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Apr 19, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
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Live Commentary: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Birmingham City - as it happened

:Headline: Live Commentary: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Birmingham City - as it happened: ID:150710: from db_amp
Relive Gary Brazil's first win as Nottingham Forest caretaker manager as they beat Birmingham 1-0 at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest finally brought an end to their 13-match winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Birmingham City at the City Ground this afternoon.

Matt Derbyshire gave his side the perfect start when he scored within two minutes of kickoff, and that proved to be enough to hand his side all three points.

The victory was Gary Brazil's first as caretaker manager of Forest and leaves Birmingham very much in the relegation mire.

You can read how an absorbing encounter unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage below.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Forest to double their advantage as the Birmingham defence just allow Derbyshire to run through on goal. He cuts back and clips the ball into the middle for Ben Osborn, who nods his effort over the top. He should have scored there.
YELLOW CARD! Peltier comes flying into a challenge and scythes his man down before going into the book. He can have no complaints there.
Great defending from Robinson as he slides in to make a challenge on Derbyshire, who looked to be in on goal again. It is very open at the moment and a second goal doesn't seem too far away. Can Forest make the most of this good spell?
Thorpe mis-times a challenge and the referee awards Forest a free kick in a very good position. Two men are standing over the ball, which is well within shooting range.
SAVE! It is Fox who steps up to take the free kick and he curls a decent effort towards the keeper's side. It is comfortable for Randolph, however, as he had not edged over to the opposite side and gathered the ball with ease.
SHOT! Forest are playing with plenty of confidence at the moment and they are being given far too much room in the attacking third by Birmingham. Derbyshire attempts to curl a nonchalant effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, but his shot ends up a couple of yards wide.
Derbyshire again goes for goal, and this time it is a little more ambitious as he lets fly from a good 35 yards out. It is a decent strike, but swerves a few yards high and wide. It is all Forest at the moment.
SHOT! It's Osborn's turn to go for goal this time as he is given too much room just outside the area. No-one closes him down, allowing him to shift the ball onto his left foot and fire it a yard or so wide.
Derbyshire's early goal is what separates these two sides at the moment, but it could be more than that. Forest are playing with freedom and they don't look like a team without a win in 13 games. Birmingham are not giving their defence enough protection and Derbyshire in particular is having a big impact on the match at the moment.
UPDATE: More bad news for Birmingham as Millwall are now 2-0 up against Middlesbrough, which would drag Lee Clark's men right into the mire. Barnsley are losing 1-0 at home to Leeds, however.
Nice play from Osborn as he clips the ball out wide to Fox on the left, but the winger wastes a good position with a poor cross that goes behind for a goal kick.
SHOT! Nice football again from the hosts as Vaughan gets on the end of a one-two before drilling a low shot just past the post. Forest's shot count is really racking up at the moment.
Osborn almost slides the ball through for Mackie down the left channel, but his pass is cut out at the vital moment. That was an important interception as otherwise Mackie would have only had the keeper to beat.
Birmingham have barely threatened at all in an attacking sense so far. However, they do have a free kick in a good position here as Zigic was fouled by Lascelles just outside the box. Can they make the keeper work?
No is the answer. Caddis takes the set piece and gets plenty behind his shot, but the wall does its job with a firm block.
CLOSE! Forest are so close to getting a second! They catch Birmingham off guard with a quick free kick from Fox, who slid the ball through to Paterson. He gets there before the keeper and flashes the ball right across the face of goal, narrowly missing Derbyshire at the back post. The goalscorer would have had a simple tap in had he managed to reach that one.
Forest have another free kick in a similar position, but this time Birmingham are more alert to the threat and the hosts are forced into a short pass that keeps possession but doesn't threaten the visitors' defence.
The fourth official indicates a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of this first half.
A rare threatening moment for the visitors as Forest struggle to deal with a free kick launched into the area. The ball falls to Huws, but the Welshman is brilliantly tackled by Collins inside the area.
HALF TIME: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Birmingham City
So far so good for Nottingham Forest as they go into the halfway stage 1-0 up against Birmingham. They are well on their way to ending their 13-match winless streak and, in truth, could be further ahead than they are. They have enjoyed the lion's share of the chances but haven't been able to take advantage of them since Matt Derbyshire's early goal.
It is Derbyshire who has been the most dangerous player for the hosts so far. In addition to his goal he has caused the Birmingham defence plenty of problems with some smart movement and good pace. He has been afforded plenty of space by the visitors, however, and that is something Clark will be keen to address at half time. They need to get closer to him in the final third if they are to stunt his influence on the match.
Lee Clark will certainly not be happy with what he has seen from his side so far, but part of him will be pleased that the game is not yet beyond them. They are deservedly losing, but a one-goal deficit is one that they could very much recover from with an improved performance in the second half. It will take a significant improvement, though, because they were poor in that first 45 minutes.
Gary Brazil, meanwhile, will want more of the same from his side, just with more of a clinical edge to their finishing. He is still looking for his first win as caretaker manager for the hosts, and if they don't achieve that today then they will look back on it as a missed opportunity.
BIRMINGHAM SUB: The visitors have made a change at the break, with Jordan Ibe replacing Ferguson. Can the Liverpool loanee make a difference in the coming 45 minutes?
KICKOFF: We're back underway at the City Ground for the second half as Forest look to finally pick up an elusive victory. Birmingham, meanwhile, need to improve in this match otherwise they could end the day teetering on the brink of danger.
Birmingham have been a bit better in the opening exchanges of this second half, but they give the ball away carelessly and invite a Forest counter. Paterson slips the ball through for Derbyshire, but he is not given the chance to beat the keeper as the linesman's flag is raised.
