Filed under: Nottingham Forest, Leicester, Championship, Football, Match Reports
Sven Goran Eriksson's dream of managing in the top flight looks over, for this year at least, after an appalling error from goalkeeper Chris Weale allowed Paul McKenna to secure Forest a crucial win.Weale was badly at fault as McKenna's tame volley slipped through his fingers and Eriksson will surely have to wait a little longer to fulfil his burning ambition of operating once again under the Premier League spotlight.
McKenna's fluke winner breathes new life into Forest's play-off ambitions and boosts manager Billy Davies' hopes of securing a place in the end of season shootout for the fifth time in seven seasons. This victory, and Leeds' draw with Reading, lifted Forest back into sixth place.
Leicester, however, have only won twice in the last 11 games and were behind here after a quarter of an hour following a fiercely determined start from Forest. Lewis McGugan is one of the most promising talents in the league on his day and his delicious cross was superbly headed into the corner by Marcus Tudgay.
That setback finally galvanised Leicester and they were level within six minutes. Paul Gallagher's shot was cleared off the line by Guy Moussi but the ball was picked up by Matthew Oakley and his shot crashed in off the upright despite Lee Camp's desperate dive.
Eriksson introduced Darius Vassell for the ineffective Yakubu in an attempt to swing the game in Leicester's favour in the second half but they fell behind again 17 minutes from time. McGugan forced a save from Weale after a shot from distance and Robert Earnshaw responded quickest to slide the ball home.
But, once again, it required a goal to kick Leicester into action and they were level within a minute, Vassell converting from close range after Camp had repelled Kyle Naughton's drive.
Yet there was still time for Weale's incredible mistake to hand Forest a welcome win - and virtually kill off Eriksson's promotion challenge for good.
REACTION
Eriksson appeared to accept Leicester's hopes of a play-off finish were over:
"I'm afraid that could be it as far as the play-offs are concerned. We will know more about it all by Monday evening. We play good football away from home and came back to equalise twice but we are conceding too many goals too easily.
"It's a very tough league but if we want to talk about promotion that's not been good enough. It's frustrating to take but we have to play Watford on Monday as if the play-offs are still on the table."
On Weale's error:
"Chris has apologised to the players because that is not going to help us getting either one or three points. Sometimes it can be the goalkeeper but sometimes the defence or a midfielder losing the ball."
On his leaky defence:
"We can pass football and create chances but we are not good the other way. We came back twice and you couldn't say who was going to win but too many times this season the games have finished like this. Teams don't have to work very hard to score goals against us, it has happened to us too often, unfortunately."
On next season:
"We are already starting to think about what we can do next season. We will know very soon where we belong. By Tuesday we will start very seriously to think about what we have to do. Something will happen, that's for sure."
Forest manager Davies gratefully accepted Weale's gift:
"I've been complaining about our lack of luck in recent games but today we've got a break and we will take it."
On his play-off bid:
"We'll just keep working away and preparing the same way. I still think it will go down to the last game or two. It will be a photo-finish."
On the performance:
"The players are giving me everything they've got and a manager cannot ask for any more. They are working so hard and we need them to keep that up for the rest of the season.
"But we still saw the Jekyll and Hyde of Forest. We were naive in our defending but they were young and they have been shooting themselves in the foot constantly."
WHAT IT MEANS:
Eriksson had admitted before this East Midlands argument that failure to win would ensure thoughts turn to rebuilding the club in the summer and this setback must mean that he is is consigned to another campaign in this most unforgiving and unpredictable of divisions.
But Forest are still alive and kicking after only a second win in 12 games, with winnable games against Bristol City, Scunthorpe and Crystal Palace to play.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/04/22/nottingham-forest-3-leicester-2-weale-error-wrecks-erikssons-p/
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