Reds might have to be content feeding off scraps

People should be forgiven for thinking that Forest are a one-man team, such has been Lewis McGugan's recent influence. McGugan has made himself undroppable from the first team as he has contributed six goals to Forest's cause so far this season, and was once again the hero last night as his shot-cum-cross from a free kick early in the second half proved to be enough to beat managerless Middlesbrough.

The stunning strike, whether it was a fluke or not, was a rare exciting moment in a game which in the first half had really threatened to descend into a damp squib. The first 40 minutes or so were dire to put it mildly. I was bored to tears as Forest struggled to find a way through a dogged Middlesbrough midfield. The three-man central midfield combination of McGugan, Paul McKenna, and Raddy Majewski, who was handed a rare start by stand-in boss Ned Kelly, wasn't really working, and with Dexter Blackstock once again deployed in a lone striker's role, Forest were resorting to desperate long-balls. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, were having more luck at the other end and could have been one or two goals up at half time, were it not for the safe pair of hands of Lee Camp.

Thankfully the second half was a much better spectacle, and when McGugan scored five minutes in, it settled Forest and they were able to hold on to the three points for only their third win of the season. I get the feeling that victories are going to be hard to come by this season, and we're going to have to be grateful for whatever scraps we can get our hands on.