Rovers back to winning ways

Glyn Hodges' young side ended a five-game run without a win courtesy of goals from Gary Harkins, Matt Derbyshire and hapless Forest keeper Paddy Gamble, the latter credited with a calamitous own goal.

Rovers dominated from start to finish and they might have won more handsomely had they shown a little more composure in the final third.

Hodges named a young team comprising mainly of Academy players but first team squad members Lorenzo Amoruso, Jemal Johnson and Paul Gallagher were also included in the starting line-up.

Forest were under the cosh from the start and they survived a scare after just 10 minutes when Paul Weaver's acrobatic effort rebounded back off a post.

The lively Jerome Watt then fastened onto a delightful pass from Amoruso but his goal-bound shot was deflected wide for a corner.

As the half wore on, there was little respite for Forest as Tony Kane, Joel Byrom, Weaver and Johnson were all thwarted.

Eventually, the pressure had to tell and it finally did in the 40th minute when Harkins rose to meet Watt's corner at the far post to score with a header that took a slight deflection on its way into the net.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first as Rovers continued to make all the running.

A second goal arrived in the 68th minute when fine work from Johnson led to Derbyshire heading home emphatically from inside the six yard box.

An embarrassing gaffe by Gamble then made it 3-0 eight minutes later when the Forest keeper flapped at a cross from Watt and somehow succeeded in fumbling the ball over his own goal-line.

There was still time for Johnson to rattle the crossbar with a late drive, but overall Hodges will have been more than satisfied with what was an excellent team performance.

Rovers: Drench, Kane, Barr, Amoruso, Taylor, Watt, Weaver, Harkins, Byrom, Johnson, Gallagher (sub Derbyshire, 55). Subs (not used): L Jones, Fielding, Barker, Hodge.