Zigic is furious with the officials here as the ball falls for him on the edge of the box before he is quickly closed down. He tried to clip the ball towards the far corner and it deflected up to hit a Forest player on the hand, but it would have been an incredibly harsh penalty.
Oh my word, almost a calamitous coming together for the hosts! Burke's ball into the area looked to be an easy one for the keeper to collect, but he collides with Lascelles and spills the ball in a dangerous area. It is scrambled behind for a corner with Zigic lurking dangerously.
CHANCE! Huge chance for Forest to double their lead! Paterson is played through on goal and he only has the keeper to beat, but his shot is more or less straight at Randolph. The ball bounces high up into the air and Paterson turns it back into the box for Derbyshire, who can't keep his shot down.
Birmingham have been better in this second half so far, but they still haven't been able to carve out a really good chance. The goalscoring opportunities are all falling to the hosts, but they may live to rue missing so many of them.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST SUB: The hosts make a change here as Jonathan Greening comes on for Vaughan.
Good pressing from Birmingham as they put Forest under pressure in an advanced position. The hosts are forced all the way back before giving the ball away sloppily, and Birmingham can come forward again now.
BIRMINGHAM SUB: Attacking change from Lee Clark as Federico Macheda comes on in place of Hancox.
CHANCE! Oh Birmingham really should have made more of that one! Ibe gets the ball in a good area and has teammates in promising positions either side of him. Macheda is screaming for it but Ibe is well within his rights to go for goal himself from the edge of the box. However, his effort is poor as he puts it tamely wide of the mark.
Birmingham have the ball in the back of the net as Forest struggle to deal with a long throw into the box. However, the goal will not be allowed as it was a foul throw, and the linesman flagged as soon as the ball left Thorpe's hands.
It has been much more even since half time and Birmingham will fancy their chances of going on to get something out of this match. They are beginning to threaten the Forest defence a lot more and are seeing more of the ball than their hosts at the moment.
The hosts have not been able to find anywhere near as much space in this second half as they enjoyed in the first. Credit does have to go to Birmingham for that as they have sharpened up defensively since the interval.
Just as I praise them defensively, Birmingham have a nervous moment at the back as Thorpe nods the ball back towards the keeper but doesn't put enough on the header. Mackie steals in, but he is too far wide to go for goal and the visitors eventually deal with the danger.
CHANCE! Big chance for Birmingham to get the equaliser! The ball was whipped into the area and Zigic attacked it really well, but he couldn't get enough on his header and it was easy for the keeper to save.
Forest have just started to gain a measure of control over this match again now. They are passing the ball better than at any other stage of the half now, controlling the tempo and keeping Birmingham's dangerous players out of the game.
BIRMINGHAM SUB: The visitors make their third and final change of the afternoon as Peter Lovenkrands comes on for Zigic.
A hint of an opening for Birmingham as a long ball threatens to release Caddis on the right, but Darlow is alert and quick off his line to collect it.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST SUB: A straight swap up front for the hosts as Derbyshire makes way to a warm reception to be replaced by Darius Henderson.
Quite a scrappy period of the game as a couple of signs of desperation start creeping into the Birmingham side. They are running out of time to find an equaliser now and as things stand they will be just one point above the relegation zone.
CLOSE! Oh my word, how has this one not gone in?! Burke does really well to drive down the right channel before scuffing a low delivery right across the face of goal. Somehow no-one can get a touch on the way through and the ball dribbles agonisingly wide of the post.
CHANCE! Huge chance from the resulting corner as the hosts allow a free header towards the back post. However, Darlow gets down really well at his front post to deny the effort with a smart stop. A scramble ensues from another corner moments later, finally being brought to an end by a handball.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST SUB: The hosts make another change as Mackie goes off to be replaced by Cox. Seven minutes left for Forest to hold on now.
Macheda shows some good close control in the box, taking the ball down on his chest before keeping it away from two tackles. However, he then wastes his hard work by throwing himself to the floor in search of a penalty that is not coming.
Lee Clark is urging his side on from the sidelines here. A late equaliser here would be a huge boost to their survival hopes. Other teams are more vulnerable to the drop than Birmingham at the moment, but they are by no means safe and need to start picking up points sooner rather than later.
YELLOW CARD! Fox goes into the book for a foul on Burke, although it looked like he slipped into the challenge rather than actively look to stop the Birmingham winger.
YELLOW CARD! Robinson also goes into the book, but it is a small price to pay for stopping Osborn, who was bursting forward on the counter-attack. Experienced defending from the veteran.
There will be a minimum of four minutes added time at the end of this match.
CLOSE! Forest threaten to get a second in the dying stages as Henderson holds on to the ball for a while, waiting for space to shoot. He eventually manages to manufacture some, curling an effort narrowly past the post.
FULL TIME: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Birmingham City
The referee brings an end to the match at the City Ground and it is finally a win for Forest, ending a 13-match winless streak that stretches back over two months. It surely comes too late to reignite their playoff hopes, but it is a first victory for caretaker boss Gary Brazil and that is always a pleasing milestone to pass. As for Birmingham, they will be getting increasingly nervous and find themselves very much in a relegation battle now, albeit with a game in hand and superior goal difference compared to the teams below them.
Matt Derbyshire's goal after just two minutes was enough for Forest in the end, but some better finishing would have seen plenty more goals in this game. It was an open match with a decent amount of good chances and, while the quality of both performances weren't the best that you will see this season, it was still an entertaining spectacle.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was a big day for Gary Brazil and Forest as they finally end their winless streak courtesy of a 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Birmingham. I will leave you with our match report and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!

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