The City Ground, Saturday 5th April 2014 3pm kick off
Form (Last 8 Championship games)
Nottingham Forest – DLLDDLLL
Millwall – DLLDLWLL
- Forest go into Saturday’s game looking for their first win in 10 games after a wretched run of form. Meanwhile, Millwall are also going through a rather sticky patch with just 1 victory in their last 8, coming at Forest’s East Midlands Rivals Derby.
- The two sides shared the points in their last meeting back in December, Steve Morison and Martyn Woolford grabbing the goals for the hosts, whilst an Andy Reid blockbuster and Nathaniel Chalobah header twice ruled out Millwall’s advantage.
- Millwall have the worst away record in the league with just 11 points picked up on their travels whereas The City Ground, prior to the last few weeks, was one of the most difficult places to pick up all three points in the Championship. However, that run has been dramatically halted in the last three games losing to Wigan and Charlton and only managing a share of the spoils against Doncaster.
What a fortnight it’s been for Forest. Following a 5-0 humiliation at bitter rivals Derby and , subsequently, Billy Davies’ sacking, The Red’s roller coaster season has shown signs of unravelling. The 1-0 defeat to Charlton last Tuesday didn’t help either; a drab and passionless performance led to the players being booed off at the final whistle.
Unsuccessful approaches for a number of managers, including Neil Warnock, led to the inevitable questions being asked of Chairman and Owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi. However, a resolute show away at fellow Play-Off hopefuls Ipswich last weekend will have surely instilled some more confidence into the Midlander’s promotion push.
Today that confidence will have increased tenfold after the club announced the return of former legend, Stuart ‘Psycho’ Pearce, as the manager, commencing on 1st July. Therefore, caretaker boss Gary Brazil will take the remaining 7 (or more) games, including Saturday’s clash with Millwall. With the possible return of some key men Forest will be looking for the three points to get their stuttering season back on track.
Things have been equally dramatic in the Millwall camp this season having replaced their manager, Steve Lomas, with experienced Championship boss, Ian Holloway in early January following a slow start to the season. Things haven’t gone exactly to plan for the former Blackpool and Palace gaffer, The Lions sit second from bottom with games running out fast.
Fan discontent is never far round the corner at Millwall and after a miserable season this term, few can blame them for showing their feelings to, previously Lomas and now Holloway. There is quality in the squad, Steve Morison stands out as a proven Championship goalscorer and could be their key to safety.
Last time out against Blackburn a late Simeon Jackson penalty seemed to give the Londoners a huge win, but they were pegged back in the last minute by ten man Rovers as Josh King scored to send the Millwall fans home disappointed again. It’s going to be a scramble for survival for the Lions and Saturday’s game is sure to have a huge impact on which league they start next season in.
I believe the lift that Pearce’s appointment will give Forest should be enough to overpower a struggling Millwall side. 2-0 Forest win for me.
