A win at long last, but is the damage already done?

Sorry you had to wait so long for my latest blog to appear. I have only just got over the shock of winning away from home!

I remember telling my mum as we were eating our dinner that I was preparing for another depressing evening ahead, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see us (a) play well for 90 minutes (b) win our first game since the last Olympics and (c) gain our first away points after losing all our previous six games on our travels.

I don't know who or what made the difference, but Forest showed a huge amount of grit and determination, which to be honest they had shown a lot of this season, but not been rewarded for it. Against Crystal Palace, though, their hard work finally paid off as Forest capitalised on a lacklustre performance from the home side to earn a crucial three points, which saw them swap places with Doncaster and lift themselves off the foot of the Championship table. And what an important win it has turned out to be, because the picture could be very bleak now if we had lost or drawn as we'd be eight or nine points adrift and staring relegation firmly in the face.

I think the return of Robert Earnshaw to the fold following a short injury lay-off may just coincide with an upturn in our fortunes. We just seem to have more confidence when he is in the team, and on Tuesday night he and Joe Garner were playing up front together for the first time as Forest played 4-4-2 and we just sounded so much better going forward. We created a lot of chances and made their goalkeeper work hard, which is just so unlike what we have been used to away from home in recent times. We also defended well, and dare I say it, but I think Ian Breckin being in central defence helped to steady the ship a bit. He was deputising for Kelvin Wilson, who was injured, but I would like to see Breckin given an extended run in the team. After all he does have a lot of Championship experience, and we probably need an old head at the back because they are all so young, and I'm not sure that's a good idea in a relegation battle.

Palace sounded quite poor, but I don't think that should detract from Forest's display. We have played many poor teams this season, but been just as poor ourselves, and consequently missed out on some much needed points, but at Selhurst Park there was not an awful lot wrong about our performance. I thought 'here we go again' when Palace equalised out of nothing with a long-range goal, and I was just waiting for them to score again, and once again leave us empty-handed. That goal had come shortly after both Garner and Earnshaw had departed the field, so I couldn't see us scoring, but for once lady luck was in our camp as eight minutes from time one of the substitutes Matt Thornhill bundled the ball over the line after the Palace goalkeeper spilled a shot from James Perch, who had been one on one with him. Colin Calderwood has come in for a lot of criticism regarding his substitutions, and sometimes rightly so, but when his substitute scores the winning goal, you have to take your hat off to him.

If Forest don't gain confidence from this win, there is something wrong with them. Let's not forget that Palace had won three of their previous four games, including a 2-0 win away to us. Even the most optimistic of fans would have said a draw would be a good result, so to beat them, and dominate the game for long spells is extremely pleasing. It is such a relief to see that we are no longer bottom of the Championship. It's an awful feeling seeing our name propping up the rest, and although we are still in a lot of trouble, at least we now have a bit more hope that we can turn our season around. This victory has come exactly at the right time as we prepare for the big game at Derby on Sunday lunchtime. Imagine going there rock bottom of the League with no wins in eleven games. Having beaten Palace, it will give us the belief that we are capable of beating the Sheep. They are slowly getting better and better, picking up some good results, but we will go there with a spring in our step, and I do not see why we can't beat them. Having Earnshaw back in the side certainly makes me feel better, and hopefully Paul Anderson will have recovered in time from the injury that kept him out of the game on Tuesday. With Anderson, Earnshaw and Garner all in the side, we could cause defences a lot of problems. We do look a lot better side playing 4-4-2. It looks as though Calderwood has finally realised that playing 4-3-3 just doesn't work in the Championship as he has ditched it lately. Forest have always flourished playing the old-fashioned 4-4-2 and it's what the supporters want. It does make me wonder that if we had all our key players available from the start, we wouldn't be in this mess. I just hope that the damage hasn't already been done.