A painful but necessary defeat

You didn't honestly believe Forest were going to get to Wembley, did you? Okay, so we hadn't lost at the City Ground since September, and hadn't conceded a goal there in eight matches, but when it comes to play-off semi-finals Forest just never deliver, so although the second half collapse against Blackpool felt shocking, it's not really a surprise.

I genuinely did want us to go through to Wembley, yes, but I'm secretly feeling relieved more than anything to be absolutely truthful. It was a very painful way to lose, but it would have been a lot harder to come to terms with if it happened at Wembley. We've now got experience of three play-off semi-final failures in the space of seven years, so we as a fan base have become used to dealing with it. But if you think I felt heartbroken last night, you would be quite wrong. 'Majorly disappointed' would best sum up my feelings. Usually I can't abide the players saying they are disappointed with a result when they should be saying they are gutted or devastated. But last night's defeat was nowhere near as soul-destroying as the Yeovil semi-final three years ago. Back then I finished the match unable to look up as the players trudged off the pitch in tears. I couldn't move out of my seat as I sat there crying my eyes out as my dad and brothers stood around trying in vain to console me. This time around, although I did come close to shedding tears when Forest found themselves chasing three goals, I made sure I stood with my scarf aloft my head as the players did a walk around at the end. Obviously they did not deserve to be applauded for their performance on the night, but the season overall has defied all our expectations, so for that the squad did deserve recognition. It made me feel so much better when right at the end of the game the Forest fans who had not already left the ground gave the dejected players a big round of applause. I was very concerned that people would be feeling very sorry for themselves and that the players would leave the field in disgrace. That would have been a very sad conclusion to a brilliant season, so I am so glad the fans had the good grace to do that, because it not only made ourselves feel better, but the players, too. Some of them had sunk to the ground with their heads bowed after the game, which made for a depressing sight, but I think they will realise it's probably best that we're still in the Championship because it will mean the squad will be largely the same next season with one or two additions.

Whoever we do sign, the absolute top priority is a left back. It's ridiculous that we've gone throughout the whole season not having a recognised one with the exception of Nicky Shorey who was with us on loan for a while. Had we persuaded Shorey to stay on, I think we might well have gone on to make automatic promotion. Instead, left back has been filled by a number of players since Shorey's departure, none of whom are comfortable playing there. Chris Cohen, Chris Gunter, Luke Chambers, and most recently James Perch have all been deployed in the position at some stage. It was the lack of a good quality left back that I think was our downfall last night as the defence completely fell apart in the second half as a four-goal blast from Blackpool, three of which came from DJ Campbell, put paid to Forest's Wembley hopes once and for all.

It had all started so promisingly when Robbie Earnshaw, who earned a recall to the side, gave Forest an early lead in the seventh minute. The roof virtually came off the City Ground. At half time, following a good first 45-minute display, the Forest fans had plenty of reasons to be hopeful of victory. But terrible defensive errors after the break saw Blackpool inflict a humiliating defeat on Forest. They went back in front on aggregate ten minutes into the second half when Campbell slotted past Lee Camp, who perhaps shouldn't have come out of his goal to claim the ball. But within ten minutes Forest were on level terms again when Earnshaw scored from six yards out for his second goal of the night. Cue very loud chants of 'Robbie Earnshaw is a red' from three quarters of the stadium. That must have left a lump in his throat, but his brace turned out to mean nothing in the end as Blackpool were out to spoil the party, although they were given a considerable helping hand by the Forest team, who defended woefully. Substitute Stephen Dobbie's deflected long-range shot made it 3-2 on aggregate to Blackpool with 18 minutes to go, and within four minutes a horrible mistake by Perch in a dangerous area allowed Campbell to score a second, and leave Forest needing two goals to draw level. With ten minutes plus injury time remaining, that might have been achievable, but in the 80th minute Campbell completed his hat-trick and left Forest's Wembley dream in tatters. A goal in injury time made the scoreline on the night a little bit more respectable when substitute Dele Adebola scored from close range, but Forest had to concede that over the two legs they had been second best and Blackpool deserved to go through. They may have finished sixth, three places lower than Forest, but having beaten us four times this season, we cannot claim to be a better side then them. Last night's performance showed that we have got a lot of work to do before we can genuinely say we're worthy of Premiership football. Good luck to Blackpool, though. If they go up, they're going to need it. As for Forest, we're probably better off out of it.

Advantage Blackpool, but home form makes us favourites for Wembley

I had a feeling that if Forest could get away with a one-goal deficit in the first leg at Blackpool then they would have a great chance of emerging the winners on aggregate back at the City Ground.

I don't want to tempt fate too much (God knows we were all guilty of that three years ago against Yeovil), but I am very confident that we will do enough on Tuesday night to win and at least take the game into extra time if need be. We may have lost to Blackpool three times this season already, but let's not forget that their victory over us at home was right at the start of the season when we hadn't hit form yet. And besides, our team that day was a lot different to how it is now. Rob Earnshaw won't be up front all on his own for one thing, and Paul Anderson, who was left on the subs bench that day, should be occupying one of the wings. He terrorised Blackpool yesterday with his pace, so hopefully will be a key player for us in the second leg. There will be no point in man-marking him, because we have many other sources of danger in our team, so we will be very hard to stop. Blackpool could put ten men behind the ball, but they will still have a difficult job, so I think they are going to go all out on the attack and try and get a second goal. This should help us as they will leave themselves open at the back. Whatever happens, it's going to be a very exciting and nervy evening, but it won't be anywhere near as devastating as that terrible night in 2007 against Yeovil. We simply had to get out of League One that season, but I don't think many fans would be too upset once the dust has settled on another play-off defeat that we are still in the Championship, considering how far we've come in a year.

