QUALITY CONTROL
Forest boss finds positives
NEW Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper hailed his players for their attitude, character and enthusiasm but admitted he is looking for more quality.
A fluke equaliser from Max Lowe made sure of a first home point of the season on Cooper’s first match in charge.
Cooper (right) said: “It was the biggest crowd of the season, the atmosphere has whetted my appetite and the noise made the hairs on the back of my head stand up.
“I’m only interested in positives as it’s positives which will give you progress.”
Matt Smith’s first-half header was cancelled out by Lowe’s mis-hit cross.
Millwall boss Gary Rowett said: “It was a very fortunate goal. I had Max when I was at Derby and he was a lot more accurate than that. It was the moment which changed the game.”
Millwall have now drawn six out of nine games this season.
Rowett’s team talk surely would have been to ride the early waves, soak up some of that pressure, and make life as awkward as possible for a team in the Championship’s basement.
Sheyi Ojo was an immediate pest, testing Brice Samba early on, and it was his assist which gave
Millwall the lead through Smith’s header.
By that stage
Lewis Grabban and Bartosz Bialkowski had both received treatment for a clunking collision which saw the top scorer depart in the first half hour.
Cooper, his gillet ditched on a warm Nottingham afternoon, crouched in his technical area, presumably looking for answers. Ten days ago his predecessor
Chris Hughton marched the march after little more than a year in charge. Managers have come and gone at the City Ground at the rate of one a season for the last decade or so which says it all.
Forest’s football had taken them to the foot of the table and only hated rival Derby’s points penalty for going into administration has taken them off it.
What they desperately needed was something to go their way. Like a mis-hit, longrange cross to lob the goalkeeper perhaps.
Step up Lowe with exactly such a delivery and Forest were back on even terms. Cooper added: “Maybe things would have been different if Lewis had scored early on but we showed good character to come back.
“We want to be winning these games at home.”