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Search forSheffield Wednesday 1 Forest 0: Match report
Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 21:43
PICTURES: Click here to see photos from the game
Despite a much improved and battling display, Wednesday took the lead three minutes after the break when Etienne Esajas’s low drive hit the legs of Breckin and diverted it into the opposite corner.
The Reds rallied with both Joel Lynch and Andrew Cole forcing acrobatic saves from Lee Grant before the Wednesday goalkeeper denied the former Manchester United striker at the death with another fine save.
But they could not find the crucial equaliser and the 1-0 defeat makes it a worrying five losses on the bounce, leaving the Reds rooted to the bottom of the Championship.
Forest boss Colin Calderwood switched to the 5-3-2 formation he favoured in his Northampton days and early on during his Reds tenure.
For much of the first half it worked as the Reds looked resolute and frustrated Wednesday as they tried to break them down.
But despite building the play well, Forest struggled to find the end product.
Their only efforts came early on, first debutant Lynch heading wide before Matt Thornhill burst forward only to blaze over the bar from 20 yards out.
But two minutes before half time Wednesday found a way to unsettle Forest’s defence and should have taken the lead as result.
It all came about thanks to Tony McMahon’s superb inswinging cross from the right.
But when Deon Burton rose ten yards out between two Forest defenders, the striker’s downward header back across goal was just inches wide of the far post.
And in first-half stoppage time Esajas fired a long-range effort but Paul Smith was equal to it.
The second half was where the action was and within 90 seconds of the restart Cohen won a free kick on the edge of the box before getting to his feet to find a way past the wall only to see Grant smother it, diving to his left.
But immediately Wednesday had the lead at the other end thanks to a lucky deflection.
Esajas struck a low shot from 20 yards and it took a wicked deflection off Ian Breckin’s legs, diverting it into the opposite corner and despite Smith’s efforts to scramble across, it found its way into the back of the net.
Nathan Tyson and Andrew Cole then combined well with the former being played down the left channel but Grant saved his low shot.
Just short of the hour Grant twice denied the Reds with outstanding reflex saves.
First a well-worked free kick from Cohen picked out Lynch and his looping header was dropping under the bar until Grant’s fingertips denied him.
And from the resulting corner Cole thumped a header just under the bar but once again, Grant’s fingertips forced it over for another corner.
Burton somehow missed from two yards out when a good move slipped McMahon in behind the Forest defence and in the right channel, his shot looked to be heading past Smith.
But the on-rushing Burton tried to get the last touch only to miss the target from a couple of yards out.
Smith had to make an outstanding save of his own after Marcus Tudgay laid it to James O’Connor but his fierce strike with the outside of his right boot was parried away to safety by the Reds goalkeeper.
And he pulled off another five minutes from time, diving at full stretch to his left to keep out Burton’s drive.
Two minutes from time Cole held off his marker and shot towards the bottom corner but somehow Grant got down to get the slightest of touches to send it round the post.
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