Monday 28 December: Daily Mail

Promotion? I don't fancy that, says Billy Davies

BILLY Davies has made the shock admission that he does not want his Nottingham Forest side to be promoted this season — because his memories of Derby's nightmare are still raw.

Davies is fearful even though Forest are on a 15-game unbeaten run, their longest since the Brian Clough era.

Third-placed Forest's away record is brilliant — still unbeaten in 12 matches, having conceded just seven goals. It is negative football but it is mightily effective.

When it was pointed out to Davies that Forest fans would like promotion this season, he said: 'But they don't get sacked after 12 games (like Davies did at Derby in the Premier League in 2007).

'We don't want to get in there and come straight down. We want to get in there at the right time so the club are ready to maintain a strong challenge.'

Forest's run should have been ended by Watford at Vicarage Road in injury time. Tom Cleverley's shot was handled by Nicky Shorey but referee Andy D'Urso, who had a poor game, did not award the penalty.

Watford boss Malky Mackay said: 'First reactions are always the ones you look at straight away and it's sheer amazement.'

Sunday 27 December: Sunday Mercury

Forest maintain last unbeaten sequence after stoppage time furore

MALKY Mackay was furious after his Watford side were denied a stoppage-time penalty during the scoreless Coca-Cola Championship draw with Nottingham Forest.

The Watford manager said he had never seen a clearer case for a spot kick but referee Andy D'Urso waved appeals away and the Hornets were denied the chance to end the last unbeaten away record in all four English divisions.

The incident came when Lee Camp dropped a high Lloyd Doyley ball into the area under pressure.

Although the Forest goalkeeper did well to block Henri Lansbury's follow up he was out of position when Tom Cleverley's strike was blocked by Nicky Shorey's arm.

Mackay said: "I think myself, the fourth official, their bench, 15,000 people and the boy himself - saw the hand go from down by his side to up near there (by his head) and stopped the ball going into an empty net. I've seen it six times but the first reaction is always the one that you look at to start with and it was amazement. Everyone was exactly the same. I think when so many people are amazed then it's usually the case."

The decision, or lack of it, was tough on the Hornets, who had also struck a post, although they also needed a great save by England Under-21 goalkeeper Scott Loach to prevent substitute Dexter Blackstock from heading the visitors in front late on.

Mackay added: "The first half I thought was balanced but I think the way we played second half - pushed and pressed and kept them in there at times and created the chances that we did - merited the chance to be able to put away a penalty."

When asked about the penalty incident, Forest boss Billy Davies felt his side should also have been awarded one, but admitted Watford had a strong case. Davies said: "I felt Chris Gunter was a definite penalty, inside the 18-yard box when Cleverley pulled him down. There's no doubt about it, you know what you're coming to here and it wasn't a classic, it was never going to be a classic."

Sunday 27 December: This is Nottingham.co.uk

Davies: We were fortunate not to concede a penalty

BILLY Davies today admitted Nottingham Forest were fortunate to have escaped a late penalty claim to emerge with a battling point at Watford.

But the Reds boss also insisted: "We should have had a penalty as well."

Nicky Shorey appeared guilty of a blatant hand ball in injury time as he acrobatically pushed away a shot on the line.

But Davies was convinced Forest should have had a spot kick earlier in the second half, when Chris Gunter had been brought down in the box.

"They should have had a penalty and we should have had a penalty, but two wrongs do not make a right," he said.

"If we had been awarded the penalty when Gunter was brought down, it would have been there for us to go and win the match.

"If it was only one hand with Shorey - and I haven't seen the replay - it was also only one foot when Chris Gunter was brought down. I have seen the replay of that and it was a penalty, without a doubt.

"Before they had their claim for a penalty, we were denied a blatant one as well."

Davies admitted that the rutted playing surface at Vicarage Road, coupled with Watford's direct playing style, had made life difficult.

"You see the type of pitch and playing surface that we were playing on and having Wes Morgan ruled out through illness was a huge loss for us, in this type of game, because of the way they play football.

"That is fair enough, it is up to them how they play. But this club was in the Premiership a few years ago and they still have four or five players with experience of top-flight football. They also have an under-21 goalkeeper and a few of Arsenal and Manchester United's best young up and coming players.

"It is a very good point for us, against a side that make it difficult for you.

"It is a great point. But it is not a DVD you would get excited about watching again, that is for sure."

Sunday 27 December: People Sport

Watford 0-0 Nottingham Forest

NOTTINGHAM Forest preserved their 15-game unbeaten run thanks to Nicky Shorey's hands - and the selective blindness of blunder ref Andy d'Urso.

Forest left-back Shorey got two hands in the way of Tom Cleverley's late shot on goal, but D'Urso was probably the only man at Vicarage Road to miss it.

Even Forest boss Billy Davies - and Shorey himself - admitted Watford should have been awarded a spot-kick.

Watford manager Malky Mackay was fuming and let D'Urso know his feelings as soon as he was allowed into his office 30 minutes after the final whistle.

He said: "I saw it, as did the fourth official, their bench and the player himself, who admitted as much to one of our players.

"But the referee and the linesman both said they were unsure of it. He was 10 yards away but he was unsure of it.

"It wasn't the ball playing the hand, his arm actually went up.

"There's not a lot you can do. I went to ask him some questions and he answered them. That was his answer - that he was unsure.

"There's not much I can say and I don't want to go into how the referee was because I don't want to lose any money."

If the penalty shout was rough justice on Watford it handed Forest a point they barely deserved after Davies's sluggish side seemed to be feeling the after-effects of Christmas.

Cleverley had more than enough chances to hand Forest their first away defeat of the campaign - and their first loss since August.

And the Hornets, whose fans were celebrating their first home game since Lord Ashcroft's £4.8m cash injection ensured they escaped going into administration last week, should have gone ahead but Don Cowie's curling shot rattled the far post.

It was a huge let-off for Davies's side, who hadn't had a sniff for the entire second half.

But Forest went from riding their luck to engineering a point as Shorey's save on the line denied Hornets a deserved win.

Davies amazingly claimed his side should have won, and defended their negative approach. He said: "We deserved to win with the chances we had. We have one of the youngest squads in the division.

"It wasn't an easy place to come because you know you're going to get a certain kind of football and a certain type of surface.

"It's horses for courses."