It was a tremendous boost to hear that Paul McKenna was back in the starting line-up after seemingly being ruled out for the rest of the season. There had been some murmurs that he would have an outside chance of making it. To be honest, I think he was probably available for the last couple of weeks, but Billy Davies sensibly decided to give him extra time to recover, and perhaps fool Forest's potential play-off opponents into thinking he wouldn't be playing. It was a huge lift for the Club at the end of a pretty good week that saw us clinch the permanent £1.5 million signing of Radoslaw Majewski, and Chris Cohen's quick recovery from a bout of Mumps, which had threatened to rule him out of the play-offs altogether, was also a shot in the arm.

Cohen must have been very worried that he would miss out on all the excitement when he fell ill, so it's no wonder he looked so delighted when he gave Forest an early lead with a long-range pile driver from the edge of the penalty area. It was a goal worthy of the good-quality passing football that Forest were playing, but their lead did not last long as Blackpool were back on level terms less than 15 minutes later when Kevin Southern netted from close range. It was a really entertaining first 45 minutes with Forest having the better chances. Dexter Blackstock and Wes Morgan both went extremely close to restoring the lead, while Lee Camp had relatively little to do at the other end.

While Blackpool failed to trouble Camp much after the break, sadly Forest offered little themselves. Perhaps Davies was content to play for a draw rather than go for goals, but it was a decision that may come back to haunt him as Forest had really looked very threatening before the break and could easily have gone on to score a few goals in the second half and set themselves up as red-hot favourites to reach Wembley. But James Perch, who it's got to be said had a very shaky game at right back, gave away a penalty just before the hour-mark, and Charlie Adam, a constant thorn in Forest's side all season, made it 2-1 from the penalty spot. The closest Forest came to equalising was when Cohen produced an excellent save from the Blackpool goalkeeper with another long-range shot in the dying moments of injury time. What a hero he would have been had it gone in, and considering his ill-health leading up to the game, it would have been some story.

Still, the result could have been a lot, lot worse. I think Davies will be much happier than Ian Holloway with the scoreline because really to have the upper hand in this two-legged tie Blackpool could have done with a two-goal cushion. It really is all to play for on Tuesday night. I actually think that the fact that we are chasing the game this time around could work in our favour. Against Yeovil, even before the game, the Forest players were accused of believing their place at Wembley had already been assured, and their shocking performance certainly backed up those claims. They will not be complacent this time around and know that they are going to have to be at their very best to go through.

Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, this season has been lovely jubbly!

At last the play-off final places have been sorted out, and Forest will be meeting Blackpool in the semi-finals with the first leg to be played next Saturday lunchtime. Bring them on!

As I've been saying throughout the season, I am not bothered if we go up or not. I personally feel right at home in the Championship and will feel sad to leave it, and if we do go up, I am not sure I will feel as high as a kite like I did two years ago when we got out of League One on the final day. I really want to feel ecstatic, and maybe I will be swept up in the euphoria on the day, but at the moment I just feel cold when I think of the Premiership. I will be very sad to see this wonderful squad of ours broken up after only a season. Only two or three of them are capable of making it in the top flight, so we would need major surgery just to make us competitive. We will be everybody's favourites to come straight back down, and we could end up being as bad as Derby were, or worse...perish the thought. It might be exciting at first, but after a while when we've gone something like 15 games without a win, it will be a chore going to games with the feeling that we are half-beaten before we've even kicked a ball. Do you really want ten months of that? I know I don't.

Blackpool are the only team who have beaten us both home and away this season so they may feel that gives them a psychological advantage, while Forest will be seeing it as a revenge mission. Forest only visited Blackpool two weeks ago, where we lost lost 3-1. Many of our first team players were rested that day, mind you, so it's difficult to gauge anything from it. But with Forest having not won away in ten games, Blackpool will have every right to feel confident in the first leg. They will be desperate to get at least a two-goal cushion because they would then come up against Forest's formidable home record of 18 wins in 20 games. Incidentally the last time Forest were beaten in the League at the City Ground was against...yes, you guessed it, Blackpool. We suffered a 1-0 defeat against them back in September, but it was a game we didn't deserve to lose, even if our team line-up that day was a little bit suspect. I remember being angry with Davies for playing the diminutive Robbie Earnshaw up on his own that day. No wonder we did everything but score!

I'm so glad that we finished third in the table, because we have had a great season and deserve to be rewarded for it as much as possible. It was a shame that we couldn't hold on to our 2-0 lead at Scunthorpe. We looked completely in control at half time after goals from Joe Garner and George Boyd (remember him?), but Scunny got themselves back into it early in the second half, and a ghastly mistake by substitute Gareth McCleary three minutes from the end gifted the home side an equaliser and denied Forest victory on the last day of the season. Not that the result really mattered as Forest still finished third as Cardiff, needing a win to overhaul us, lost at Derby. The really interesting games were elsewhere at Swansea and Blackpool, where victory for either could have seen them earn the final play-off place, but Blackpool were the ones who qualified even though they only managed to draw against Bristol City as Swansea failed to beat Doncaster. I'm just relieved we have managed to avoid Leicester. If we are to lose the play-off semi-finals, then I would have hated it to have been against them. We'd already endured a heavy thrashing at the Walkers' Stadium a couple of months ago, and the thought of them doing the same in the first leg filled me with dread. It would have been humiliating against a team that regards us as their biggest rivals. But if we meet them at Wembley, I think it would be a tight game. A Forest-Leicester final would be the dream scenario from a media point of view. I have had a gut feeling we would be meeting Leicester again this season for a long time, so I really believe it is going to happen! I may not necessarily want to get promoted, but I really do want to visit Wembley with Forest. I was only ten and just a teletext fan when Forest treated it like their second home, and it would make up for us missing out so cruelly three years ago.