Nottingham Forest finally ended their goal-drought after 481 minutes to keep
their faint hopes of a play-off place alive and heap more misery on bottom club
Stockport.
Paul Hart's side had failed to score since drawing 1-1 with Birmingham six
matches ago, and shorn of the services of leading scorer Stern John and England
Under-19 skipper Jermaine Jenas, another blank looked on the cards for much of
the game.
But they finally made their possession tell in the 57th minute when Gary Jones
slotted home from seven yards after good work from Marlon Harewood.
And just for good measure Harewood added a second seven minutes later and Leo
Roget fired in a late own-goal after County had briefly threatened a comeback
through Carlton Palmer.
Despite a spirited late rally, Palmer's Stockport could have no complaints as
they slumped to their 22nd league defeat of the season and Second Division
football now looks inevitable at Edgeley Park next season.
A swirling wind and sticky pitch made for difficult conditions, but what
quality on show came from Forest, and from their fourth corner in quick
succession they came very close to taking the lead in the 22nd minute.
Gary Jones rose highest to Nicky Summerbee's inswinging corner but his
glancing header drifted just the wrong side of the post.
The midlanders continued to enjoy all the play without finding a cutting edge,
and Brian Reid should have done much better when shooting weakly at Andy Dibble
from seven yards after Summerbee's deep cross had dropped invitingly into his
path.
It took County 34 minutes to have their first shot on goal, but when it
finally did arrive Luke Beckett came within the width of the post of giving his
side an undeserved lead.
The visitors over-elaborated at the back and Jon Olav Hjelde's slip-up let in
the former Chesterfield man, whose curling right-foot strike from the edge of
the box beat Forest keeper Darren Ward but rebounded off the upright to safety.
County brought on centre-half Leo Roget for Robert Clare at the start of the
second half, and were forced into a second substitution six minutes later when
keeper Dibble was stretchered off after landing awkwardly under a challenge from
Harewood, to be replaced by Lee Jones.
But Jones' first action was to pick the ball out of his own net when Forest's
pressure finally paid off in the 57th minute.
Harewood broke well down the right flank and his low cross was met by Jones
who sidefooted home firmly from seven yards.
The Hatters introduced Kevin Ellison for the ineffective Neil Ross in the 62nd
minute in an attempt to breathe some life into their attack.
But the home side quickly found themselves two down two minutes later when a
long punt from Ward eluded the County defence and Harewood lobbed home from 10
yards past Jones.
After Roget had struck a post from a Colin Woodthorpe corner, Palmer threw
himself up front in one last desperate attempt to bring his side back into the
game.
And County's player-boss gave his side a lifeline when heading home another
Woodthorpe corner in the 86th minute.
But the home side's hopes of a comeback were dashed in bizarre circumstances
three minutes later when Roget, in attempting to clear another punt from Ward,
only succeeded in hooking the ball over his own keeper from the edge of the area
for Forest's clincher.
Teams:
Stockport: Dibble (Jones 54), Briggs, Challinor,
Clare (Roget 45), Woodthorpe, Gibb, Palmer, Lescott, Delaney,
Beckett, Ross (Ellison 63).
Subs Not Used: Welsh, Wild.
Booked: Dibble, Delaney, Challinor.
Goals: Palmer 87.
Nottm Forest: Ward, Thompson, Vaughan, Hjelde, Scimeca,
Prutton, Jones (Lester 90), Williams, Summerbee,
Reid (Cash 82), Harewood (Johnson 90).
Subs Not Used: Roche, Foy.
Booked: Vaughan.
Goals: Jones 58, Harewood 65, Roget 90 og.
Att: 6,513
Ref: P Rejer (Tipton).
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