Dougie Freedman had said during his first week as Nottingham Forest’s manager that nobody should expect miracles. Their band of travelling supporters would probably have settled for a decent performance and avoiding frostbite, but they celebrated at the end as if they had just beaten Derby County.
Freedman, who took over from Stuart Pearce following last Saturday’s defeat to Millwall, may not be able to walk on the River Trent just yet but he pulled off at least one masterstroke. The new manager brought the defender Danny Collins in from the cold and Collins, who had not played all season, responded with a headed goal just before the break that turned the game around.
The match was in the balance until three minutes before the end when Chris Burke cut in from the right wing and gave Ben Osborn the chance to secure the three points and perhaps help put Forest back in playoff contention.
Freedman knows it is only a start and that he is Forest’s ninth manager in five years. The owner, Fawaz Al-Hasawi, is not a patient man but even he must have been impressed at the spirit shown by Freedman’s players.
Freedman was realistic afterwards. “I’m not going to say ‘yes, we can make the playoffs’, but we can improve and this is a group of players who are willing to learn. I am not a magician but I have a lot of experience at this level and the players really responded today. I know that on another day it could have been a different result but we showed a ruthless streak and a lot of commitment.”
Forest were under pressure for much of a torrid first half. Brighton have had a change of manager themselves recently and, while Chris Hughton has had his early successes, they are still struggling to stay in the division.
Gordon Greer and Lewis Dunk both went close early on and there was a touch of desperation in a late lunge by Eric Lichaj that sent Solly March flying.
March hobbled off shortly afterwards to be replaced by Kazenga LuaLua and Hughton said his young midfielder had stud marks down his calf. Iñigo Calderón had a penalty turned down when he blasted the ball towards the arm of Gary Gardner and went close with a dipping shot that cleared Karl Darlow’s crossbar and Freedman began to look nervous on the touchline.
Henri Lansbury stopped LuaLua with a clumsy challenge before Danny Holla came the closest to breaking the deadlock with a free-kick which struck the angle of the bar and a post. Brighton finally got the goal they deserved when Holla’s corner from the left eluded Darlow and the rest of the Forest defence and took a deflection off Dunk to find the far corner.
As the Brighton players were congratulating themselves, though, Forest equalised. Osborn swung over a free-kick and Collins climbed above the home defenders to head past Stockdale who, until then, did not have a shot to save.
Darlow was forced into a smart save from Brighton’s Portuguese playmaker João Teixeira after the break before LuaLua and Teixeira, back in the side following a virus, combined well, and Teixeira’s shot deflected over Darlow’s crossbar. Then, against the run of play, Forest took the lead. Osborn took a free-kick and rolled the ball back to Lansbury who struck a fierce shot across the goal from 20 yards in front of those ecstatic supporters.
Teixeira struck a post and Brighton scored a late consolation when the substitute Beram Kayal headed home a LuaLua corner. Brighton were out of luck and, for all the improvement under Hughton, they are still in deep trouble.
