Forest make no real impression

Nottingham Forest 0 West Ham United

When Stuart Pearce is reduced to taking the mickey out of Iain Dowie's walk when Forest are two down and going nowhere, then you know something is not right at the City Ground.

Pearce's impersonation was actually one of the best moments of the match for for Forest, who looked rudderless and uninspired after playing reasonably well for the first 25 minutes. During that time, they might have had a penalty when Chris Allen darted past Mark Bowen before tumbling over a challenge by John Moncur. With Allen moving at such speed it was hard to imagine he had dived, but the referee decided he had, whereupon Moncur remonstrated so angrily with Allen that the Forest wing-back was booked.

That certainly knocked the stuffing out of Allen and Forest lost their width as a result. West Ham, with Stan Lazaridis on the left and Michael Hughes on the right had no such problems. After Marc Rieper had had a header cleared off the line by David Phillips, they took the lead when a cross from the left by Lazaridis sailed over Pearce and Dowie and dropped invitingly for Bowen to score at the far post.

Six minutes into the second half the game was won and lost. Rieper was sent off for pulling Bryan Roy back as the Dutchman looked to have a clear run on goal, but from the free-kick West Ham won possession, Tony Cottee ran half the length of the field, skipped past Allen and Phillips and took aim. His shot was saved by Crossley, but the Forest keeper could do nothing about the rebound which was seized upon emphatically by Hughes.

A chorus of "What a load of rubbish!" immediately rang out from the Forest faithful. Frank Clark, their manager, was booed when he popped his head out of the dug-out, and Forest's fairly lamentable attempts to get back on terms were accompanied by cries of "Sack the board!" or "Reacher out!," in reference to chairman Fred.

The supporters want to know where the money from Stan Collymore's sale and Euro 96 has gone, but Clark himself says that is not the problem. "The club made money available in the summer that I didn't think was there, and as far as I'm aware there isn't any money available at the moment. But that's a simplistic solution. We've got the answer in the dressing- room." They need to find it by tomorrow night, or Wycombe Wanderers will be celebrating a famous victory.

Goals: Bowen (43) 0-1, Hughes (52) 0-2.

Nottingham Forest: (3-4-1-2): Crossley; Cooper, Jerkan (Lee, 59), Pearce; Lyttle, Phillips, Woan, Allen; Haaland; Saunders, Roy. Substitutes not used: Bart-Williams, Gemmill, Howe, Fettis (gk).

West Ham United (4-4-2): Mautone; Bowen, Bilic, Rieper, Dicks; Hughes, Moncur, Bishop (Lampard, 90), Lazaridis; Cottee (Breacker, 52), Dowie. Substitutes not used: Dmitrescu, Jones, Shilton (gk).

Referee: G Willard (Worthing).

Bookings: Nottingham Forest: Phillips. West Ham United: Dowie, Moncur. Sent off: Rieper (51).

Man of the match: Bilic.

Attendance: 23,352.