Nottingham Forest failed to make ground on the top six as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s.

The hosts were winless in four and hadn’t even scored in those games, but they took the lead after just five minutes through Che Adams.

Despite an improved showing after the break Forest couldn’t find an equaliser and midfielder Kieran Dowell admitted it was a tough afternoon for the Reds.

“It was really frustrating. We gave them a goal early on and we were knocking on the door for the rest of the game but it just wouldn’t go in for us. We had the right game plan, considering the size of their team and we tried to play around them. It was just that last bit and their keeper made a few good saves,” he told the official site.

With Daryl Murphy out, Mark Warburton fielded a very young attacking quartet and the on-loan Everton man felt they were missing a bit of experience.

“We need to find the consistency. We have a young squad and that will come with time. We maybe needed a bit of know how today but we tried our best.”

The Verdict

Defeat at Birmingham will feel like a missed opportunity for Forest who would’ve expected a win given the contrasting form each side has shown over recent weeks.

However, it wasn’t to be and as Dowell points out that may have been down to the youthful nature of the team, which brings inconsistency.

There’s still a lot of reason for optimism though, Warburton boasts a talented squad and with the right additions in January they could still make a positive impact in the league.

Thoughts, Forest fans? Let us know in the comments below.

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