A fine, cool evening at the side of the River Trent greeted the Rovers when they rolled up for tonight's game against one-time European Cup Winners, Nottingham Forest. A wonderful Stadium but the pitch looked decidedly worse for wear on the Main Stand side. The Rovers made changes for tonight's game, Paul Green coming in for the injured James O'Connor, yesterday's loan signing from Chelsea, Harry Worley, coming in for captain Graeme Lee, who drops to the bench, Sean Thornton replacing Jonathan Forte, who also drops to the bench and Jason Price returned after a one match suspension in place of Lewis Guy, who goes on to the bench. The Forest made just one change from Saturday's taming of Huddersfield Town when they racked up five goals. Sammy Clingan broke a bone in his foot so his replacement on Saturday, Lewis McGugan, keeps his place tonight. Nathan Tyson returns to the squad after suspension but only gets a place amongst the substitutes. Jack Lester is suspended and David Prutton is out with a thigh injury. Otherwise they are at full strength!  The Rovers turned out in their all blue strip against the red shirted Forest. The Rovers defended the River end in the first half.

The first seven minutes was shaded by the home side as far as possession was concerned. Then 3 successive corners to the Forest and a shout for a penalty when a shot hit Thornton on the back of an arm as he turned his back emphasised the Forest's determination to extract some measure of revenge for their defeat at Belle Vue just before Christmas. The Rovers hit back with a free kick from a yard outside the penalty area, which Coppinger took and brought a brilliant save out of Smith, in the Forest goal, as the ball went for the top corner. As the quarter hour came up, a tackle by Lockwood on Agogo, which left Agogo on the floor brought vociferous shouts for a penalty but the referee gave the goal kick. Good work by Coppinger brought a corner to the Rovers but it was cleared and set Forest on the attack ending with Commons sending over the bar from 20 yards. Minutes later, Coppinger whipped a cross in from the right for McCammon to get in a diving header that Morgan put his body in front of to block. The game was ebbing and flowing from one end to the other before the Rovers had a good spell of attacking. A cross from the left by McDaid was just a shade too far for Price to get to and Smith saved. Then Coppinger passed inside to Price but his shot on target was blocked. Some good football by the Rovers saw Stock nip in sharply to dispossess a Forest man in midfield, took the ball on and unleashed a fine shot from the right of goal that flashed past the far post as McCammon came in from the left. Both sides had enjoyed short periods of domination with end-to-end football in between. Forest won another corner on the half hour but Sullivan held Commons cross after receiving the ball back. After 35 minutes a clash of heads between Bennett and McCammon left McCammon spreadeagled on his back and not moving. Five minutes of attention led to him being stretchered off, with Dyer taking his place. The Rovers carried on where they left off before the stoppage as Thornton sent in a drive from 30 yards that Smith saved comfortably. With 44 minutes showing on the clock, STOCK received the ball in the Forest half, took it on and from 35 yards out unleashed a tremendous right footed strike into Smith's top left hand corner that the keeper hadn't a prayer of reaching. The home team tried to hit back and gained a corner but it was cleared by a vigilant Rovers defence. Five minutes of added-on time was played because of the stoppage for McCammon's injury, an injury to his shoulder (probably dislocated by the pain it was causing him) but the Rovers went in at the interval leading by that magnificent goal.

The Forest got in a strike at goal following the restart but the Rovers soon decided to play in the Forest half. A cross from the right touchline by Coppinger was headed out for a corner by Morgan as Smith came out to collect. Minutes later, a free kick to Rovers just inside the Forest half saw Worley go down the right touchline and win another corner.  Following this a quick break out of the Forest defence by Grant Holt saw him run 70 yards with the ball only for Green to shepherd him to the byline and run the ball out. The Forest began to put pressure on the Rovers defence pushing them back into their own penalty area. Commons sent in a thirty yarder that Sullivan could only put round a post for a corner. The Rovers held fast for the time being and lifted the siege halfway through the half but only for a couple of minutes. A good run down the Forest right by Curtis, a cross to the far post, the ball headed back into the middle and Agogo lifts over the bar from 10 yards. On 70 minutes, Commons put a curler from 25 yards just wide of a post. Two minutes later, a pass from Price inside to Dyer had him shooting from 25 yards well wide of goal. The match had now lost some of its frenetic edge and was being played at a more sedate pace. The Forest continued to have the better of the play with only occasional forays by the Rovers into the Forest half. Dobie's first touch of the ball was a weak header following a free kick that Sullivan collected comfortably. Dyer almost intercepted a pass back to the keeper but Smith managed to get enough of a hand to it to get it away. The Rovers successfully ran the clock down as five minutes of added-on time was played. The final whistle heralded a fine win for the Rovers, who completed the double over the Forest for the first time ever. To come to Nottingham, with two youngsters making their debut in League football, Worley and Hird and go away with three points has been a magnificent achievement. Every player played a part in a great team effort.

Teams - Forest - Paul Smith; John Curtis, Wes Morgan, Ian Breckin, Julian Bennett; James Perch, Gary Holt, Lewis McGugan, Kris Commons; Junior Agogo, Grant Holt,

Subs used - Nathan Tyson for Grant Holt 53 mins; Luke Chambers for Breckin 72 mins; Scott Dobie for McGugan 82 mins;

Subs not used - Robert Hughes, Rune Pedersen gk

Cautions - Dobie

ROVERS - Neil Sullivan; Paul Green, Harry Worley, Adam Lockwood, Sean McDaid; James Coppinger, Mark Wilson, Brian Stock, Sean Thornton; Mark McCammon, Jason Price

Subs used - Bruce Dyer for McCammon 39 mins; Graeme Lee for Worley 62 mins; Sam Hird for Coppinger 77 mins;

Subs not used - Lewis Guy, Jonathan Forte,