As is usually the case, Rangers came away from Nottingham Forest with nothing after being on the end of a scandalous penalty decision and a quite brilliant headed goal. In truth a defeat was hard on the R’s but the fact remains that we should really be going to teams in the lower reaches and knocking them over.

As was mooted in the week Olly tinkered with his formation and went for a 4-5-1. Day was in goal behind Bignot, Santos, Shittu and Padula. Bircham was missing with flu so the midfield five lined up as Ainsworth, Bean, Gallen, debutant Miller and Cook. Furlong was left ploughing a lonely furrow up front. Youngster Ryan Johnson was on the bench for the first time.

The game was a scrappy affair from the off and was not being helped by referee Lee Mason who seemed intent on blowing his whistle every time two players came within a yard of one another. Rangers had the first real effort on goal and it was courtesy of debut boy Adam Miller. Having surged forward on the right he flicked the ball over the head of Gregor Robertson before lashing a left footed volley at goal that was acrobatically turned away by Paul Gerrard. From the corner Miller hammered another volley high into the Trent End.

Forest then took the lead in highly controversial circumstances. David Johnson chased a through ball with Shittu and as soon as he felt the lightest brush of Dan’s hand he threw himself to the ground. Even as the ball came through I turned to my mate and said, “pen”, as Johnson’s reputation goes before him. He hits the deck more often than a WWII Japanese kamikaze squadron and it was typical of his performance that referee Mason fell for it. Andy Reid took the spot kick only too see Day plunge to his left to block it. The ball fell back to Reid and he slotted the ball home. In these days where encroachment is so harshly punished if you don’t hold it you have no chance. The next step is to just ask the goalie to stand aside and let the taker have an unfettered path to goal.

The goal boosted the confidence of this lowly Forest team and for the next twenty minutes the Rangers penalty area resembled Rourke’s Drift as wave after wave of Forest attackers poured forward. Their game plan was clear, get the ball to the edge of the box and wait for Johnson to go down. He failed to win a second pen with another blatant dive and only weak refereeing prevented him being cautioned.

Day saved at point blank range from Forest’s best player on the day, Alan Rogers. From the rebound former loan Ranger Gareth Taylor headed over the gaping goal. Evans and Reid now took over with a display of power packed shooting from dead ball situations. First Reid hammered a shot through the wall that Day did well to turn away then Evans sent a shot screaming in that was once again repelled by the R’s stopper.

Rangers were fortunate to be going in at the break only one goal down. Olly had been forced to dispense with his new formation midway through the half and pushed Gallen up alongside Furlong as he was getting no change from Morgan and Hjelde. It was from his more attacking position that Gallen nearly equalised with the second half barely a minute old.

Ainsworth was played in by Furlong and he lashed the ball across goal. It was neither a cross nor a shot and Gallen did all he could to get hold of it, he slid into the six yard box but his touch was not enough to deflect it on target. The breakthrough was not long coming though and Rangers were back on terms after 49 minutes.

Padula launched a long freekick from just inside the Forest half and Shittu rose to nod the ball down. Georges swooped in showing excellent predatory instincts to send a shot in off both posts for his fourth of the season. It was a lovely touch from Dan and a sublime finish from his centre back partner. I had visions of referee Mason dishing out a second yellow for over celebrating but luckily he kept his cards firmly in his pocket.

Rangers were fired up now and Miller forced yet another fine save from Gerrard with a powerfully struck shot that skimmed in low and seemed destined for the bottom corner. At the other end Forest were still creating chances with Rogers giving Bignot a torrid time. Crosses were coming in and Santos and Shittu were not dealing with them, we were fortunate that Johnson is almost entirely bereft of confidence in front of goal or we could have been looking at Elland Road MkII. Johnson headed wide but minutes later Jack Lester had a similar chance and made no mistake.

Rogers hared down the wind and delivered an inch perfect ball into the box. Lester was some way out when he met it but his header was right into the top corner giving Day no chance at all. It was a fabulous goal and one that you sensed Rangers would struggle to hit back from.

Rangers were denied an advantage when Jon Olav Hjelde hauled Furlong down as he powered toward goal. It was hard to see whether it was inside or outside the box but it was not hard to see the blatant foul. Idiot Mason proved that theory wrong though as he simply ignored it, I guarantee that if a less honest player than Furlong, Johnson perhaps, had been in that position the fall would have been so theatrical as to make his mind up in an instant.

Rangers were rightly furious and piled forward to try and grab an equaliser. All too often though, it seemed that good balls into the box were not being attacked. Miller put in a couple of beauties having now been moved to the right side. Cureton and McLeod were both on by now and neither of them seemed to get up to the pace of the game. Cureton had a decent shout for a penalty turned down when Morgan almost ripped the shirt from his back as he turned sharply.

An even more blatant penalty was turned down minutes before the end when Shittu went up for a header at the far post. His shirt was being pulled to such an extent that you could see the whole of his back and the linesman must have been looking straight at it. With a vociferous section of Forest fans right behind him though he decided that being discreet was the better option and he kept his flag by his side.

With almost the last kick of the game Gallen shaved Gerrard’s right hand post with a stinging drive but it was not to be Rangers’ day and the City Ground erupted at the sound of Mason’s whistle. This defeat made it five away defeats on the bounce and something needs to be done to halt what is a seriously poor run of form on the road.

Too many people failed to perform at their best. Bignot was given the run around by Rogers all day and Santos and Shittu seem confused when crosses come into the box. Gallen did little in midfield and Ainsworth and Cook were largely anonymous as were their replacements Cureton and McLeod. Furlong was isolated too often and certainly got no help from the referee unlike his unbalanced opponent at the other end.

Good points to come out of the game were the performances of Day, Padula, Miller and Bean. Day was simply outstanding, unlucky with the first goal and helpless with the second. Gino seems far more like his old self and the confidence and swagger seems to be returning. Bean and Miller in midfield were excellent and you could be looking at our central pairing for years to come if they both manage to develop and move forward. If you didn’t know this was Miller’s debut you would think that he was a seasoned pro such was the confidence that flowed through his game.

A tough home game against Ipswich awaits us now and I think that at HQ we are a match for anyone. The same cannot be said away from home and Olly needs to think long and hard about how he is going to arrest this alarming run of form. Five games lost on the trot, fourteen conceded and only five scored. We need to find a way of holding onto the ball away from home and not inviting pressure onto us as we seem to be cracking too easily.

simon@qprnet.com