No disgrace in defeat as plucky Forest bow out

Even though we lost the game last night, I came away feeling really satisfied as we had played so well against Premiership opposition and did not deserve to go out of the League Cup.

In the first ten minutes or so, Forest couldn't get hold of the ball and it looked like we were going to be in for a long evening, but Forest gradually found their stride, and soon they were enjoying vast amounts of possession, playing some really good passing football, which Brian Clough would have been extremely proud of, watching from above. I thought that the whole team was excellent last night, and I was really impressed with their never say die spirit. It would have been easy to just give up when Sunderland went in front in extra time, but Forest kept on pushing them all the way, and even though they were left with nothing to show for their efforts in the end, they can be really proud of themselves.

Robbie Earnshaw's free-kick was absolutely brilliant, and I loved his somersault celebration, although I do worry about him injuring himself one of these fine days! Still, he has been practising them an awful lot, and nothing's happened to him so far. He is loving playing for Forest, and I'm really happy for him that things are working out. He had a dreadful time at Derby (well, who wouldn't to be fair?) and now he has been given this new lease of life. To say that he has scored four in five matches even though he's been up front on his own is quite an achievement. I can't wait until the other strikers are back to full fitness. I think we'll have a really exciting forward line when Earnshaw, Nathan Tyson, Andy Cole, Joe Garner, and Paul Anderson are all available.

It is a pity that they had to equalise so late on, but I think it was inevitable in many ways. We were becoming rather tired having worked so hard, and Sunderland seemed to be taking it easy and just stepped up a gear when it mattered most. That's probably the sign of being a good team. They scored early on in extra time, and despite Forest's best efforts, managed to hold on and book their passage into round three. Forest used to really love the League Cup, but over the years this competition has really become devalued in importance, and even though a place in Europe is guaranteed for the winners, not many teams, big or small, seem to take it too seriously these days. I myself am not bothered about it any more and just want Forest to concentrate on consolidating in the Championship, and possibly even challenge for a place in the top six. Judging by our performances so far this season, I certainly feel a lot more confident that we won't be making a hasty return to League One.