Fox Hunting at the City Ground

Wednesday 19th February. Having played on Sunday in a fraught Cup match on a heavy pitch, Forest had to play the runaway league leaders just three days later. Our squad is so depleted that Billy makes only two changes to the Cup team. Darlow comes in to goal and Mackie replaces Henderson.

The Foxes spent big a couple of seasons ago in an effort to get to the Premier League. This policy nearly paid off last season. They beat us in the last game of the season, albeit by a very late goal when we were pressing for the winner, to get in to the playoffs. Then they lost a dramatic playoff semi-final, this time conceding a goal in the last minute, to Watford. Throughout all this time, Nigel Pearson has been tweeking membership of his squad and at last it seems to be paying off. The owners have shown loyalty to their manager and patience seems to have been rewarded.  Leicester came to the City Ground right at the top of the Championship, seven points ahead of the chasing pack. The chasing pack are headed by Burnley and we are due to play them on Saturday! A busy week and one that could go a long way to boosting our promotion charge.

I keep banging on about our injury list, but it really is, to me,  the most important aspect of this season. Our squad is constantly being depleted and the team, consequently, being changed. Burnley, for instance, have now played six games with an unchanged line up whilst Billy has to put out a different team each game and, importantly, a different back four every game. And a change in the name of the covering defensive midfielder is being forced pretty much every game, too.  I remember chatting to a Burnley fan before the game against them at the CG in November and telling him that their all-conquering strikers, Ings and Vokes, would probably have a field day as we had had to change our back four yet again. Young Jamaal Lascelles was having just his fourth start of the season that day, having only made three league appearances in previous seasons. Halford, Collins and Wilson, experienced central defenders, were all injured for that match. However, as it turned out, the match was drawn 1-1 with Burnley scoring from a highly disputed penalty. And Lascelles playing with maturity belying his years.

So Leicester came to the City Ground in a confident mood, captained by a former Forest stalwart, "You'll Never Beat" Wes Morgan (with apologies to Des Walker).  After our loss at The Blades and with a tired and thin squad, I was, for once, sure we would lose. How wrong can you be! Forest had much the better of the first half an hour, Collins having probably the best chance with a thumping header from a corner which was palmed over by Schmeichel in the Leicester goal.

However, as is the way with football, pressure is not enough. It's goals that count and the Foxes nicked a goal on the half hour. A hopeful punt forward was allowed to bounce just outside the area, the two central defenders seemed to hesitate under pressure from Nugent and it was left to Darlow to save the situation. Strangely, I suppose he was worried about handling outside the area, although he got to the ball first, instead of catching it, he elected to punch it. The punch carried no conviction and flopped down into the path of the onrushing Vardy. He steadied himself and shot through the ruck of players into the goal. A real sucker punch. 1-0 down to the leaders.My heart sank.

But the Forest lads are nothing if not fighters, the team spirit this season is second to none. They had a few dodgy moments after the goal, but five minutes before the interval came the equaliser. Reid sent in yet another corner which was cleared, unconvincingly, by a Leicester defender. The ball flew to Paterson who headed the ball straight back and into the corner of the net. The third headed goal in as many matches, by hardly the tallest or strongest player in our team. Relief among the fans.

More was to come. Four minutes later the ball came to Morgan in his own penalty area. He dallied for a moment which was enough time for Mackie to break through and harry the big central defender. Mackie stole the ball from Morgan, but as he was breaking away he was brought down. Penalty! Not only that;  the incident happened on the penalty spot and Morgan was the last man. Mackie broke away with the ball so it was quite clearly a goal-scoring position. The referee did not see it as a clear goal-scoring opportunity, a mystery to many including our manager Billy Davies, and only booked Morgan. Reidy stepped up for the penalty and put it cleanly away. 2-1 at half time to the famous team.

Billy tackled the referee in the tunnel at half time, verbally, of course. By his own account it was a polite exchange with an enquiry simply demanding the reasons for not sending off the Leicester captain. The referee did not see the confrontation in quite the same light and banished our manager to the stands. The incident was obviously mentioned in the referee's report as being antagonistic because Billy has been charged with a couple of offences of being unpleasant to the referee.

The second half continued the end-to-end nature of the game. Forest had good chances in front of goal, but perhaps Leicester should have made more of a couple of golden chances. Then, following a rash challenge on Mackie, Konchesky was shown the red card. Almost immediately after this incident Lascelles had a clear sight of goal and the chance to make it 3-1 and game over. Sadly, he blazed inches wide. Forest continued to press with their extra man and it seemed that Mackie was crudely pulled back when in a decent shooting position, but the referee apparently thought he jumped backwards of his own volition whilst in the act of shooting at goal.

Into the last ten minutes and it looked as if Forest would hang on. It was not to be. The big, burly Paterson knocked over that shrinking violet Drinkwater. Apparently his depiction of the dying swan was much more believable that Mackie's and Leicester got their penalty, courtesy of  a wildly waved lino's flag. No sober holding of the flag across the chest in time honoured fashion. Up stepped Kevin Phillips, a very reliable goal scorer and penalty taker. My heart sank. Then Darlow produced a marvellous save and the home crowd went up in glorious relief only to come down seconds later. A Leicester player squared the ball back across goal and it was turned in. 2-2.  But, the Forest players protested that the goal scorer had encroached into the penalty area before the kick was taken. The lino even went and resumed his position on the goal line, but Mr Taylor, the referee, had said it was a gaol and goal it would stay. Adhering to the old adage, don't give those Tricky Trees anything.  I'm afraid this season feels just like that.

There were still more chances to each side before the end, but the score stayed deadlocked. Reid our captain and inspiration was subbed just before the end; I hope it was only a precaution and nothing worse. A great match for the neutral, but heart-stopping for the committed.