Nottingham Forest 3 v Barnsley 0 - EFL Championship

Tuesday 24th April 2018

SkyBet EFL Championship
at the City Ground
Nottingham Forest (2) 3
Lee Tomlin 26
Ben Brereton 36
Apostolos Vellios 89
Barnsley (0) 0
Admission £23. Programme £3.
Attendance 23,633 inc. 1,845 from Barnsley

Wow! Just as I was walking past the commemorative John
Robertson plaque, look who was coming in the opposite
direction at the same time. What a great photo opportunity.

The end of the season always throws up a good few improbable and surprising results; but while mathematically only Sunderland's fate has yet been confirmed in the battle against relegation at the foot of the Championship, however: following tonight's result, it would take a change of fortune on a par with that of the miracle of Saint Lazarus of Bethany, for Barnsley to survive the drop to League 1 after they were put to the sword by Aitor Karanka's side on a rain soaked night by the banks of the River Trent.
The pragmatic and evidently masochistic hordes of 1,845 Barnsley supporters, tucked into a corner of the Bridgford End, certainly seemed resigned to the fact that the slide into League 1 was now inevitable, as they belted out a few self depreciating verses of: "Accrington Stanley, we're coming for you!" But miracles do happen, so don't be making assumptions just yet.

The highly rated Jack Walton was making his first team debut in goal for the Tykes and showed why he is so well thought of in response to Forest's first real attack, when Michael Mancienne fed a knock forward over two approaching Barnsley defenders to Matty Cash, who went for precision rather than power, with a crisp shot on the turn, that was destined to sneak just inside the right hand post, until Walton reached it at full stretch and tipped the ball around the post.
Barnsley were desperate to get a foothold in the game and really ought to have been in front when the referee, Rob Jones, played an advantage after Danny Fox had tripped George Moncur just outside the area and the ball fell invitingly for Adam Hammill, who with the whole goal to aim at, thumped the ball against the pitch side advertising boards instead, prompting a chorus of: "That's why you're going down!" from the less than sympathetic home crowd.

Brad Potts then had a decent effort on goal thwarted by an even better block by Fox.
Lee Tomlin, ably assisted by Cash (the player, not some kind of financial inducement) had taken on the role of masters of ceremonies and was conducting the pace of the game, as Barnsley fought gamely not to concede a goal on what could turn out to be a make or break moment of their disappointing season, and it was inevitably the aforementioned duo who combined to open the scoring after twenty six minutes, when Cash showed a great touch to bring a high ball under control before stroking it inside to Tomlin who hooked a sublime looping shot over the visitors deep lying defence that dropped teasingly just under the bar, inches away from the grasping reach of Walton.

Forest were almost two goals to the good, when Liam Bridcutt challenged for a high ball, twelve yards from Walton's goal and cushioned a header towards Tomlin, who tested the young Barnsley keeper with an overhead kick, that he defiantly held onto.

From Walton's clearance, the visitors countered quickly and Oli McBurnie was unlucky that Stefanos Kapino was determined to keep a clean sheet tonight, as he pulled off a top drawer save down by the post to keeping out the Tykes number fifteen's curler, that moved about in the air a lot after hit left his right foot.

Back inside the Trent end goalmouth Adlene Guedioura attempted add to the score with another overhead kick... Forest must've been practising them in training... but Walton came good again and timed his dive well to keep the ball out.

Running away from goal and towards the edge of the area, Tomlin laid off a great back pass to the unmarked Ben Brereton, who sprinted diagonally across the face of the visitors goal and the run of their over exposed keeper, before rolling the ball past the stranded Walton, who was learning a valuable lesson tonight, that if he's ever playing with this team in front of him again, he must remember that if he wants anything doing, he'll most probably have to do it himself.
Juan Rafael Fuentes won't ever forget his Forest debut, as Dimitri Cavare clattered heavily into him moments before the half time whistle, meaning that he would would play no further part in the game, as he left the pitch on a stretcher.
HT: 2-0

Ben Osborn replaced Fuentes, and almost scored right at the start of the second half, but his dipping free kick was deflected over the bar.
Kieffer Moore reminded the hosts that the game wasn't over yet, when he broke free into their area, but his aim and execution of a great goal scoring, both left a hell of a lot to be desired.
Cash beat Walton, but didn't get the goal that his efforts tonight deserved, as his shot rebounded back off the upright.
Barnsley's urgency level was all but running on empty by now and they were running out of time and options as well, when Potts tried to beat Kapino from long distance, with the same outcome as his attempt to beat the agile Greek in the first half.

The home sides defence were looking strong, which is evidently the foundation that Aitor Karanka is looking to build on... and though his side have had some indifferent results of late, you have to recognise that right here, right now, is a transitional phase for Nottingham Forest, in preparation for next season, during which, if what I have seen at the City Ground recently is any kind of barometer, they won't be faffing and dawdling about below mid table and flirting with the relegation places next term.

Tomlin and Brereton, were both substituted for the final ten minutes by Joe Lolley and Apostolos Vellios respectively... and they were the two players who were involved in Karanka's side third goal, that gave the final score a more accurate reflection of how the game had gone, when Lolley charged past three Tykes players through the left channel and forced an acrobatic stop from Walton with a deft chip, but he could only push the ball into the path of Vellios,who netted with the simplest of finishes.
FT: Nottingham Forest 3 v Barnsley 0
Only one team were genuinely battling, showing any heart and looking like they had something to fight for tonight... and it wasn't Barnsley.