ROVERS: Forest mire!

IT was one of those indecisive nights at Ewood when journalists scurry to the Press room - sorry, Media theatre - hoping the managers will come up with a decisive line, writes PETER WHITE

No chance. Like the rest of us and a Winchester trial jury, they too found it difficult to come to with a verdict.

Nottingham Forest's new general manager Dave Bassett spits out words like a rapid-fire Kalashnikov with a full magazine.

But he couldn't shed much light on the dilemma as to the decisiveness, if any, of last night's stalemate.

"At the start of the season, you would say that a draw at Blackburn is not a bad result. We have got a point, but we would have liked three and we still have an uphill task," he explained.

"Blackburn would have wanted to win but, at the end, they wouldn't have wanted to lose and we haven't made any ground on them."

Right then, that's clear - well almost.

Could Tony Parkes be a little more precise as to whether it was a point gained for Blackburn Rovers, or two lost?

An understandable pause for thought and Tony had to shrug his shoulders and confess: "A bit of both really. I think at one stage we would have settled for a draw but, at the end of the 90 minutes, we are a little disappointed we didn't win it. "We were disapppointing in the first half but we have gone up a place in the table over Everton on goal difference so it can't be a bad point."

Both men, to be fair, were close to the mark.

The game was probably summed up best by the fact that Rovers were forced to save a game they should have won.

That too may sound fairly indecisive but, if so, it reflected the action until Kevin Gallacher produced two moments of magic midway through a totally one-sided second half to salvage the one point that could mean so much.

It was enough to send the electronic scoreboard into a state of confusion, as the scoreline "Rovers 0, Forest 2" flashed up momentarily, to be replaced by 1-2 and, eventually, the correct version.

Mind you, I daresay a few fuses were blown in the home dressing room at half time too, over a shoddy display in the opening 45 minutes.

At a time when the initiative should have been firmly grasped, it was disconcerting to see Forest start the better of the two sides, even more so when they snatched the lead through Alf Haaland's bravery in the 19th minute.

No sooner had they got that precious goal, however, than they crept back into their shell.

Such tactics must have seemed justifiable when half time arrived and Rovers had done much huffing and puffing only to create so little.

It's not easy when teams sit back but, despite a mountain of possession, Rovers could only produce a molehill in terms of real chances.

The final ball into a penalty area short of attacking personnel was too often delivered from the wrong place at the wrong time and with a lack of genuine quality. A diving header from Per Pedersen, who will clearly take time to adapt to the pace and physical nature of the game in England, especially when he has to play a lone role, and a last-gasp challenge on the Dane were two isolated moments.

Gallacher also produced a lovely solo run only to be foiled by Mark Crossley then the Scot failed to control a cross from Jason Wilcox when he would have had a golden opportunity.

Forest attacked even less, yet took the lead when the ball squirted out of a challenge to Des Lyttle on the right. Graeme Le Saux failed to block him and the ball was fed through to the onrushing Haaland.

The Norwegian just pipped Tim Flowers to the ball, to prod it past him from the corner of the six-yard box and paid for his courage by having to be replaced at half time with a lacerated knee.

Just before the interval, Flowers had to keep out a header from Steve Chettle in a rare attack, but that was the last we saw of Forest as a goal-threatening force.

Fortunately, there was a transformation in Rovers as they powered forward with much more purpose.

Garry Flitcroft, who began to stand out in midfield, wasted a good chance set up by Tim Sherwood and Gallacher, then the latter's close range header, from a Flitcroft cross, was stopped by Crossley's rapid reflexes.

The breakthrough came, finally, courtesy of Gallacher.

A brilliant turn on the edge of the penalty area left his marker trying to bring him down. But Gallacher stayed on his feet and set up Sherwood with a great shooting chance. He could only hit the bar but had the awareness to challenge for the rebound, while Forest dithered, and the ball ran loose to Gallacher.

With his back to goal, he produced a clinical and acrobatic overhead kick to plant the ball firmly in the back of the net from six yards.

Pedersen had a glancing header well saved, Flitcroft dived in for another which went wide and, in the last minute, Sherwood put substitute Paul Warhurst clear. But, from an angle he somehow failed to hit the target.

So what did a point do for Rovers' survival chances? The jury is still out on that one, but they might yet come up with a majority verdict in favour.

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