Finally, It's Derby Week

It's finally here, just 3 weeks into the new season the local rivalry between Forest & Derby recommences with the home team looking to return to winning ways after two embarrassing defeats at home last season in both cup & league. Derby though have started the season much better and have already registered 2 wins from their 4 league games while Forest are still in search of their 1st 3 points. Forest did gain their first win over Championship opposition with a League Cup victory over Middlesbrough on Tuesday & were not only the 1st team to beat them, but also the first team to score against them.

I hope we stuff em, 6 - 0 I say. We owe them a serious humiliation!

Looking back over previous seasons it's hard to remember a time when Forest didn't have an injury crisis & this season has started no different. The defence has been hit with long term injuries to Julian Bennett & James Perch while Kelvin Wilson is expected to be out for another month. Joel Lynch (everybody's favourite left back) will face a late fitness test to see if he will be fit for the fiercest home game of the season. Midfield has it's own problems too with Guy Moussi still out with a thigh injury & Lewis McGugan with a fractured eye socket but that area of the squad should cope well. The only outfield area of the pitch without an injury is the strike force which is probably the area best equipped to deal with them. Oh well

The diminutive striker scored twice against his former club last season & will be chomping at the bit to resurrect his own personal rivalry with them.

Derby have their own injury worries which has massively restricted their striking power with Steve Davies possibly to miss out after being stretchered off in last weekends win over Plymouth with an injury to his leg. Derby do now seem to have only one recognised striker in Rob Hulse who has yet to get off the mark after the sales of Tito Villa & Liam Dickinson, Luke Varney being loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday & Nathan Ellingtons return to Watford after his season long loan. 4 of Derby's 6 league goals this season have come from defenders with only Commons & Green as attacking players to bag goals. Oddly, Derby have the best disciplinary record in the Championship with just 2 bookings & 29 fouls in 4 games.

Little sod is bound to play a blinder isn't he.

Although they won the league game at the City Ground last season Forest still have the better record having won 30 of the previous 74 league encounters. Derby have 25 wins leaving us with 19 draws.

Ref: M ATKINSON Assistants: D Richardson and P Sharp 4th Official: S Tanner

Forest to win, comfortably & Robbie Savage to disappear up his own scarf!

Saturday, 12 September 2009, 15:00.
The Football League Championship
Sheff Wed v Nottm Forest

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