NFFC vs Doncaster 16.08.11

About four times a season, me and my dad make the decision to move out of our City Ground comforts and venture around the UK to support the Reds away from home.
Last night was one of these exceptions as we travelled to Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium.
I made the short journey up the M1 a couple of seasons ago and remember the ground was only two thirds full and apart from a big drum at the other end of the pitch, there was very little atmosphere. Not a lot had changed.
Following Saturday's dismal defeat, McClaren made four changes. Maloney was brought in and Gunts pushed to left back with Cohen moving up into midfield and the debut of Derbyshire upfront. I must admit, I was pretty confident for the night ahead.
I shouldn't have been. As you know from previous blog entries, I don't believe in negativity unless it's deserved. But last night was not good. Granted, it was better, but definitely not good enough and I'd be extremely worried if I was a Doncaster fan, it could be a long, hard season for them.
Unsurprisingly, we didn't start well and Camp was called into an excellent save as he tipped over.
As the half drove on, there just appeared to be very little fluidity. We struggled to move the ball a simple ten yards at times and it just resulted in us going long to Derbyshire, the smallest man on the pitch. Safe to say, he didn't win many of the battles.
Then, very much against the run of play, we played a few one touch passes and the ball was moved wide to Moloney. He lifted a deep cross to the back post where Gunter rose brilliantly to power a header home. Finally we had a goal.
That lifted both the lads and the fans and we began to play some nice football. The kind of football that if we could produce over 90 minutes and the duration of the season, we would be a real threat in this division. But confidence seems to be at an all time low.
The second half didn't differ much from the first. Donny played some nice football and at times, camped in our half. The introduction of Findley lifted the team before he was told to go on the right wing as Forest changed the formation to 4-5-1 and attempted to see out the game.
New signing Ishmael Miller was a particular highlight when he was brought on for the last 15 minutes. Fast, strong, direct, he certainly looked a vital part of the puzzle.
Camp-Probably my man of the match. A couple of important saves including a parry from point blank range late in the game. Distrubution needs work though. 8/10
Moloney-Did well on his comeback and certainly did everything that was asked of him. May have been a different story if he had had a pacey left winger to deal with. 7/10
Morgan-Strong in the tackle, handled their striker well. Very little got past him. Probably his best performance of the season. 8/10
Chambers- As always, showed plenty of passion and grit as he led from the off. Couple of bad passes and hoofs forward but lack of options infront of him on both occassions. Defended okay. 7/10
Gunter-Works hard and won many tackles on a busy night for the Welshman. Also popped up with the only goal of the night. A decent night all round but is most definitely more comfortable at right back. 8/10
Majewski-In fairness to Radi, he isn't a right winger. And it showed. Lack of discipline in holding his place on the wing and was rarely involved. Worked hard for little reward. Left Moloney exposed a couple of times as well. 6/10
Greening- I expected him to be a brilliant signing in our quest for promotion but at the moment, he's hugely frustrating. Doesn't seem to impose himself in the middle of park and at times, can't seem to keep up with the speed of play. 6/10
Cohen-Back in his usual position of midfield but lost the battle for the majority of the night. Always has a good engine on him and ran all night but little end product. Lots of niggly fouls as well. 7/10
McGoldrick- Dear oh dear. After his first half performance, which was slow, clumsy and embarrassing, I would hope he had played his last game in a red shirt. Second half, he improved and to be fair, he's always full of running but it comes in fits and spurts. Not good enough is the bottom line. 5/10
Derbyshire- Exciting prospect. Lots of running and energy with a certain degree of pace. Flagged quickly though and is lacking fitness. Appears to be a good purchase though. 7/10
Findley- Lifted the team and always excites the fans. Was unfortunately moved to the right wing where he offered little to the game. Still believe it could be a good season for him. 7/10
Miller- Every Forest fan is hoping this lad gets fit ASAP. Played on the shoulder of the last man and won 90% of challengers, both arial and on the ground. A real proper striker and I hope his enthuasism and desire to impress continues as the season progresses. 8/10
Lynch-Keen to get involved and probably feels hard done by that he has been overlooked at left back. Came on for the final ten minutes and worked hard. Little time to make an impact though. 6/10

To be frank, it wasn't good enough and lots of hard work needs to be done. But a few boxes have been ticked. The first goal, the first away win and most importantly, the first win at all. Up to 12th and hopefully, confidence is a bit higher now. Let's kick on and destroy those dirty bin robbers on Saturday. I can't wait.