Tricky Trees Share Spoils With Lilywhites

Nottingham Forest 1 Leeds United 1

Honours were even at the City Ground in this afternoon’s match in the Championship as two former Premier League heavyweights met. Both Leeds and Forest got off the mark for the campaign registering their first points of the season. Billy Davies’s side took the lead inside the first ten minutes when enterprising fullback Chris Gunter crossed expertly on his weaker left foot for Dexter Blackstock to head in across the dive of Kasper Schmeichel. Having made a flying start Forest should have probably been two or three up but only took that single chance, allowing the Lilywhites to equalise on thirty-five minutes when mammoth centre half Wes Morgan made an uncharacteristic error allowing Bradley Johnson’s cross to be met by Lloyd Sam to nod past Lee Camp.

From then on the game became a scrappy affair with the Reds unrecognisable in the second forty-five from the team that played with such freedom and creativity in the first. Gunter was involved in an unsavoury incident where he stamped on Sanchez Watt and was lucky to escape with only a booking. This will bring into question the young defender’s temperament once more as he has been ‘wound up’ like this on previous occasions, most notably during last season’s Midlands derby with Nigel Clough’s Derby County. Leeds substitute Adam Clayton was also lucky not to be punished for both kicking the ball away in dissent and a poor tackle late on almost immediately after taking to the field.

There can be no doubt Simon Grayson will be happier with a draw than Billy Davies, but United continue to be without key trio Patrick Kisnorbo, Robert Snodgrass and Max Gradel who remain unavailable due to injuries and suspension. The Leeds manager thus named the same side that lost to Derby on the opening day and the brushing of Lincoln in the Carling Cup midweek aside their start to the campaign has for me exposed their lack of strength and depth. Besides the tireless Luciano Becchio quality is lacking up front, with Billy Paynter also on the treatment table and then there is the fact that he and the club’s other forwards Mike Grella and Davide Somma are unproven in this division. As I said last week mutterings of how to go about replacing Jermaine Beckford will continue but another forward option is essential for the Lilywhites and they have two weeks to make a purchase before the transfer window slams shut.

As for Forest, there certainly is more to come from them in the middle of the park. Captain Paul McKenna and the more attacking-minded Radoslav Majewski failed to impress today, perhaps the reflecting the long ball tactics and wing play focus that summed up the match. Positives to take from this for Billy Davies are firstly there was no evidence of Wes Morgan’s defensive partner Kelvin Wilson being unsettled by interest from Celtic, as had been reported in some quarters during the close season. Second the continuing good form and impressive displays of Camp between the sticks is encouraging. He displayed real bravery today, fearlessly rectifying a mistake when the ball slipped through his fingers from a set piece but recovering well, getting a knee in the head and a nasty wound for his trouble. It is this sort of bravado that makes the fans warm to a player.