Our record against Forest isn't too bad considering that in my memory they were one of only two teams (Spurs being the other) that we always seemed to struggle against back in the heady days of the Old First Division. Of 38 competitive matches we've won 10, drawing 14 and losing 14. We've scored 46 goals against them whilst conceeding 56. 'The Old' Ross Jenkins is our most lethal striker against them with five goals.
At the City Ground the stats are less impressive with us winning just 3 times in 18 visits, drawing 6 times and losing 9. Our biggest win there was a 2-0 victory in October 2000 just before the wheels completely fell off in Taylor's last season in charge. Micah Hyde got both goals. Our biggest losses there were a 7-3 defeat in the 3rd Round of the 1982/3 League Cup and a 5-1 reverse in the Old First Division a week and a half before our FA Cup Final appearance. Talking of the League Cup Forest were the opponents when we made it to the Semi Final of the 78/9 competition. We lost 3-1 away in the first leg before holding the team that would go on to be European Champions 0-0 at Vicarage Road.
They were our second away match of last season as well. We went down 3-2 despite Tommy Smith twice getting us back on level terms. In the home game we won more easily than the 2-1 scoreline suggests with Rasiak and Priskin getting our goals. Re-reading the report now it seem more like 5 years ago than just 5 months.
The only player to have links with both clubs is Will Hoskins who we lent to Forest in Feb 2008 for the rest of the season. We even agreed a deal that would have seen him move there permanently if things had worked out. However after just two games he suffered a back injury and returned to the Vic at the end of his loan spell.
So far this season Forest drew away with Judas 0-0 on the opening day, beat Bradford 3-0 at home in the Cup and went down 1-0 thanks to an own goal on Saturday against West Brom.
The news this evening that we have signed midfielder Tom Cleverley until January from Man Utd makes me feel slightly more hopeful than I did driving back from Yorkshire on Saturday. Lets hope he is more Jack Cork than Liam Bridcutt.
