SURRIDGE DELIVERS BLOW
PETERBOROUGH’S one-season stay in the Championship was ended by Sam Surridge’s first-half header.
It certainly did not help their cause that they had to face Steve Cooper’s promotion-chasing Forest side.
Grant McCann, who was shown the door by new Hull City owners Acun Medya in January, has transformed Peterborough’s form in his 12 Championship games so far but said: “It’s a sad day for everyone connected to the football club.
“People work tirelessly behind the scenes and fans pay their hard-earned money every single week, home and away, but we just haven’t been able to deliver.
“I can’t thank the players enough for the attitude, effort and determination they have put into the 12 games since I’ve been here. We saw that again today when we went toe-to-toe to probably the best team in the division at the current moment, but a loss of concentration cost us for the goal.”
It took the visitors most of the first half of this encounter to get going.
In fact it was the hosts, who had to win and hope fourth-bottom Reading lost to stave off any realistic chance of relegation, who looked the more lively in the opening exchanges.
Brice Samba was called into action after just nine minutes. The Forest keeper had to be alert to keep out a Ricky-Jade Jones effort after the youngster spun away from his marker.
Yet, as all good teams are, Forest were ruthless when they were finally presented with a decent opportunity.
Right on the stroke of half-time, Philip Zinckernagel caught Josh Knight in possession on the halfway line.
With men committed forward, the Forest counterattack was on.
The Switzerland international drove forward and exchanged passes with Brennan Johnson.
Then Johnson’s first-time cross from the left of the penalty area found Surridge at the far post, and the striker guided his header back across Dai Cornell into the far corner of the net.
It was a deflating moment for the luckless hosts but certainly not for the 3,600 travelling Reds supporters. Forest, who are up to fourth in the table, largely controlled the second half but they blew the chance to double their lead when substitute Lewis Grabban blasted a late sitter over the bar.
Cooper had some sympathy for his counterpart McCann after the game. He said: “Fair play to Peterborough. They have some good young players and really put up a fight today.
“It’s easy to say now but I’ve got a lot of respect for Grant and he knows that as we spoke even before he came here.”
PETERBOROUGH: Cornell 7; Knight 6, Edwards 7, Kent 6, Burrows 7; Taylor 6, Fuchs 6 (Randall (66th) 5); Poku 7, Szmodics 6, Jones 7 (Marriott (46th) 6); Clarke-Harris 7
NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Samba 7; Worrall 7, Figueiredo 7, McKenna 7; Spence 6, Yates 6, Garner 7, Colback 6; Zinckernagel 7 ( Lolley (61st) 6); Johnson 7, Surridge 7 (Grabban (73rd) 6 (Cafu 89th))
STAR MAN: Philip Zinckernagel
REF: M Salisbury