| Veteran goalkeeper Dave Beasant was the
hero of the day as his first half penalty save put Forest on their way to a hard-earned
win over promotion hopefuls Birmingham City. The
41-year-old pushed aside Martin Grainger’s 14th-minute penalty and the left
back’s misery was complete when Forest skipper Chris Bart-Williams slotted away a
71st minute spot-kick for his 10th goal of the season.
The disputed penalty was awarded when Darren Purse was adjudged
to have impeded Gary Jones and came just seconds after Marcelo smashed the Forest
woodwork.
Purse had come close to breaking the deadlock before giving away
the penalty when his fierce drive struck the post and the Blues were soon to pay for their
missed chances when David Prutton clinched victory for Forest with just five minutes
remaining.
The midfielder took a pass from Andy Reid and nudged the ball
past Ian Bennett to send the Forest contingent home happy.
The result dented Birmingham's promotion aspirations and was
their second holiday defeat having been beaten 2-1 in their previous match at Blackburn
Rovers. |