Pierre van Hooijdonk ended Nottingham Forest's nightmare Premiership record by
grabbing the goal that saw them win their first league game in 20 matches.
The aura of Big Ron has whipped the Premier League's dead certs for the drop
into action.
He might even have changed his mind about van Hooijdonk, who he'd given the
benefit of his experience once or twice as a media pundit.
The Dutchman is credited with causing Forest a fair amount of damage this
season, former boss Dave Bassett blames him for costing him his job.
And Atkinson has had more than a few choice words to say about the striker who
went on strike.
But the Dutch hitman's fourth goal of the season ended Forest's embarrassment
of holding the Premiership's record for the longest run without victory.
Everton chief Walter Smith had warned his men about the Big Ron factor and he
wasn't wrong.
The man with the suntan, jewels and camelhaired coat has been imported to work
a miracle, and after this victory he's on his way.
Everton were just a mess. They've now failed to scored in nine of their 12
home league games this season and they were booed off as their fans digested a
result that leaves them far too close to the relegation dogfight for comfort.
Everton have gone 319 minutes without scoring a league goal, and Smith must
wonder now where on earth the next one is coming from.
Smith opted for just one enforced change, the return of Richard Dunne for
injury victim Alex Cleland, but Forest's new chief Ron Atkinson had other
ideas.
Reknown for his quickfire transfer moves when he begins a salvage operation,
he had three players in the starting line-up making their debuts - American John
Harkes, Carlton Palmer and Rangers' loan man Staale Stensaas, a deal clinched on
Friday. There was also former West Ham midfielder Hugo Porfirio on the bench and
he came on for his debut with four minutes left.
Palmer, playing in the centre of defence, was impressive and kept Danny
Cadamarteri in check, the teenager being replaced by Ibrahima Bakayoko at half
time.
The game was flat and uninspiring for long spells, one team that hadn't won in
19 previous league games and another that had managed just three home league
goals all season. Hardly a recipe for a classic.
But Everton should have taken the lead after 25 minutes. Mitch Ward's shot hit
a defender and bounced into Nick Barmby's path as he ran into the box.
Barmby took the ball round Dave Beasant and the ball broke for Cadamarteri,
some 10 yards out in front of an open goal, to aim a shot that cannoned off
Stensaas as he hurled himself across the six yard box and behind for a corner.
John Oster, quick and involved upfront, took a 31st-minute ball from Barmby
and turned cleverly in the box to confuse Jon Hjelde and find room for a
shooting chance that ended with Beasant brilliantly turning the ball over the
bar.
Thomas Myhre had barely been involved but after 43 minutes he was shocked by a
long-range drive from Stensaas and allowed the ball to cannon off his chest to
the edge of the box. It was retrieved by Pierre Van Hooijdonk, who went to the
line and laid the ball back for an unmarked Alan Rogers, who blazed the chance
high over the bar.
Bakayoko's arrival was aimed at giving Everton a cutting edge up front, but it
was Forest who looked the bigger threat.
They almost took the lead after 50 minutes. Alan Rogers crossed from the left,
and the ball cleared everyone to find an unmarked Van Hooijdonk on the far right
of the box. The Dutchman took aim and drilled a shot into the turf and up over
the bar.
Beasant saved a long-range Marco Materazzi effort, but within a minute of
Forest's near-miss, they were ahead.
Again Rogers found space to cross from the left, and again Van Hooijdonk was
totally unmarked coming in on the right. This time he controlled the ball, moved
inside and cracked his shot home off the despairing Dave Unsworth on the line.
After 61 minutes Forest should have scored again. Darcheville played Steve
Stone in, and only a fine one handed stop from Myhre deflected the shot wide of
the far post.
Everton's response was to bring on Olivier Dacourt and Michael Branch forTony
Grant and Mitch Ward.
The crowd were on Everton's backs now and a touch of desperation was creeping
in.
Oster created a glorious chance for Bakayoko, but the Ivory Coast hitman tried
to clip the ball round Beasant from 10 yards, but managed only to clear the far
post. Derision pounded down on Everton's ears.
Beasant saved a Bakayoko header and Unsworth slashed a shot wide of the far
post from close range, but the excellence of Palmer and the battling of Johnson
kept Everton at bay.
It was a siege by the end, Branch missed from point blank range and Beasant
made a wonderful save when Barmby was clear. Bakayoko drove wide deep into
injury time.
But Everton's only answer was the high ball into the box searching for any
despairing head and it just wasn't good enough even to beat a side a side at
rock bottom.
Teams:
Everton: Myhre, Ball, Unsworth, Barmby, Hutchison,
Grant (Dacourt 62), Materazzi, Oster, Ward (Branch 62), Dunne,
Cadamarteri (Bakayoko 46).
Subs Not Used: Watson, Simonsen.
Booked: Barmby.
Nottm Forest: Beasant, Rogers (Porfirio 90), Hjelde, Stone,
Gemmill, Johnson, Darcheville (Bart-Williams 86), Palmer,
Van Hooijdonk, Stensaas (Armstrong 81), Harkes.
Subs Not Used: Crossley, Freedman.
Booked: Darcheville, Harkes, Stensaas, Johnson, Van Hooijdonk.
Goals: Van Hooijdonk 51.
Att: 34,175
Ref: G Barber (Pyrford).
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