Nottingham Forest 1-1 Millwall (EFL Championship) 25.09.21

On a day when Nottingham Forest’s newest head coach Steve Cooper was revealed to the City Ground faithful for the very first time, it was a point shared with plucky Millwall who came to upset the welcoming party.

Testament to Millwall fans who prior to the game, displayed a reef for Dylan Rich, a young Nottingham Forest fan who tragically died after collapsing with a heart attack whilst playing for West Bridgford Colts. The side however weren’t in as kind and caring mood as their supporters, Matt Smith upsetting the Forest fans mood with a goal on the half hour, Smith last season scored a hat-trick at the City Ground in a 3-0 win for the Lions, he headed home superbly past the standing Brice Samba after a cracking cross by Sheyi Ojo.

Forest went in at the break a goal down but certainly not out of spirits, the philosophy to keep the ball on the deck and play out from the back plain to see, and it was a freakish goal early in the second half that drew the Reds level, from an unlikely source, as Max Lowe crossed to the back post, beyond everyone, above and over the goalkeeper, looping into the far corner, Lowe didn’t even celebrate, embarrassed somewhat by his attempted centre flying into the back of the net, Reds fans didn’t care, Steve Cooper didn’t care, Forest back on terms.

The Reds pushed but couldn’t find a winner, Millwall good value for their point, as ever, in the Championship, nothing is made easy.

After the match, Cooper stated on his sides performance “We could have done better with the final pass and could have created more chances and we will do that going forward because we have enough ability in the team.”

Cooper said “I know we have things to work on, but in the five days that I’ve been here all I’ve seen is a set of players who care and want to do well.”

Optimism that the Reds can start to push up the table, the side are now unbeaten in two matches since the sacking of Chris Hughton, taking four points in the process and are now 22^nd in the table, just two points from Peterborough outside those relegation places, next up is back to back away games with Barnsley on Wednesday before Birmingham on Saturday.

Nottingham Forest: Samba, Spence, Worrall, Figueiredo, McKenna, Lowe, Yates, Garner, Johnson (Mighten 88), Lolley (Zinckernagel 68), Grabban (Taylor 27).

Millwall: Bialkowski, Ballard, Hutchinson, Wallace, Leonard, Kieftenbeld (Mitchell 78), Saville, Malone, Mahoney (Afobe 69), Smith, Ojo (Evans 78).

Venue: City Ground (25,589)

*Main image @NFFC Steve Cooper draws his first match in charge of Forest.