Penalty blunder hands it to hosts

Nov 5 2007 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

AFTER 49 minutes of sound defending at the City Ground on Saturday, Tranmere literally handed victory to Nottingham Forest.

Up until Junior Agogo’s penalty, Rovers, backed by more than 1,000 travelling fans, had kept their hosts under wraps with a solid and resolute display.

Forest were a team burdened by the heavy weight of expectation and were short of confidence following a half-time booing from their own ‘supporters’.

Yet four minutes into the second half, Shane Sherriff seemed to inexplicably handle a Julian Bennett cross under no apparent pressure from a single Forest player and the home side were gifted an opener from which they never looked back.

Manager Ronnie Moore made just one change from the side that defeated Huddersfield Town 3-0 at Prenton Park eight days earlier with Steve Jennings replacing Mike Jones.

Tranmere’s best chance of the first half came in just the second minute when a Kevin Cooper free-kick was deflected wide for a corner on the left wing which Paul McLaren directed towards Gareth Taylor, but the ex-Forest centre-forward was denied a goal in front of the Trent End on this occasion as Paul Smith saved his header and the hosts scrambled the ball clear.

Playing the more measured football, Rovers threatened the home goal again when Jennings picked out Chris Greenacre at the back post but Kelvin Wilson deflected the ball clear for another corner with a crucial well-timed challenge.

As the half went on, Forest caused the visitors a few problems with a series of crosses from the left, and right-back Luke Chambers headed just over at the back post from a Chris Cohen free-kick.

Taylor, who was again receiving some harsh verbal treatment from sections of the home support, was then booked by referee Thorpe for dissent when he complained too vehemently over a free-kick given against him for an aerial challenge, seemingly gesturing towards Forest’s most vocal support in the Trent End whom he presumably believed had ‘won the decision’ for his former employers.

Previously untested for most of the opening period, Rovers keeper Danny Coyne was called into action in spectacular fashion just before the interval when the visitors failed to clear a teasing cross from the left by Kris Commons and the ball dropped to Forest’s tricky right winger Arron Davies, but his volleyed snap shot was athletically tipped over the bar by the experienced Welsh international.

The work that had gone into what had looked for 45 minutes as being a solid away performance against one of the division’s ‘glamour sides’ suddenly came undone four minutes after the restart when Tranmere conceded what seemed like a totally avoidable penalty.

Forest’s overlapping left-back Julian Bennett arrowed a strongly-hit left wing cross into the visitors’ penalty area but there were no home forwards in sight when Rovers left-back Sherriff inadvertently handled the ball.

Following the inevitable deliberations, Junior Agogo stepped up to fire the resultant spot-kick to Coyne’s left, with the keeper going the wrong way.

Forest were visibly lifted by their breakthrough goal and began to pen Rovers back into their own half.

With the visitors feeling the heat, manager Moore sought fresh impetus from a double substitution on 64 minutes as Kevin Cooper and Jennings made way for Craig Curran and Adnan Ahmed respectively.

Sherriff had a chance to atone for his earlier mistake when he almost equalised in unlikely circumstances.

The Australian floated in a left-wing cross which seemed to be over-hit but Smith in the Forest goal misjudged the flight of the pass and was forced to scoop the ball away from his crossbar at the back post.

Taylor collected possession from the rebound only to shoot wide.

Rovers did manage to get an effort on target soon after when a speculative cross-shot by Antony Kay from an acute angle forced Smith into a more orthodox save as he tipped the effort away for a corner kick.

However, as Rovers pushed forward in search of an equaliser, gaps increasingly appeared at the back and Tranmere were thankful for a Robbie Stockdale block at the feet of Nathan Tyson after the fleet-footed Forest substitute had been picked out by a clever diagonal pass by Agogo.

The warning signs were not heeded as the next time Forest surged forward on 78 minutes, Tyson delivered Forest’s knockout blow.

Left in acres of space to connect with a left wing cross by Bennett – whose delivery from similar range had forced the earlier penalty – the striker hammered in a volley via the crossbar with all the power of his boxing namesake Iron Mike.

By now, rampant Forest were attacking at will, with Coyne parrying away a Davies effort from the edge of the area after Rovers failed to clear a cross – again from the left – by Cohen.

There was almost a sting in the tail 30 seconds from the end of the four minutes of stoppage time but Rovers were denied a consolation when a powerful Taylor header at the near post from McLaren’s right-wing corner was blocked by Smith with the aid of the upright.

Moore declared last week that if Rovers could come through November’s “meaty” games intact, then they’d prove they’re contenders.

A second successive away defeat suggests there’s still work to be done if Tranmere expect to be near the top of the tree by the time the Christmas decorations are put up.