Crossing The Line

Nottingham Forest  3  Ipswich Town  0

English Football League Championship

A few years back, when I was seeking the attentions of her who would become Mrs Hatt, I did what every self respecting person does before making any moves, I did a little bit of social media stalking......

I mean, it would be churlish in this day and age not to do ones homework given the vast array of outlets available to us. Clearly the best place to start the research is the photo's, and all was looking fine until I found one in particular that troubled me, it was the one where she was wearing a Forest shirt.

Let's be honest, I'm a born and raised sheep-worrier, and we really don't get on with the Red Dogs, let alone opt to co-habit with them. I did think this could be a bit of an issue, but to be fair, we were both adults, and football is only a game, isn't it? Sensible, educated professionals that we were, a mere difference of opinion over what good football looks like should not be the basis for all out war over the dinner table......

Simple rules were written, when we played each other, we watched the game in different locations (I had to go out!), and after the game we never discussed the outcome. We even went to a stage of not going to the local for a drink on the night of an East Midlands derby game, purely because it avoided getting drawn into any kind of conversation about the match. It worked, but I must admit that day we slapped them 5-0 was a real challenge to keep my mouth shut!

The Hatt's Are On The Pitch.....

I'm a reasonable man, and to be fair to Mrs Hatt, she hadn't been to watch Forest in all the time we'd been together, so last season I agreed to take her and Master Hatt to watch an away game at Cardiff City, I even sat in the away end. It was ok, I didn't feel that unclean afterwards either, so when she asked me to take her to the away game at Brighton I was quite happy, in fact I quite enjoyed the hammering they got and the fact Forest fans came close to fighting with each other!

I'd never been with her to the City Ground before though, in fact I'd not set foot in the place since 1996 when Sunderland spanked them in the Premier League. But, with relegation a distinct possibility on the final day of the season, I agreed once again to take her. It was also going to be Junior's first trip Trentside, not sure why we bothered though, he's only interested in Spurs!

Mist Rolling In From The Trent

The walk to the City Ground took us via the Trent Bridge cricket ground, and even an hour and a half before the noon kick off, it was busy, it was going to be a full house today. The permutations were simple, Forest had to better Blackburn's result, because as it stood Forest had a +1 better goal difference. The tension around the place was tangible, we sat on the embankment and watched the World go by before entering the Brian Clough Stand.

This is the thing though, opposite the Brian Clough Stand is the Peter Taylor Stand, and all around the place you could sense the presence of the two great men looking down on proceedings, two footballing geniuses who's presence is equally felt at Derby. Ok, we hate Forest, but we have a common bond at the same time, and without those two men, our clubs histories could have been vastly different.

The atmosphere inside the ground was electric, 'Born Slippy' thundered from the PA before 'Mull of Kintyre' greeted the kick off. It was an atmosphere, but a nervous one.

In Enemy Territory

Forest started like an express train, for all of two minutes, but then for the next twenty minutes it was all Ipswich. The atmosphere turned flat, Blackburn were 2-0 up Brentford, and if that stayed the same Forest had simply got to win to stand a chance.

Jamie Ward was felled in the box, up stepped Britt Assombalonga to score from the spot just before half time, and the equation changed slightly, if the scores remained the same, Forest would survive on goals scored, it was that tight.

Forest played with a confidence in the second period, Ipswich on the other hand didn't offer an awful lot. Chris Cohen smashed one home from distance via a deflection before Assombalonga saw a second penalty saved brilliantly by Bartosz Bialkowski. Brentford pulled a goal back and by now all looked ok, unless Blackburn went on a scoring spree or Forest capitulated.

They were never going to capitulate, and it was that man Assombalonga, who had discovered the art of running as the game wore on, that smashed the ball into the net from a tight angle to make it 3-0 and game over. Blackburn got a third at Brentford but by now the fat lady was singing.

The attempts to prevent a pitch invasion were unsuccessful, we made it on, all three of us, and photos were taken. Forest were safe, but for a club of this stature and with their history, it's absolutely criminal that they should be battling relegation to the third tier. Fawaz Al Hasawi should do the decent thing and sell the club to owners who will move the club forward.

We all had fun on the pitch, and the walk back to the car was a jolly one, as was the journey home, to civilisation!

It sounds like I enjoyed it? I did to be fair, I was happy for Mrs Hatt that they had stayed up, and that we can renew hostilities again next season. Had it gone wrong, would I have enjoyed it? Probably, in a very different kind of way!

But you know what, after all that, she still says she would never go to a Derby match with me. I should have done more homework, clearly when I saw that photo in the red shirt I ought to have at least asked a few more probing questions.

For some, it's just impossible to cross that line......................

Brian Never Did Like Pitch Invaders