Nottingham Forest 2-1 Blackpool - Reds upturn goes on with win

Brennan Johnson scored his first home goal for Forest

Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten run to five games under boss Steve Cooper with a first home victory of the season, ending Blackpool's own four-game unbeaten streak.

Wales international Brennan Johnson got the ball rolling at the City Ground midway through the first half, burying a low finish beyond Daniel Grimshaw from Max Lowe's cross.

Forest passed up chances to build on the lead, and were eventually pegged back when Jerry Yates turned in from Jordan Gabriel's header to level for Blackpool.

However, Forest showed the mettle which Cooper has instilled since taking over, when Lewis Grabban tucked away after Worrall's effort was beaten away by Grimshaw.

It always looked as though the home side had enough to see it out from there, with Grimshaw making saves from Lowe and Grabban late on.

Both teams came into the game with recent good form before the international break, but Cooper's side - a total departure from the team he inherited in terms of belief and confidence - had the edge.

The wide-raiding Lowe was a constant outlet, notably when picked out for the first goal by Worrall's superb raking diagonal ball, while Grabban's link-up play was another key feature.

Blackpool showed their own character to fight back to equalise, and goalscorer Yates might have had struck earlier when some desperate defending just before the break denied him from close range.

Forest moved within a point and a place of their vanquished opponents, with the Seasiders 15th on 15 points.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper told BBC Radio Nottingham:

"It was a good result, really important to win here and no doubt about that and really good for it. At times we made it hard work for ourselves than we should have but we scored an excellent goal in the first half.

"It was complete - build up from the back, through the lines, good positioning, started one side and finished up the other. I felt we could have capitalised on that a bit more.

"I felt at times we could have got the ball in play a bit quicker, restarted quicker, the game was there to be won, and that was the message at half-time.

"We gave away a soft goal, but we responded great. The game plan was to get in behind the left centre back and Lewis was there to score. Really, we should have scored more than we did but I liked how we saw the game out."

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I didn't think there was a lot in the game, it was evenly matched. The first half there weren't many chances at either end. The first 20, 25 minutes they had some of the ball but it's in front of us. We've won it back but from promising situations we've done nothing.

"It was really poor play from us and then the goal we don't get pressure on the ball high up the pitch and we get done by a long diagonal. It's a good goal from their point of view, really good quality.

"We came into the game, played better football and got into promising situations. We could have equalised, it hit Grabban on the arm. We showed a response in the second, got the goal but they were dangerous on the counter.

"They were lucky, us unfortunate with the goal. After we huffed and puffed, the game fizzled out and that was disappointing."

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