Of all the people.
You could almost see the knowing smirk filling Chambers’ chops as the cross sailed by the goalkeeper and landed on his forehead.
A long afternoon of clubbing balls into the stand and wrong-footing himself were forgotten in a second. Football at its best.
The unadulterated rage of the Swansea supporters still mourning the penalty decision was the icing on the cake. When I calmed down after three minutes of screaming I expected a further five of clinging for dear life.
But there were no such tribulations.
The game seemed to end a few seconds later and the job was done. And what an important job it may prove to be.
Every time I unfurl the white flag and brace for the play-offs Billy pulls another rabbit from his magic hat, sparking butterflies and wild thoughts.
West Brom are Championship heavyweights with a deep and proficient squad which should, at face value, have no problem storming over the line.
Newcastle, all of a sudden, are on a different planet.
Forest have a threadbare squad, minus a captain, with League One footballers stepping off the bench and plunging thousands of feet into an alien promotion charge.
Exactly one week ago the writing was on the wall, now Billy’s scrubbed it off again and anything seems possible - injuries or not.
Silly season is well and truly underway, and it makes a nice change for us to be at the sharp end of it.
Ratings:
Camp – 6 – a few dodgy clearances and an otherwise quiet afternoon.
Gunter – 7.5 – a spirited performance; dug in at the back and surged forward with real determination.
Chambers – 6 – not a defensive masterclass. If Wilson is out for weeks not days it will be a grave concern. But his goal could prove vital.
Morgan – 7 – found Kuqi a handful, but kept him quiet overall.
Cohen - 7 – better than Perch, but with McKenna crocked he may be needed elsewhere.
Anderson – 6.5 – let down by his failure to take on the last man. Again.
McKenna - /
Moussi – 6 – needs a water-carrier to set him loose, he isn’t a ‘midfield general’.
Boyd – 7 – flashes of excellence but there’s more to come.
Majewski – 6.5 – bewildered in the floating role, but fed on scraps and thrived in the 10 minutes before he was subbed.
Blackstock – 7 – did an important but thankless job of leading the line alone.
Subs:
McGugan – 6.5 – sloppy at times but he grew into the performance.
McGoldrick – 7
McCleary - 7
