Nottingham Forest v Fulham

MATCH REPORT
FOREST 2 - 1 BLACKPOOL
Saturday, 16th October 2021 | Kick-off 3pm | The City Ground | Sky Bet Championship
Attendance: 27,946 including 1,795 Blackpool supporters
The biggest crowd of the season
– nearly 28,000 – saw The Reds
finally record their first home
win of the season.
On sunny Trentside afternoon,
head coach Steve Cooper named
an unchanged 18 from the 3-0
victory at Birmingham before the
international break.
Brennan Johnson was named
EFL Young Player of the Month
for September on the morning of
the match and he celebrated his
accolade by rounding off a fine
team goal midway through the
first half.
The Reds held possession for
nearly a minute, exchanging 26
passes, with a raking cross field
pass from Joe Worrall finding
Max Lowe on the left and his
inviting low cross was comfortably
dispatched by the Welshman from
six yards out. It was Johnson’s first
goal at The City Ground and his
third of the season.
The Reds threatened again shortly
afterwards. Johnson’s neat flick
found Lewis Grabban who fed Lowe
on the left and the full back’s curling
shot from the edge of the box was
just over Daniel Grimshaw’s bar in
the Blackpool goal.
The Reds were dominant
throughout the first half, with Djed
Spence a continual threat down
the right hand side, but Blackpool
nearly equalised just before the
break when Jerry Yates’ header
from a corner was nearly bundled
home by Arsenal loanee, Tyreece
John-Jules.
The Reds almost doubled their
lead three minutes into the second
half when Ryan Yates’s through
ball released Johnson who cut
the ball back for Grabban eight
yards out. The front man seemed
certain to score until former Reds
academy graduate Jordan Gabriel
appeared from nowhere to clear.
However, Blackpool levelled
after 53 minutes against the run
of play. Brice Samba and Spence
both went for a Josh Bowler
cross, Gabriel headed Samba’s
punch goalwards and Jerry Yates
volleyed home from six yards.
It was Yates’s third goal of the
season after his 23 last term.
But The Seasiders were not level
for long as, on the hour mark, The
Reds reclaimed the lead with Lewis
Grabban’s fifth goal of the season.
Max Lowe crossed after more
neat approach play, Joe Worrall’s
close range shot was well saved by
Grimshaw but Grabban swept the
loose ball home.
Blackpool enjoyed periods of
possession but it was The Reds
who looked the more threatening,
FOREST
30 Samba
4 Worrall
3 Figueiredo
26 McKenna ■
2 Spence
22 Yates
8 Colback
79’ Garner
15 Lowe
20 Johnson
86’ Lolley
11 Zinckernagel ■
80’ Mighten
7 Grabban
Un-used subs:
1 Horvath
10 Carvalho
13 Bong
33 Taylor
MATCH STATS
46% POSSESSION 54%
13 SHOTS
6
5 SHOTS ON TARGET 3
4 CORNERS
3
11 FOULS
7
THE TEAMS
BLACKPOOL
32 Grimshaw
4 L-Gabriel
21 Ekpiteta
26 Keogh
29 Garbutt
11 Bowler
6 Stewart
71’ Dougall
8 Wintle
28 John-Jules
62’ Mitchell
9 Yates
14 Madine
80’ Carey
Un-used subs:
2 Connolly
3 Husband
7 Dale
13 Moore
with Lowe stinging the hands of
Grimshaw and substitute Joe
Lolley’s jinking run setting up
Grabban who failed to connect
properly from seven yards.
The Reds ran out deserved
winners for their first home
victory in front of Forest
supporters since the 2-0 win over
Leeds in February last year.
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