatened yet again, latching on to a through ball from McCormack, only for Westwood to bring the striker down in the box.
Referee Andy Madley pointed to the spot and showed a yellow card to the Wednesday man.
It was McCormack who stepped up to take the spot-kick – but saw Westwood dive to his left to save what was a weak shot.
That came in the 27th minute and 60 seconds later the visitors had taken the lead with a spectacular goal. When the ball bounced around on the edge of the box as Forest tried to clear, it was Abdi who reacted, sending a rasping volley into the corner of the net. Forest boss Gary Brazil felt hard done by. “The rules say that he should not be sent off now, so there is no point in moaning about it,” he said. “But it is critical moments in games that decide whether you take three points, so it