Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest

The Forest away game was more of a throw away game rather than a planned trip as for tickets at £3 a pop it was just a get up and go kind of game.

Five of us made our way to Longbeck train station at about 2pm; Me, Wes(MFC__Wes), Alex, my brother Matty and his mate, Michael.

Arrived into Boro, found a hole in the wall, got some reading material and wandered to the ground where we got on the bus to Nottingham at 3.30pm.

The journey seemed a lengthy one and after a stop we made it into Nottingham at about 7pm where we went through Nottingham which was horrible and past the County Ground and Trent Bridge.

Got into the ground grabbed a sausage roll and made our way to our seats where it seemed like there was a healthy following for a Carling Cup game.

The Forest end was empty literally, must have been saving the pennies for the Derby game but the overall attendance worked out at just under 9,000 and just under 2,000 Middlesbrough fans.

Boro started the game at a good tempo and with the backing of the vociferous Boro support , Arca manufactured our best chance which saw Aliadiere have his shot saved onto the post.

The game went forwards and backwards for a spell of about 20 minutes with Blackstock and Earnshaw looking ineffective as Huth and Wheater stifled every opportunity going forward.

Boro looked lively going forward with Johnson and Emnes both finding room out wide and going close.

With Wes vanishing for food (as per usual), it saw Boro get the opener, good passing play allowed Williams to release Johnson who was in acres of space on the right and he drove into the box before slotting the ball under Smith and off the post for a Boro lead at half time.

60 minutes on the clock and the Forest fans finally woke up and with the introduction of Tyson, McGoldrick and the fantastic Dele Adebola, Forest looked threatening.

They brought the crowd to their feet not long after when Luke Chambers smashed his header home from a well crafted corner.

The Boro looked to be fading as did the crowd as sloppy passes went astray as Boro struggled to regain their foothold in the game.

Aliadiere saw the best chance of the 90 minutes as he was slipped through by Yeates and he went for power over placement and smashed the ball into the side netting when it looked easier to score, he was subsequently substituted after a head wound, thank fuck!

We went to extra time and it had all become a bit too much for one young delinquant in the Boro end after he hurled his shoes onto the pitch which bought a bit of humour to a crowd which were dismayed at Boro's lack of energy in the final third.

With young Franks and Bennett on now, Boro didnt have the experience to get them through the extra time and this showed, when I barnstorming run from Adebola found a young Polish man, dont know his name but he scored against Derby as well, and he cooly hit a low drive between Coyne and the post.

It looked set to stay that way when in the dying moments Johnathan Franks broke clear into the box and ripped a beauty of a cross right between the goal, Wes Morgan, the keeper and Leroy Lita, but somehow no-one was able to convert it and Boro limped out of the Carling Cup against an average Forest side.

Got on the Coach after the driver had lost his keys and arrived home at about 2am knowing that I didnt have to spend £5 to watch us against Blackburn at home and we could concentrate on the league.,


Next Away Game: Sheffield Wednesday - 15/9/2009