The Championship game between Coventry City and Nottingham Forest at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday Feb 09 2010.
Thanks to their terrific run of form over recent months, Nottingham Forest have a healthy cushion of points over fourth-placed Cardiff.
Nevertheless, it will be a concern for fans that once again they offered little end product to go with all that one-touch passing.
Compare and contrast with Coventry City: scrappy football, but at least they took the one opportunity that presented itself, Freddie Eastwood profiting from a parried save from Lee Camp in the first half.
In truth, though, this match, an uneventful affair in the main, will be remembered more for the fact that the referee, Tony Bates, was replaced with 20 minutes remaining by Amy Fearn, who with her first toot on her whistle drew the biggest cheer of the night – not that Billy Davies was smiling.
He had said that this was the most important match his side have been involved in thus far this season, given upcoming fixtures against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.
The thing about Forest is that while their fluid brand of football looks well enough, it often lacks the necessary spark of initiative to find a way through their opposition back four.
It was certainly true here, when Dexter Blackstock was totally exposed, rendering Davies’ decision to leave Rob Earnshaw on the bench until there was less than 30 minutes look even stranger.
It was with just the sort of killer instinct Forest were lacking that Coventry took advantage. Clinton Morrison lifted in a cross from the left, and while the Forest back four simply gazed as the ball dropped into the box Richard Wood sent it scudding towards Camp, who could only parry it to Eastwood.
The finish, directed with gusto into the roof of the net, was the easiest the striker will get all season.
Paul Anderson could have earned his side a penalty and Guy Moussi should have equalised. Anderson was brought down on the edge of the area, but he gave his tumble the full works, flicking his hair back as if in a shampoo advert, and Stephen Wright was given the let off.
Moussi somehow directed a swinging free-kick from Chris Cohen wide.
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