UK Edition
Martin O'Neill denied fairytale return to Nottingham Forest in Bristol City defeat
Nottingham Forest 0 Bristol City 1
Martin O’Neill’ was denied a fairytale win on his return to Nottingham Forest, the scene of his greatest triumphs as a player, as Lee Johnson’s in-form Bristol City spoiled the homecoming party with Famara Diedhiou’s strike enough to settle the match.
The City Ground was sold out for the occasion and the Northern Irishman’s appearance on the pitch before kick-off lifted both levels of noise of the home fans and expectation.
“It was quite emotional,” admitted O’Neill, “I was very touched with it. It is a genuine privilege to manage this football club and I want to make an impact here.
“I thought we could get momentum going early in the game but Bristol City settled much better than we did.”
O’Neill’s new team responded to the atmosphere as Ben Osborn picked out Joe Lolley who crashed a volley inches wide of a post.
However, Bristol City, seventh in the Championship table, were far from ideal opponents. They are unbeaten since November and had arrived in Nottingham on the hunt for a fifth successive victory.
O’Neill had been forced to name a makeshift back four, with Tunisia’s Yohan Benalouane – who had only signed on Friday from Leicester City – making his debut. Forest struggled as the visitors soon took control.
Andreas Weimann was handed his first professional contract by O’Neill at Aston Villa, and he was the first to find the target stinging the hands of home goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon in the seventh minute.
City’s Jay Dasilva then picked out Diedhiou two minutes later and only a desperate Jack Robinson challenge prevented the striker from firing a shot off at close range.
And another of O’Neill’s former charges, Callum O’Dowda who was capped for the Republic of Ireland by the manager, twice went close. The winger smashed a shot just wide from Diedhiou’s lay-off before pouncing on a loose clearing header and sending a shot over the bar.
Having failed to register an attempt on target in the opening period Forest had to improve after the break. Lewis Grabban began making his presence felt in attack with a shot that City centre-half Nathan Baker did well to deflect behind.
And Benalouane powered a header goalwards from a corner only to be denied by an acrobatic save by Frank Fielding in the visitors’ net.
City looked the more dangerous team though as the minutes ticked by, with former Forest midfielder Jamie Paterson twice going close. And it was little surprise when they finally took the lead.
Weimann pulled the ball back from the bye-line and Diedhiou, who found himself totally unmarked, applied the killer finish.
City manager Johnson admits he knew O’Neill’s homecoming would the match difficult. “We had to embrace the atmosphere,” he said. “It would have been foolish of us not to realise that it was going to be a very different environment. I was delighted with the professionalism we showed.”