Tough struggle ahead for Forest

Press, 23 April 1979, Page 21

Tough struggle ahead for Forest

NZPA-Reuter London The English soccer champions, Nottingham Forest, faces a desperate struggle during the coming week not to lose sight of its two major objectives for the season. its hopes ot winning the European Cup will hang on a fragile thread when it travels to West Germany for Wednesday’s semifinal second-leg tie against Cologne. It was held 3-3 in the first leg and clearly has a towering task ahead of it, although Cologne’s 5-1 defeat by Bayern Munich in the West German league on Saturday may do something to help its cause. Forest’s other aim this season was to retain the English League title and whether it does this will almost certainly depend on how it fares against Liverpool next Saturday. On Saturday Forest moved into second place in the first division table by beating Birmingham City 2-0. But they remained six points behind Liverpool, which beat Bristol City 1-0, and it cannot afford to lose Saturday’s showdown at its own ground. Liverpool and Forest have both played 35 league games which leaves them with only seven more each and by the time next Saturday comes round Liverpool could have stretched its lead to eight points by winning its match at Southampton tomorrow.

Already the week had gut off to a bad start for Forest with news that Archie Geminiil will not be fit for the return match with Cologne. GemmiU stiained a groin muscle in the first ieg and Peter Taylor, I orest’s assistant manager, says he has no chance of turning cut on Wednesday. Forest and West Bromwich Albion are the only teams who can still catch Liverpool -it the top of the English first division table, although Albion slipped seven points behind the leaders bydropping a home point in the 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. That result also had a bearing on the relegation issue for it put Wolverhampton out of reach of Birmingham which now joins Chelsea as two of the three clubs dropping into the second division next season.

Queen’s Park Rangers look certain to become the third club going down after losing 3-1 at Manchester City on Saturday, while Derby, also threatened by relegation, won 2-0 at home against Arsenal. Willie Young, Arsenal’s Scottish international defender, was sent off after 69 minutes, following a second booking, but Derby had scored both goals by then and was assured of winning. In the second division the battle for promotion remained full of interest. Five clubs are still in contention to make it

to the top grade next season. Stoke went to the head ot the division yesterday thanks to Brendan O’Caiiaghan’s winner at Wrexham. Stose climbed above Brighton which drew 1-1 at I Luton. The position at the top of the second division is Stoke first with 53 points from 40 matches followed by Brighton with 52 from 40, Sunaerland with 51 from 39, Crystal Palace with 51 from 39 and West Ham with 46 from 37. ENGLISH LEAGUE Division one.—Friday: Leicester City 1, Crystal Palace 1. Saturday; Birmingnam City 0. Nottingham Forest 2; Bolton Wanderers 2, Ipswich Town 3; Chelsea 2. Middlesbrough 1; Coventry 4, Southampton 0; Derby County 2, Arsenal 0; Leeds United 1, Everton 0; Liverpool 1, Bristol City 0; Manchester City 3, Queens Park Rangers 1; Norwich 1, Aston Villa 2; Tottenham Hotspur 1, Manchester United 1; West Bromwich Albion 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1. Division two. —Blackburn Rovers 1, Millwall 1; Bristol Rovers 2, Burnley 0; Cambridge United 0, Sunderland 2; Cardiff City 4. Sheffield United 0; Charlton Athletic 0, West Ham United 0; Luton Town 1, Brighton and Hove Albion 1; Newcastle 0, Fulham 0; Notts County 0, Preston North End 0; Orient 0, Oldham 0; Wrexham 0, Stoke City 1.

Division three.—Blackpool I. Swansea 3; Carlisle 1, Brentford

0; Colchester 2, Hull 1; Lincoln City 0, Exeter 1; Mansfield 3, Bury 0; Plymouth Argyle 2, Gillingnam 1; Rotherham 0, Chester 1; Sheffield Wednesday 1, Tranmere 2; Shrewsbury 1. Chesterfield 1; Southend 0, Peterborough 0; Swindon 2. Watford 0: Walsall 0. Oxford United 1. Division four. —Aidershot 1. Wigan 0. Bournemouth 1, Bradford 0; Crewe Alexandra 0. York City 1; Darlington 1, Wimbledon 1; Grimsby 2. Barnsley 0, Halifax 2, Northampton Town 2: Hartlepool 0. Reading 0; Hereford 2. Doncaster 0; Portsmouth 1. Stock port County 1; Port Vale 1. New port County 1; Rochdale I, Scunthorpe 0.

SCOTTISH LEAGUE Premier division.—Aberdeen 1. Celtic 1; Dundee 1. Rangers 2; Hibernian 4. Motherwell 0; Partick Thistle 2, Morton 1; St Mirren 2. Hearts 1. Division one.—Airdrieonians 2. Dundee 4; Arbroath 2. Clyde 0; Clydebank 0. Ayr United 1; Hamilton Academical 1. Kilmarnock 0; Montrose 1, Raith Rovers 1; Queen of the South 1. Dumbarton 3; St Johnstone 0, Stirling

Division two.—Alloa 4, East Fite 3; Brechin 1. Queens Park

1; Cowdenbeath 1. Falkirk I; East Stirling 3. Forfar Athletic 1; Meadowbank 1. Dunfermline 3;

Stenhousemuir 2. Albion Rovers 3; Stranraer 1, Berwick 5.