Just rewards for Forest as Garner gets off mark in home win
MCKENNA AND WORRALL ON SONG AGAIN AT BACK FOR REDS
THE fist pump was back. Not quite a triple one – it wasn’t that kind of game (or the best kind of weather conditions) – but it was there nonetheless.
In pouring rain, Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper saluted a crowd of more than 28,000, marking what felt like an important victory.
It hadn’t been particularly pretty in the first half especially - and was generally more solid than spectacular.
But after three successive draws, claiming three points was just what the Reds needed. And with a clean sheet, too.
Forest have become tough to beat under Cooper; that much has been evident for some time, given they have still only lost once since he took charge.
The defence was excellent, again, as Peterborough United were toppled 2-0. Scott Mckenna and Joe Worrall are as formidable a centreback partnership as you’ll find in the Championship.
But while the Reds have been keeping opponents at bay in recent weeks - with this their third successive shut-out – they have found it tougher to get over the line at the opposite end of the pitch.
Since the last international break, particularly, goals have been harder to come by. That has led to a few too many stalemates, which players and staff were keen to start turning into more wins.
James Garner and Ryan Yates got on the scoresheet to ensure Forest did just that at the City Ground, in front of their biggest crowd of the season so far.
Cooper insisted that strong words were not needed in the dressing room at half-time - and besides, that’s not really his style.
But whatever was said, certainly worked.
The players, he acknowledged, knew they needed to do better. They didn’t need telling.
That is a key component of the Welshman’s philosophy - placing emphasis on the team taking responsibility, just as is the case on the pitch, and listening to the players’ views.
He puts a lot of thought into what goes on at the interval, too.
“Half-time, you have to have a strategy to it,” Cooper recently said. “There’s a lot gone on around football now on what a half-time can look like.
“We did a lot of work on that at the FA, for example, putting a real structure to what it could look like.
“They can’t look the same all the time, because the games are always different, but you have to think about how you react to different moments.
“It’s an opportunity to do whatever is needed.”
Making tactical tweaks is key. And that’s a side of the game the Reds manager enjoys.
His side were flat in the first half. They had looked sharp in the opening few minutes, but then faded badly. From an attacking perspective, they lacked cohesion as passes went astray and link-up play didn’t quite hit the mark.
In the second half, they were completely different. Much better. They showed a real intent to win the game. And they got their just rewards in the end.
There’s still a lot of room for improvement but getting a positive result when not entirely at their best is a good sign.
■■Off the mark
That was Garner’s first goal of the campaign and you suspect it will do him the world of good.
The Manchester United loanee has started to find his form again in recent weeks. He’s looked like the James Garner of last term.
He was asked to play a different role against Posh, taking up the number 10 spot in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
It took a while for that to really
work. In the first 45 minutes, Garner couldn’t quite make an impact there.
He was fairly quiet - although wasn’t the only one to whom that applied.
In the second half, though, he was much more involved.
He’s shown he can hit the ball from distance before. But on this occasion, he made sure he was in the right place at the right time to finish a nice Forest move from closerange.
Cooper had challenged Garner to get in the six-yard box more.
It paid off, as he swept in a Brennan Johnson cross which Lewis Grabban had back-heeled towards him.
The midfielder then capped off his day by floating in the corner from which Yates made sure of the result.
He posted on Instagram: “That felt good!! 3pts 1 goal 1 assist let’s gooo!!” Build on his last few performances and, just as last year, it could be another good second half of the season in the Garibaldi for Garner.
■■Magnificent Mckenna
The Scot is without doubt one of the best signings the club has made for many a year.
On Saturday, he was a level above even his usual excellent standard.
From an attacking perspective, the Reds have generally looked better when they’ve gone with three at the back.
But Mckenna and Worrall have more often than not been superb whatever the system.
Suggestions of the former going under the radar isn’t really fair - and Cooper points out that the ex-aberdeen man definitely doesn’t pass unnoticed by those on the inside.
It’s perhaps more the case that the spotlight is on his defensive partner as a result of transfer interest. But nobody who has watched them play could argue Mckenna hasn’t been equally as good.
Just as Worrall did at West Bromwich Albion, there was a moment where the 25-year-old took it upon himself to get his side going by motoring forward with the ball.
He’s fairly quick when he gets going and he powered up the pitch, looking comfortable in possession.
Even when he had passed to Grabban, he continued the run and looked to get in the thick of the action in the penalty area, screaming to get the ball back.
And it goes without saying that he was immense at the other end of the pitch.
Forest have the cornerstone of a superb defence in Mckenna and Worrall. Keeping that together is a must.
■■Refereeing decisions
Posh boss Darren Ferguson said the Reds were booed off at half-time, following a limp 45 minutes. But it was actually the officials who the fans’ dismay was aimed at.
There was a spell towards the end of the first half when referee Thomas Bramall lost his grip on the game.
Any sense of consistency went out of the window, as did any punishment for handball offences. Forest had two penalty claims waved away, with Grabban expressing his frustration on both occasions.
It’s not the first time this term the Reds haven’t had much joy on that front. It almost certainly won’t be the last, either, given the generally poor standard of officiating in the Championship.