Barnsley 1-0 Nottingham Forest (EFL Championship) 19.07.20

Nottingham Forest failed to take a point against bottom of the table Barnsley at Oakwell this afternoon in what could perhaps be suggested as the club’s worst performance under Manager Sabri Lamouchi.

The Reds made the short trip up the M1 knowing a point would be all they needed to secure playoff status although goal difference could now also come into play with Forest favourable of clinching a spot should they not lose too heavily in their final game of the season v Stoke and Swansea win big with Cardiff taking something from their last game of the season on Wednesday, and with that conundrum in mind, Lamouchi changed his tactics to play five at the back against a team who needed to win, otherwise they would be down.

In came Dawson for two goal Swans hero Ameobi whilst Goalkeeper Jordan Smith made his first appearance since Chelsea in the FA Cup in January as the Reds looked content from the off in simply trying to stop Barnsley scoring for the point that would ensure Forest’s playoff push wouldn’t go into the seasons last game.

Up against it from the off, within five minutes of the start Barnsley had twice tested Smith in the Forest net with chances for Mowatt and Luke Thomas before the visitors created their first opportunity of the afternoon on ten when Grabban scuffed his shot wide.

Watson tried his luck from range on 18 to no avail whilst Chaplin nipped in at the other end as Dawson and Figueiredo left the ball for each other for the Barnsley man to shoot wide.

As Forest struggled to get any rhythm going it was the home side who pushed for an opener as Thomas clipped the top of the bar on 33 the best piece of action from both sides in a half that couldn’t have ended soon enough.

The second half felt even more miserable than the first as both sides made changes it was Ritzmaier who clipped the post for the home team on 67 with a deflected long range shot.

Barnsley pressed as Worrall cleared off the line from Wolfe’s header on 73 before Williams struck over with ten minutes remaining.

As both sides looked to stutter to a goalless draw which would have been pleasing for the Reds but disastrous for Barnsley it was last chance saloon for the home side as they threw the kitchen sink at Forest and in the end, four minutes into injury time it paid off as Schmidt turned home an unlikely winner that could well save the Yorkshire sides season.

Another last minute goal conceded for Forest but when you defend for so long in periods like they have done this season it’s bound to be obvious that these things will continue to happen. A massive mistake perhaps by Sabri to play for the point against lowly opposition and now Forest must lose by less than two and hope Swansea don’t win by any more than three if they are to stutter into a place that they should have clinched three games ago.

Still plenty of permutations left in the season but it’s far from looking capable that Forest can do the job alone, they may need help from elsewhere and with Cardiff facing Hull at home and Swansea travelling to Reading, the Reds match at home to Stoke is frighteningly for fans now looking like a potential banana skin that could make the impossible possible?

Barnsley: Walton, Sollbauer, Andersen, Williams (Halme 87), Ludewig (Woodrow 46), Ritzmaier (Schmidt 82), Mowatt, Styles, Thomas (Wolfe 67), Brown, Chaplin.

Nottingham Forest: Smith, Jenkinson (Benalouane 85), Dawson, Figueiredo (Mighten 94), Worrall, Ribeiro, Watson, Sow, Silva (Yates 58), da Costa (Ameobi 58), Grabban.

Venue: Oakwell

*Main image @NFFC Forest lose to yet another last minute goal.