Ten-man Tangerines settle for point
TEN-MAN Blackpool were denied when Lewis McGugan came off the bench to score an equaliser for the second successive game as Nottingham Forest shared the spoils at the City Ground.
Ludovic Sylvestre struck against the run of play to give the visitors the lead just before the half-hour mark, but a red card to Isaiah Osbourne – following a late tackle on Greg Halford – left the Tangerines to hold on with 10 men for over 30 minutes.
But McGugan equalised with a penalty nine minutes from time to preserve Billy Davies’ unbeaten run since returning as manager, leaving Paul Ince’s side just four points above the drop zone.
Forest recalled Adlene Guedioura, Radoslaw Majewski, Simon Cox and Darius Henderson after the quartet were left out of the 1-1 draw with Burnley, while Osbourne replaced the suspended Barry Ferguson for the visitors.
The first half’s pattern was set in the opening minutes, with Forest controlling possession, but Blackpool creating the better chances on the counter attack.
The Tangerines’ first main threat came after nine minutes when Nathan Delfouneso cut in from the left and his shot hit the bar.
Blackpool took the lead with their next attack as Sylvestre grabbed his third goal of the season. The midfielder picked up the ball on the left-hand edge of the area and unleashed an effort beyond Karl Darlow’s reaches and into the far corner of the net.
It was not until the 40th minute that Forest abandoned their passing game, and, when Halford changed the rhetoric with a long ball from his own half into the area, it led to Henderson heading narrowly over.
Forest’s increased pressure in the second half finally told when Chris Basham fouled Cox in the area and McGugan added the equaliser, the sixth consecutive game in which he had found the net.