Championship: Stuart Pearce thanks fans after Nottingham Forest's win over Norwich
Monday 10 November 2014 10:36, UK
Stuart Pearce thanked the Nottingham Forest fans for the part they played in 'driving' the Reds to a dramatic - and vital - 2-1 Championship victory over Norwich City.
The Forest manager had been under pressure after his side notched up nine league games without a win, but late goals from Britt Assombalonga and Michail Antonio helped them to avoid a 10th, as the Reds snatched three points with a remarkable fightback in the final five minutes.
The home fans at the City Ground had continued to back their men wholeheartedly, even as Jonny Howson's 16th-minute strike seemed likely to condemn them to a second consecutive home defeat.
And Pearce felt the supporters had played a key role in keeping the team going, prior to Assombalonga's 85th-minute equaliser and Antonio's injury-time winner.
"I have to take my hat off to the fans, because they have been absolutely sensational. They drove us to this victory. They drove us on," said Pearce. "Their backing was incredible.
"It was a cool finish and an exciting finish to the game. It felt like a cup final at Wembley. This is a fantastic victory and something we had to build on.
"The one thing I do know is that this team has a lot of character. I said that when we were doing well, winning a lot of games and I have said it again lately.
"We still need to eradicate the silly goals we give away because the first goal was still a silly goal, again. We were like a boxer who had to take a standing eight count, just to gather our senses again.
"In the second half, we rolled our sleeves up. I have learnt a lot about my dressing room over the last 10 games. It has been a real learning curve for me."
Leaders
Norwich boss Neil Adams left frustrated - and was particularly annoyed by the manner of the winning goal, which saw Forest counter quickly from a Canaries corner.
His side have now won only one of their last eight games, having previously topped the table.
"It was not good enough, it goes without saying. To be caught from our own corner kick, with a couple of minutes of stoppage time left, was a sickening feeling. We have thrown the game away in the last five minutes," said Adams.
"It is not a case of people getting back, we are looking at the set-up we had. We want to win games, but we cannot leave ourselves open in the manner that we did.
"It should not happen in that manner, we should not concede a goal from our own corner kick. We should have left here with a point as a minimum. But we let them get out of jail and steal all three points.
"We need to have a look at whether we have enough leaders on the pitch. We did not have that today. But the spotlight shines on us, coaching staff, players, the lot... because we can't produce performances like that and throw things away.
"A few weeks ago we were top of the table. Now it is not nice to go home empty handed. We have to start winning games, we have to get back up the table."
