Source: TheGuardian
Bristol City hold firm to add to toothless Nottingham Forest’s mounting woes
With the critical part of the season on the horizon, the Premier League chicane looming large, the last thing Nottingham Forest needed was another game to add to an already congested schedule. Forest, however, seem to have developed a habit of making life difficult for themselves and now they have added an unwanted FA Cup fourth-round replay against Bristol City into the calendar. With the potential for a points deduction for breaching financial rules a cold reality, the short-term focus is on creating as healthy a buffer as possible between them and the relegation zone. For Nuno Espírito Santo, dropping into the Championship is an unthinkable prospect, the Cup, realistically, a mild inconvenience.After disposing of West Ham in the previous round, City sniffed another upset against top flight opposition. For much of the first half, this was a cagey, tactile contest, both 18-yard boxes seemingly sterile environments. With a minute of the regular 45 to play, there was a flurry of chances, one at either end. The Forest supporters stationed in the Atyeo Stand, behind Matt Turner’s goal during the first half, thought they had taken the lead at the opposite end but Danilo’s first-time shot, after meeting Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cutback, rattled the City net via the advertising hoardings. Continue reading......read full article
