FOREST’S PLAY-OFF HOPES HIT FOR SIX

SABRI LAMOUCHI’S Nottingham Forest suffered an horrific meltdown – suffering a six-goal final-day swing to miss out on a play-off spot.

The former European champions had looked to be heading into the end-of-season shake-up with a stagger rather than a swagger after defender Tobias Figueiredo equalised Danny Batth’s opener just after the hour.

If the scores had remained level, the hosts would have grabbed sixth place from Swansea with a point to spare.

But Stoke struck twice inside three minutes to set nerves

a-jangling – with first James Mcclean and then Lee Gregory scoring identikit goals, poking home at the far post after good work by sub Josh Tymon on the left.

The Swans then realised Lamouchi’s worst fears by moving into overdrive against ten-man Reading.

The south Wales side reduced the arrears to the point where they would snatch the last slot by virtue of having scored more goals. As that realisation hit Lamouchi’s players, the Forest players piled forward in search of the strike that would tilt the mathematics back in their favour.

But the Potters remained strong and managed to kill off the game in the final few seconds.

Mcclean sprinted from inside his own half and Forest’s Joia Nuno da Costa could only hammer the ball past Jordan Smith and into his own net after the Irishman attempted to find a team-mate.

It sealed a wretched end to the campaign for Forest, who had occupied a space in the top six for the last 207 days.