Nottingham Forest secured a late victory in the East Midlands Derby against Derby County. A late brace from Charlie Wellings saw Forest claim all three points on the road, despite a good fight from the Ewes.
Carly Davies made two changes to the starting line-up that secured Forest a dominant victory against Halifax last weekend, with Kate Longhurst and Sophie Domingo joining the eleven.
The first chance for Forest came in the early minutes of the game, as Casey Howe opened a space down the wing. An excellent cross into the box fell at the feet of Charlie Wellings, before being shot just wide of the net.
Sophie Domingo and Melissa Johnson were responsible for the most convincing chance within the first fifteen minutes. Domingo slipped through the Derby defence, finding Melissa Johnson with a brilliant through ball. Jones came out of her box, leaving the net open, but Melissa failed to find the back of it, hitting the side netting.
The Reds first corner generated another opportunity for Carly Davies’ team to take the lead. Lyndsey Harkin prepared to take the corner and expertly picked out Mollie Green amidst the sea of red and white shirts. Her effort arrived into the hands of Jones, who managed to keep the score tied.
Minutes before the interval, Derby were awarded a penalty after Kira Rai was taken down within the box. Daisy Burt stood to take the penalty for the Ewes, calmly slotting into the bottom corner, giving the hosts the lead.
Half Time: Derby County 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Derby returned from the interval and almost immediately caused a threat to the Forest defence. Kira Rai was left inexplicably unmarked, allowing her to round the Forest defence. Despite being in the prime position to double the Ewes lead, Rai took too long to deliver her shot, allowing Green to clear the ball away.
Nottingham Forest maintained possession as they pressed for an equaliser. Nat Johnson was next to have a chance at bringing the Reds back into the game, as a cross from Howe found Johnson at the back post. Despite being in close-range, Johnson’s shot was off target and the Ewes remained in the lead.
Charlie Wellings finally found Forest the equaliser they were so desperately searching for in the 80th minute. Forest rolled the ball past the Derby defence, allowing Wellings to conduct a half-volley past Jones in goal.
Forest were quick to continue with the action, as a penalty saw the Reds double their lead. A handball from Derby within the box saw Wellings stand to take the penalty, calmly steering the ball into the back of the net.
Full-Time: Derby County 1-2 Nottingham Forest
With the Derby Day victory sealed, Forest will now look ahead to their upcoming League Cup fixture against Peterborough.
The Team:
Starting XI: Batty [GK], Harkin [C], N. Johnson, Longhurst, Domingo, M. Johnson, Wellings, Olding, Green, Thomas, Howe.
Used Substitutes: Millie Chandarana, Katie Dungate, Bridget Galloway, Amy Sims.
Unused Substitutes: Ferguson [GK], Hennessy.
Comments