Hughes the fuse

Nottingham Forest 0 West Ham United 2 Bowen 45, Hughes 54 Att endance: 23,35

THE HAMMERS blew into Nottingham and snatched three points with the minimum of effort from the City ground, leaving Forest still seeking their first home Premiership win as the bleak midwinter approaches. Even allowing for the absence of their leading goalscorer, Kevin Campbell, if Forest don't pull their socks up the midwinter could be bleak indeed.

West Ham's polyglot collection were far more fluent, especially after Ian Bishop and John Moncur conspired with the roving Michael Hughes to take command of the midfield, where Ian Woan looked an increasingly wan figure as the game wore on and the support he needed from the likes of Bryan Roy and Alfie Haaland failed to materialise. With the flying Australian Stan Lazaridis cantering up and down the visitors' left wing they could conjure up more real threat with a handful of passes than Forest mustered in the 90 minutes.

The Londoners even survived being reduced to 10 men for the last 34 minutes with the sending off of Marc Rieper for pulling back Roy as the Dutchman headed for goal.

They were already one up through Mark Bowen sneaking in at Mark Crossley's left-hand post to head home a Lazaridis cross in the 44th minute. Their second came a minute after Rieper's dismissal. Tony Cottee survived two tackles to clatter his shot against Crossley and the rebound flew to the advancing Hughes, who promptly hammered it home.

Forest lost Nikola Jerkan when the Croat was felled by a Moncur tackle which earned a justified booking. West Ham had already reshuffled their depleted resources when Cottee was pulled off after the second goal and replaced by Tim Breacker.

Jason Lee's arrival for the injured Jerkan momentarily perked up the Forest attack, although a splendid piece of magic involving Bishop and Moncur on the break gave Iain Dowie a free header, but the Northern Ireland striker glanced it wide.

Forest certainly didn't lack the spirit to manoeuvre a comeback although their slack finishing and West Ham's keeper Steve Mautone ensured that it did not materialise. The addition of the energetic Hughes to the skill and vision that Bishop and Moncur can muster between them proved the decisive factor.