For most Forest supporters Wednesday night was a new low. Striding into a 2-goal lead brought unbridled ecstasy to the City Ground, and with it scenes of chaos to rival those of the promotion in May.
By the end of 90 minutes Forest were left stunned; a heavy-legged, battle-worn Reds side had melted beneath a ruthless Derby resurgence. Supporters were an ugly collage of violently angry and simply inconsolable.
The mood remained flat up to and beyond kick-off on Saturday, and spirits soured further when Nathan Tyson joined the injury list after only ten minutes. It is probably easier to get a bed with the NHS than it is to find space in the teeming Forest treatment room.
Forest rode their luck in the first half; a confident QPR side pushed their way in behind Forest’s new-look defence and the ball was twice cleared from the line in a burst of pressure.
But Forest’s relatively youthful line-up has been praised consistently by Billy Davies, and the dogged spirit he has spoken so highly of proved vital.
A spell of perseverance at the end of the first half culminated in Luke Chambers being toppled on his way into the penalty area. Lewis McGugan buried the resulting penalty past Lee Camp in the QPR goal.
The euphoria was short lived. Seconds before half-time QPR punished Forest’s slack defending and netted an equaliser. Davies seethed on the touchline, and after the half-time break he was raging again as QPR sauntered into a 2-1 lead.
A Forest side lacking any notable outlet looked down and out - Garner the only senior striker was playing with a shoulder injury and the youthful wing backs, despite their efforts, had little effect going forward. But Forest were handed a lifeline, ironically, by Lee Camp.
Camp became a favourite during his loan spell at the club, largely for his penalty saves and his mobility in dealing with crosses. Both skills failed him on his return, to Forest’s great advantage.
Chris Cohen rose at the back post, beating Camp to the ball, to bring Forest a crucial equaliser on 67 minutes.
The goal brought colour to the cheeks of Forest supporters who steadily regained their nobility throughout the game. Wounded and flinching to begin with, supporters were eventually buoyed sufficiently to deliver the usual anthology of anti-Derby ballads.
A draw is not a bad result in the circumstances, but fans will be hoping that Davies has more to choose from next week against high-flying Birmingham City.
Smith – 6 – no real problems, or shining moments.
Moloney – 6 – he found himself floundering at times, despite making every effort to adapt to a difficult role.
Chambers – 6 – he is never the strongest of Forest’s ailing defence, but he kept his head above water in the most part this afternoon.
Wilson – 6 – a steady performance, soured to some extent by one or two clumsy incidents.
Morgan – 6.5 – continues to be solid and incredibly dedicated.
Heath – 6.5 – assured, confident and every inch as worthy of a place as his colleagues today.
Thornhill – 7 – confident and efficient; his range of passing improves with every game he plays.
McGugan – 7 – much improved on recent weeks. A confidently taken penalty, several mazy runs that opened up play when outlets seemed otherwise scarce.
Cohen – 7 – another goal, and a very important one at that.
Garner – 6 – struggled with the early knock.
Tyson - /
Newbold – 6 – plenty of effort, but he was a little bit lost at times.
