Alan Quinn denied Forest a vital victory with an equaliser for Sheffield
United midway through the second half - but it is Neil Warnock's side who will
feel they should have gone home with all three points.
Kris Commons' 47th-minute header was the only effort Forest managed on target
in the entire 90 minutes while the visitors missed a number of decent chances.
A draw is of little use to either team with the home side still five points
adrift of Coca-Cola Championship safety and the Blades one point below the
play-off zone.
The first half was largely a story of squandered opportunities for the
visitors.
Danny Webber missed an early chance when Forest failed to deal with a long
throw, but the on-loan Watford striker headed over the bar under pressure from
Paul Gerrard.
The lively Webber then shot wide after being put clean through down the
left-hand channel.
The visitors were exerting all the pressure and Gerrard had to be alert to
keep out Jon Harley's swerving 25-yard effort.
Forest's moves were breaking down in midfield with Gareth Taylor largely an
isolated figure up front.
United had another chance on the half-hour mark when Quinn's far-post cross
was fired across the face of goal by Leigh Bromby.
Gerrard was then again was on hand to beat out Quinn's effort as Forest
repeatedly gave the ball away.
With five minutes to go before half-time, the Forest keeper almost played his
team into trouble when he fumbled a cross from Francis, but United could not get
a clear shot on goal and Forest scrambled the ball clear to reach the interval
unscathed.
And barely two minutes after the restart, Forest took an unlikely lead when
Matthieu Louis-Jean's excellent right-wing cross was headed into the top corner
by Commons.
The goal gave Forest added belief with Commons pushing further forward, but
United also upped the tempo and forced two corners.
From the second, a penalty-box scramble resulted in pushing between Paul Evans
and Chris Morgan but both escaped with a yellow card.
Neil Warnock decided the time was right for a change and replaced Simon
Francis with Andy Liddell. Derek Geary also came on for Rob Kozluk at
right-back.
And the substitutions soon paid off for United when Quinn drilled in a fine
equaliser after 70 minutes.
Geary and Liddell combined down the right to find Nick Montgomery, whose cross
found Quinn unmarked on the left-hand side of the box - the midfielder firing
his shot across Paul Gerrard into the far corner.
Teams:
Nottm Forest Gerrard, Thompson (Dobie 36), Morgan, Melville,
Louis-Jean, Perch, Powell, Evans (Bopp 90),
Rogers (Gardner 33), Taylor, Commons.
Subs Not Used: Doyle, Harris.
Booked: Evans.
Goals: Commons 47.
Sheff Utd Kenny, Kozluk (Geary 64), Morgan, Bromby, Harley,
Francis (Liddell 62), Montgomery, Jagielka, Quinn, Webber, Gray.
Subs Not Used: Thirlwell, Kabba, Barnes.
Booked: Morgan, Harley.
Goals: Quinn 71.
Att: 21,903
Ref: K Wright (Cambridgeshire).
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