One of the reasons to look forward to being in the Championship was a pair of meetings with Nottingham Forest. City and Forest have studiously avoided playing each other for decades: when last we met, Jim Callaghan was the Prime Minister, Red Rum had recently won his third Grand National and Never Mind The Bollocks was yet to be released. It’s been a while.
Nottingham Forest were also yet to win either of their two European Cups under Brian Clough – soaring achievements that half of their support won’t remember and that will never again be achieved, though still feats they’re rightly proud of. It’s been less glorious of late. The lack of meetings used to be attributable to City’s lower standing in the game; of late, the Tigers have been the ones in the ascendency. They were among the bookies’ favourites for promotion this season, but four draws from their first six games sees them level on points with City.
It has the potential to be a fine evening’s football, however. The mood in East Yorkshire has been hugely lifted by the assured victory over Derby on Tuesday night, while Forest won for the first time in midweek at struggling Preston. Like most games at this level, all results are possible and if City play as well as last time out there’s every reason to be confident.
However, if that’s impossible to predict, the likely starting line-up may not be so. Folan and Harper remain unavailable, though Andy Dawson has emerged fit from an X-ray on his injured wrist. Jimmy Bullard is thought to be suffering no ill-effects from his 90 minutes – so the only question is one of tactics. City’s midfield was given a surprisingly easy ride by Derby, but Forest are unlikely to repeat that mistake. Will Nigel Pearson recall Ian Ashbee to add steel to the Tigers in the centre of the pitch – and at whose expense? For the visitors, they’ll be able to recall Robert Earnshaw to the squad. He missed their last fixture, and while he may not be risked from the start he should secure a place on the bench as Forest bid to become the first team to score at the Circle this season.
With no meetings between the sides since the days of the halfpenny and Pelé still playing, past meetings are wholly irrelevant. So, with a new feeling of optimism, the Sky cameras present for a 5.20pm kick-off, let’s hope our home form continues to hold up.
As uncompelling as the scoreline suggests, though both sides did have chances to win this first meeting of the two since the 1976-77 season.
