Wycombe Wanderers 0-3 Nottingham Forest (EFL Championship) 06.02.21
Glenn Murray opened his Nottingham Forest account with a first start brace as the Reds thumped the Chairboys at Adams Park today.
37-year-old Murray was picked by Chris Hughton to start his first match after signing on a free last Monday from Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion and after a late cameo in the win at Coventry midweek, he took centre stage in Buckinghamshire this afternoon by netting after just seven minutes against bottom of the table Wycombe Wanderers to give the visiting team in Garibaldi an early lead.
A fantastic, composed finish by the veteran striker who raced through to coolly lob Allsop in the host’s goal. Just what Forest had been looking for in recent months often struggling when it comes to hitting target.
Manchester United loanee James Garner, who impressed midweek, went close himself to a first Forest goal, volleying wide from a Joe Worrall knockdown and Allsop saved from Knockaert as a hungry Forest went looking for more. All this inside the opening twenty minutes.
Ikpeazu headed over for Wycombe before Jordan Obita curled a free kick wide of Samba’s goal and the home side during a good spell for them, did have the ball in the back of the net when Ikpeazu scored with a header that looked to be impeccable, only for his effort to be ruled offside.
In the second half, play was just nine minutes in as the tormenting Glenn Murray was brought down tamely inside the box before calmly dusting himself off to place home despite a keepers hand to the rising ball.
The lead was made unassailable when Anthony Knockaert lashed home following substitute Joe Lolley’s low cross on 73, three-nil away, a good day at the office for Forest who bounce with back to back victories on the road for the first time this season.
Knockaert might have made it four… Lyle Taylor had late chances to score himself and end a personal league drought that has stretched sixteen games since the Reds last beat Wycombe, but It didn’t matter as the win was all the Reds wanted, the scoreline more than enough to take home, the Reds now the third best team in the league over the last ten matches, proof that the Manager Chris Hughton is starting to get things right.
Murray’s day too, the veteran will now rest up tonight ahead of more to come, more to do, Forest eighteenth in the table on 32 points although still just four above the drop zone… Not out of the woods yet, but certainly a good week for the football club and its marquee veteran signing.
Wycombe Wanderers: Allsop, Grimmer, Knight, Tafazolli, Obita, Wheeler, Ofoborth (Thompson 67), Bloomfield (Mehmeti 62), Horgan (Samuel 76), Ikpeazu (Akinfenwa 76), Onyedinma (McCleary 62).
Nottingham Forest: Samba, Christie, Figueiredo, Worrall, Bong, Cafu (Colback 82), Garner, Knockaert, Krovinovic, Freeman (Lolley 71), Murray (Taylor 76).
Venue: Adams Park
*Main image @NFFC Glenn Murray get’s his Nottingham Forest career off to a flyer.
