Scores on the DAWS ‘IT’S A PITY WE DON’T PLAY BRUM EVERY WEEK’
ICE-COOL Joe Lolley licked Birmingham to give new Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi his first win in the Championship.
Frenchman Lamouchi, unknown when he took over 18 minutes after Martin O’neill was sacked in June, had warned pre-match that Lolley was in form to do some damage.
Don’t worry, said Lamouchi, Lolley is fit and ready to get his goals.
How right he was.
Lolley scored one, almost got another, made one and would have made a second had Samba Sow taken it.
Veteran Michael Dawson sealed the points, but Lolley had done the damage – and as a Villa fan he couldn’t be happier.
“Lolley loves Aston Villa and I know of their rivalry with Birmingham, so he likes to beat them, yes,” said Lamouchi.
“But unfortunately we can’t play all games against Birmingham.
“I am sure he is happy. It was his best performance for me as manager.”
Lolley had even needed pre-match treatment.
“He received a kick y e s t e r day,” a dded Lamouchi and smiled: “I said to him after this game, ‘Maybe I need to kick you before all games!’”
Lolley had scored against Blues the last two times they’d been at the City Ground and he did it again yesterday.
Then he made another goal – and all in a whirlwind opening 22 minutes that Birmingham never recovered from.
Aston Villa were interested in buying him for £10million this summer – Lolley’s dream as a boyhood fan – but in the end they went elsewhere.
So Lolley is restricted to helping out where he can. And whupping Birmingham is top of that list.
For his goal, he took a pass from a freekick, moved forward, and then crashed the ball in, left-footed, after 13 minutes.
Nine minutes later Lolley used his right foot to send over a cross and Lewis Grabban headed in from a few yards.
Forest were in control and stayed there against limp Blues. Captain Dawson, in his second spell with Forest, headed his first goal for them in 15 years , and there should have been a stack more.
Blues keeper Lee Camp touched away a Lolley shot, Sow wasted a Lolley cross and Sammy Ameobi wastefully shot over.
Blues boss Pep Clotet (above) said: “The first two goals, very close to each other, changed the game for us. It’s not an excuse, it just highlights the difficulties we were having.” FOREST BIRMINGHAM 5 ........ Shots on Target ......... 2 6 ........ Shots off Target .........5 3 ................Corners .................6 8 .................. Fouls .................. 10 3 ............... Offsides ................ 0 75.7 .. Passing Success .... 75.1 412 ....... Total Passes ........ 470 46.9 .......Possession ......... 53.1 44.4 . Territorial Adv%... 55.6