Nottingham Forest 3 Derby County 2: Match report

NOTTINGHAM Forest edged to victory to record their first win against local rivals Derby County in nine encounters.

The Reds stormed to a 3-0 lead at the break thanks to goals from Radoslaw Majewski and Nathan Tyson either side of Dexter Blackstock's goal.

But far from the game being over, Derby pulled two back within 20 minutes of the restart with Miles Addison and Jake Livermore both netting with deflected strikes.

It made for a nervy finale but the Reds hung on to claim a first win against the Rams since March 2003.

PICTURES from the game - click here

Majewski’s goal put Forest ahead after just 53 seconds when Chris Gunter’s cross from the right was half cleared.

And from 20 yards the Polish international powered a shot that crashed in off the underside of the bar.

Derby wasted a glorious chance on 22 minutes. Kris Commons’ throw found Stephen Pearson in acres of space and he fed Gary Teale to his right who was unmarked but the winger dragged his shot wide of the far post when he should have hit the target.

Commons gave away a free kick on the left of the Derby box and Cohen whipped in a superb ball which Derby was unable to defend and under pressure from Blackstock, Hulse appeared to put it through his own goal. The goal was given to Blackstock.

Hulse had the ball in the Forest net soon after, meeting Teale’s free kick from the right and after Camp parried his first header onto the bar, he put the rebound in but the referee blew for a foul on Wes Morgan.

Pearson then slipped Hulse in behind the defence but Camp reacted quickly and dived at his feet to produce a great one-on-on save.

And two minutes before the break Nathan Tyson made it three. Commons tried to nutmeg Paul McKenna but the Forest midfielder read it well, intercepted it and fed Blackstock.

The striker then waited for Tyson’s explosive run, timed to perfection and he put him clean through on goal and Tyson jinked it to the side of Bywater before turning it in.

Derby pulled one back six minutes after the break. The ball dropped and Miles Addison, still up from an earlier corner, tried an overhead kick and despite the poor execution, it took a wicked deflection off Morgan and trickled into the corner of the net.

And on 62 minutes another deflected goal pulled it back to 3-2. Livermore struck a shot following Morgan’s header clear from Croft’s cross and a deflection took it away from Camp and in.

Adebola and McGoldrick both offered shots as Forest looked to get a grip back on the game.

Gary Teale skilfully cut in from the left and delivered a dangerous ball than luckily for Forest, went around the far post after striking Luke Chambers’ outstretched leg.

But Forest hung on through nine minutes of injury time to seal the 3-2 win.

NOTTINGHAM Forest have been drawn at home to Premiership Blackburn Rovers in the third round of the Carling Cup.

The Reds beat Bradford and Middlesbrough at the City Ground in the previous rounds to reach today’s draw.

FOREST: Camp, Gunter, Chambers, Morgan, Cohen, Garner (McCleary, 65), McKenna, Majewski, Tyson, McGoldrick (Earnshaw, 74), Blackstock (Adebola, 58). Subs: Smith, Anderson, Mitchell, Davies

DERBY: Bywater, Connolly, Addison, Buxton (Dickov, 86), Moxey, Pearson, Teale, Savage, Livermore (Green, 79), Commons (Croft, 46), Hulse. Subs: McEveley, Leacock, Deeney, Barker

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Attendance: 28,143 (4,376 away fans)