'Afraid to win'
Sabri Lamouchi admitted his Nottingham Forest side were left with “a lot of regret” after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough.
The Reds dominated the first half but could not find a breakthrough until the 63rd minute as their visitors defended in numbers.
Ryan Yates put his team ahead when he headed home a cross from Matty Cash.
However, the hosts paid the price for not killing the game off as Paddy McNair equalised nine minutes from time, converting from the penalty spot.
How they rated
Despite Ryan Yates’ second half header, Nottingham Forest were unable to hold onto their lead as struggling Middlesbrough battled back to earn a point.
The Reds looked to be on course for three valuable points until Jack Robinson’s foul presented Boro with a chance to take a point they were unlikely to pass up with nine minutes left, as it finished 1-1 and the hosts failed in their bid to go third in the Championship.
Here’s how Barry Cooper rated Forest’s players on the night.
Thoughts on Mir
I watched Rafa Mir’s performance on Friday night at Millwall and found myself asking, not for the first time, why did Nottingham Forest actually sign him?
Look, I’ll give him his due. He runs around a fair bit. But that’s about all he does, writes Kenny Burns.
A quick glance at his goalscoring record tells you he’s hardly prolific in front of goal – that, I assume, is why the club signed him in the first place, to find the net and take the pressure of Lewis Grabban?
He’s played 13 games at Forest, and not really looked like finding the net - in all honesty, he’s been a flop and will go down as one of the worst signings in a long time.
Transfer talk
Rangers youngster Chris McKee says he turned down a transfer to Nottingham Forest before his move to Ibrox.
McKee signed for Rangers in September last year as a 16-year-old from Northern Ireland club Linfield.
The young forward has been with the club’s academy side since his move to Scotland, and is held in high regard by the Gers hierarchy despite not yet featuring for Steven Gerrard’s first-team.
Prior to signing for Rangers, McKee says he held talks with clubs in England, including Forest, but admits he didn’t feel at home.
