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VIEW MATCH REPORT

Sunday 1 Oct 2006
Nottingham Forest 3 v 1 Swansea City
Forest back on track with stunning win after coming back from a goal behind.

After a poor first half performance two goals in the space of two minutes saw a transformed Nottingham Forest side comfortably beat Swansea to increase their lead at the top of the table.

It was a poor first half of football from both sides who struggled to put a string of passes together. But Swansea were marginally the better side and they were rewarded with a goal just before half time. Forest reacted well and came close to equalizing three times in the closing minutes.

A different Forest side emerged in the second half and the much improved performance was rewarded with three goals in quick succession which had the City Ground in party mood.

The rain fell heavily as the game started making the pitch slippery and may have been to blame for some early mistakes by Gary Holt which helped a Swansea side that already looked dangerous going forward.
Kris Commons was quickly on the attack and had a couple of shots in the opening minutes, one easily saved by Andrew Oakes and the other, a shot from 30 yards, was just over the crossbar.

Forest were let off the hook when Andrew Robinson caught Paul Smith off his line and tried a shot from 30 yards, but his effort went just wide of the far post.

Forest were awarded a free kick 4 yards outside the penalty area after the ball hit Robinson's hand but Commons' effort went straight off the wall.

A great sliding tackle by James Perch prevented Rory Fallon, who was clear on goal, from getting in a shot as he ran clear into the 6-yard box. Fallon wanted a penalty for being brought down but the referee disagreed.

Neither sides seemed able to create any fluent football, giving the ball away too frequently and, in the case of Swansea, trying too many long-range shots that were off target. But, in spite of that, the away side looked marginally the better one.

Swansea, however, continued to push forward and their efforts eventually paid off with a simple goal on 42 minutes from Robinson's corner. The ball was well placed, Fallon timed his run well, got up above Morgan and headed home.

Forest produced their best football after the goal. They almost got a quick equaliser when Agogo got away from three Swansea defenders and laid the ball on for Commons whose powerful left foot shot from 25 yards forced an excellent save from Oakes.

Agogo did well to break free from three Swansea defenders and his shot at the near post was blocked by Oakes for a corner.

And Forest could have scored from Southall's corner but the ball went across the face of goal without anyone getting on the end of it.

Colin Calderwood got his first taste of the displeasure of the Forest supporters who booed the team off at half time.

Swansea continued to look the better side in the opening stages of the second half.

But it was Forest who scored with a goal that came out of nowhere. Commons picked up the ball in midfield and spotted an unmarked Perch. It was a good pass and Perch calmly side-footed the ball past Oakes like a seasoned striker for his first goal of the season.

And they got their second less than two minutes later when Commons got past his man and slid the ball along the ground and into the back of the net for his first of the season.

Forest looked like a changed side as Lester, on for Grant Holt, got through into the 6-yard box only to have his effort blocked and the ball went out for a corner.

It was then Agogo's turn to get his first of the season, something that every Forest fan had been waiting for since his arrival. And he didn't disappoint, picking up the ball in midfield from Southall, shrugging off the last defender and, one on one with the keeper, calmly lobbed the ball into the back of the net.

Commons was loudly applauded off the pitch when he was replaced by Bennett, who could have scored within seconds of coming on when he picked up Southall's corner and headed down from two yards out but Oakes was close enough to grab the ball.

Robert Hughes, celebrating his 20th birthday tomorrow, was rewarded for his reserve form with his debut appearance for the first team, coming on for Agogo which left Lester alone up front.

Far from sitting on their lead Forest continued to press forward right up to the final whistle and the reaction from the fans couldn't have been more different than it was at the end of the first half.