How Nottingham Forest must long for some normalcy. The last few weeks have been chaotic, even by the standards of this endearingly eccentric football club.
They have lamented the departure of Steve Cooper, the manager who rescued them from the depths of the Championship. They have hired leading sports lawyer Nick De Marco KC to assist them in avoiding any Premier League charges for financial violations. They’ve even faced questions about why Jonjo Shelvey’s contract termination was initially reported as a loan.
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A low-octane, drama-free progression to the FA Cup fourth round would have been most welcome against that backdrop. Naturally, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were given a scare by League One Blackpool. Finally, the Portuguese manager was grateful to Nicolás Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White for canceling out Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel and Albie Morgan goals to force a replay.
Blackpool, who humiliated Forest in the third round last season, deserve credit. True, goals aside, they provided very little forward thrust. However, there is no room for criticism here: a third-tier team traveling to face Premier League opposition must focus on the result rather than the entertainment. In a sport that is increasingly billed as requiring a PhD to fully comprehend, watching a team sit deep and attempt to frustrate the opposition has its own simple beauty.
The visitors did, in fact, irritate Forest players and fans. Early attempts by Chris Wood and Gibbs-White were unsuccessful. Each one was met with groans. Blackpool then had the audacity to attack Forest. Twice.
The first came from Karamoko Dembélé’s jinking run. His cross was propped up against the back post. Lawrence-Gabriel, formerly of Forest, headed in after Gonzalo Montiel directed his defensive header back toward his own penalty spot. While he avoided any sort of celebration, the pockets of visiting fans more than compensated.
Forest’s situation quickly deteriorated. CJ Hamilton’s low cross fizzed across the six-yard box while saliva was still being applied to wounds. Albie Morgan met it and steered home via both posts from an acute angle. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, and Murillo just stood there, arms stretched inquisitively.
Surprisingly, not much has changed. Even though the tempo was slow, Forest maintained control of the ball. Blackpool attempted to close the door. Unfortunately, they failed – at least for them. When Gibbs-White discovered Wood’s feet on the edge of the area, the deficit was cut in half. He clung to it; he clung to it even more; he fed Montiel on the overlap.
Dominguez met the resulting cross, and the bulging net brought joy and relief to City Ground. West Bridgford residents apparently missed the memo that this competition is now more Muggle than Wizard. The’sold out’ signs had been electronically hung early last week, and those in attendance had arrived with bated breath.
They expected Wood to equalize from Gibbs-White’s through ball immediately before the break. However, the finish on the wood was dull. While Nuno’s programme notes were only about 80 words long, he almost certainly had more to say as his team sucked interval oranges.
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Both urgency and impetus were immediately discernible. The passing triangles were faster. And soon after, Gibbs-White’s angled strike from 18 yards restored parity. Nuno and his coaching staff celebrated by huddling together in their technical area because it was stunning.
Forest worked hard to complete the turn. Dan Grimshaw’s reflex save denied Ryan Yates; Hudson-Odoi drifted in from the left but struck straight at Grimshaw; and Wood could have won it right at the end. Forest, on the other hand, has a midweek seaside trip planned.
