Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace 04/10/08

Welcome to today's game at the City Ground with me Graham Moody. The last game I did was the Wolves one away where to be frank, we couldn't defend for toffee but recent results and performances have been good and there is a new found oppotism around the club - which can hopefully continue today.

Manager Neil Warnock makes only one change to the squad from Tuesday's very satisfying victory over Charlton, with Neil Danns replacing Carl Fletcher on the bench.

Forest: Smith, Wilson, Morgan, Perch, Tyson, McCleary, Cohen, Martin, Moussi, Thornhill, Bennett. Subs: Lynch, Chambers, Breckin, Davies, Cole.

Palace: Speroni, Butterfield, McCarthy, Fonte, Hill, Derry, Watson, Carle, Moses, Ifill, Beattie. Subs: Scannell, Lawrence, Kuqi, Danns, Oster.

1 min: Good early start from the home side as Butterfield conceded a corner from which Moussi has a shot blocked and Martin's effort goes wide.

4 min: GOAL! Palace lead through Paul Ifill who finally scores - through his hardest chance in four games. Watson's free-kick was poorly cleared and fell to Ifill 20 yards out and he smacked it left footed into the top corner.

5 min: Forest should be level, Bennett fires just over with a free header from a corner then Tyson should have touched in Martin's cross.

7 min: End to end here as Ifill misses a glorious chance to convert Beattie's cross, though the ref gives a corner so it was good defending.

13 min: Well that was a frantic opening, could easily be 2-2. No boos for Ben Watson from the Forest fans after he turned them down in the summer - I thought there might be a few but it seems they don't hold grudges here.

16 min: YELLOW CARD: Tyson booked as he dives in on Speroni chasing a throughball. He's claiming he didn't touch him but he was very late.

17 min: Carle wriggles free 25 yards out, takes a few strides forward then toe pokes miles wide.

20 min: Speroni being booed by the home fans for his part in that booking - he did make a meal of it but was caught by Tyson. Palace thenm go up the other end and Watson's shot is saved by Smith and the corner results in a scramble that is just about cleared. Then we go back up the other end, Forest get a corner and again Bennett is allowed time to head over unmarked. Sooner or later he will score one of those. In the midst of all that Derry escaped a booking for a crunching tackle on Mousssi and both Hill and Ifill have needed treatment. Phew, I need a break.

27 min: YELLOW CARD. Carle booked for a cynical pull back on Martin after he lost the ball.

28 min: YELLOW CARD. There will be a sending off in this game I promise you as Thornhill goes in the book for a studs up challenge on Butterfield. The crowd are creating a good atmosphere as well whihc has got everyone fired up.

32 min: Two dangerous corners corners in a row from Forest and Speroni has a flap at both. Not great from the Argentine. Now McCarthy is down following his own hefty challenge on Tyson. McCarthy can't continue and Lawrence is getting ready as Moussi fires one from distance at Speroni which he gathers easily.

36 min: Warnock in deep conversation with the ref as McCarthy, who fell just off the pitch but a centimetre is still down and this could be serious. Warnock angry because play continued as McCarthy is off the pitch but probably too close to continue safely. The game has been stopped now and McCarthy has hardly moved since falling.

38 min: SUB: Lawrence on for McCarthy as the Irishman managers to get up but is walking very gingerly with his arm held very delicately. His chances of playing for Ireland this week look remote.

39 min: Moussi fires just wide after great work form McCleary to wriggle free of Moses and Hill. Forest have been poor at times but brilliant at others, they probably deserve to be level.

42 min: Great save from Speroni as at full stretch he palms away Bennett's effort from the edge of the bos after the right back was given the freedom of the park by Palace.

45 min: Four minutes added on as Forest win a corner off Fonte, and Martin's delivery works it's wayto Tyson but he volleys wide.

45+3: Forest could have had a penlaty as Fonte misses a high ball in the wind and Speroni seems to catch Martin, but nothing given.

HALF TIME: A thrilling half that Palace started the better but then seemed to lose their way a bit, while Forest were completely the opposite. Could go either way in the second half.

46 min: SUb: Neil Danns the forgotten man of Selhurst Park comes on to replace Carle at half-time. Maybe Warnock is protecting the Aussie from a red card.

Attendance: 22,811, 1,444 of which are from Palace.

49 min: Bennett again gets a header to corner but it's miles over. Fonte needs to do a better job of marking him but then does fantastic to get a last-ditch tackle on Martin.

52 min: Forest get a free-kick in a dangerous spot and Butterfield defends Martin's cross superbly at the back post. Palace are riding their luck a little.

55 min: YELLOW CARD: This time for Derry as he blocks Tyson down the left. The forward played for that and a booking was a little harsh. No one attacks Martin's delivery and Speroni gathers easily.

57 min: McCleary decides to go himself when their options on both wings and fires hopelessly wide.

60 min: SUB: Thornhill replaces by Andrew Cole, who gets a standing ovation. Two up front now for Forest.

63 min: Morgan head over frmo Martin's cross as Moses somes treatment to a bloody nose in front of me. Kuqi was getting to come on for Palace but he's put his jacket on again - oh wait he's undressing again now.

65 min: SUb: Kuqi replaces Moses who can't stop bleeding.

68 min: Palace should be 2-0 as Beattie sets up Danns in miles of space but he just passes it back to the keeper and Forest go up the other end and Tyson gets infront of Speroni at the neat post but pokes it wide.

69 min: SUB: Martin off, Davies on.

70 min: A one-two sees Cole burst through but Hill defends brilliantly and the corner comes to nothing. Beattie has gone right wing, Ifill left, and Kuqi through the middle.

73 min: It's all Forest now but for all their possession and dominance in midfield they have created hardly anything recently as Kuqi's pressence wins a corner up the other end which Watson overhits. The wind may have taken it a bit so let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

75 min: Ifill twists in the box and Morgan blocks, the rebound falls to Kuqi and the big Finn's half-volley is...err...woeful and bobbles straight at Smith.

78 min: YELLOW CARD, Cole clatters into Lawrence late and is rightfully booked, he was not even looking at the ball.

79 min: SUB: The injured Moussi is replaced by Chambers.

81 min: GOAL! Kuqi scores, yes Shefki Kuqi. Smith goes running into no mans land and Kuqi brilliantly, yes brilliantly, curls into an open goal from the wide left. Has a new hero just been born?

83 min: Last ditch defending from Morgan stops Kuqi scoring again from Watson short corner. there's a question as to whether Kuqi was crossing for Beattie instead of shooting when he scored, but let's say it was a brilliant finish anyway.

88 min: Cohen shoots straight at Speroni from inside the box. I feel a little sorry for Forest because they haven't been all the bad and with a bit of luck could be winning, but goals mean points and apart from the Speroni save in the first half he's had nothing difficult to deal with. Four minutes added on.

90 min: Smith punches a shot away and Watson's follow up hits a defender. Watson then booked for a late tackle on Coehn.

90 min: Speroni forced to tip Wilson's pile driver from distance over and then saves Chambers' header two corners later with ease.

FULL TIME: Palace's amazing return to form since the Plymouth debacle continues. Six weeks ago nobody would have dreamed that Paul Ifill and Shefki Kuqi would be on the scoresheet today but I have seen it with my own eyes. There's a two-week break now before the televised Barnsley game on October 18 which kicks off at 5.20pm. See you then.