FOREST BLOG: Lack of goals is a real concern

Forest snatched a last gasp draw on Saturday but the sheer lack of goals is becoming a real worry.

You can clearly see that our game goes wrong as soon as the ball arrives in the final third.

So it was an ideal opportunity to rectify those frailties against fellow strugglers Ipswich. Again Dougie Freedman was positive enough to stick with the 4-4-2 system and that positivity was evident within the 90 minutes.

The biggest news was the inclusion of Liam Trotter, on loan from Bolton, a player who really caught my eye when he was at Millwall.

Forest should have been coming into this game on the back of win against Burnley but for a moment of sheer stupidly by Henri Lansbury. Forest had led thanks to a touch of Chicago Fire by Eric Lichaj but after Lansbury saw red we struggled to cope with late pressure and conceded a last minute equaliser.

Against Ipswich we had a steady start. Forest produced their first real chance when Ward played in Mendes but he strayed too wide and made his shooting angle a tight one. There was also a good chance for Trotter who forced a great stop from Gerken in the Ipswich goal. He was there to rescue his side just seconds later from the boot of Ward also.

The best chance of the half fell to Oliveira, following excellent play from Mendes. However, the Portuguese forward fluffed his lines and made it easy for Town’s keeper this time around.

Half time came and went and you feared that the longer Daryl Murphy was on the pitch, the more likely he was to get his token goal against us.

To be fair, the likes of Murphy, Sears, Smith and McGoldrick were kept quiet for long periods of this game. There were a couple of half chances for Trotter and Oliveira but Ipswich were beginning to look dangerous on the break.

Former red David McGoldrick curled a brilliant shot towards the top left corner of Forest’s goal, but he was thwarted by the flying Dutchman called Dorus!

Disaster struck with 15 minutes to go, as Bru’s cross somehow made its way to Parr who produced a fantastic finish on the turn from an almost impossible angle. You could hear the groans as it seemed the writing was again on the Forest wall.

For once it was the tricky trees who were to claim an injury time goal, in the sixth minute of time added on as well. Jorge Grant’s close range effort was blocked but debut boy Trotter reacted quickest to thump home and give the reds a well deserved draw.

From here I would like Nelson Oliveira to step up to the plate and start getting some goals as the forwards have to take the pressure off the players behind them now.

As I said before, the defence and midfield are doing ok. If we can now convert the chances that the team are working so hard to create, life will be that bit easier for all concerned.

In the words of Delia Smith “Let’s be ‘avin you!”