Nottingham Forest 3 - 2 Yeovil Town

It's a good job I produce these reports without actually having to speak to anyone and no more so than today. My voice is blown to bits after without doubt my most thrilling visit ever to City Ground.

Let's get the obvious facts out of the way, as if any Forest fan reading this now ever needed reminding:

We are going up, say WE ARE GOING UP!

Our day of deliverance has arrived, and you will forgive me if this report looks a little disjointed in parts - being overcome with excitement just doesn't even come close to it.

And what a conclusion to a season of no little irony. Twelve months ago, our season ended, (albeit in extra time) in premature fashion at the hands of Yeovil and how we all remember how we slipped disconsolately away, totally shattered and dismayed in which our entire season was encapsulated within one game - a huge advantage frittered away. Contrast that with today, and there cannot be a single Forest fan who didn't raise their eyebrow at the irony when the fixture list was released last June only to see that potentially our season could (and this time hopefully would) end once again with the visit of none other than The Glovers.

With the Leeds' points deduction appeal failing, so removing of the one external factor which could have wrecked things not only for us, but also for Doncaster and Carlisle, the stage was set. All we had to do was to beat Yeovil today, a side with League One status guaranteed and with little to play for, and hope that Cheltenham - who still needed points to ensure their current status - to hold Doncaster to at least a draw. With both those wishes granted, the result at Carlisle would be irrelevant.

Could have been worse, I suppose, but we had little help from matches elsewhere on the final day of the last two seasons, even if we failed to help ourselves in the process, so something had to change today. There was absolutely no doubt the sellout crowd were up for it, creating a carnival atmosphere which eclipsed the previous two play-off games contested here twelve months and five years ago. Expectation, hope and, dare I say it, a hint of optimism in the air was certainly there as we awaited kick-off.

No real surprises to the starting line-up, and credit to Calderwood for maintaining some consistency in that department. Sammy, the most notable absentee due to being laid low earlier in the week was replaced by Perchy, and Bennett, recovered from the injury which ruled him out of last week's trip to Hartlepool was restored at left back.

And boy were we glad to see him back too! As if seeing him being presented with Player Of The Year (and fully deservedly so IMO after the amazing turnaround in fortunes he's had this season) shortly before kick-off wasn't enough, he was the first person to have us grinning from ear to ear when, in only the 12th minute, he won a crunch tackle to leave Marvin Williams waiting for a taxi out of the ground before unleashing a cracking shot from 25 yards which Steve Mildenhall never looked like stopping. Blimey! When was the last time we saw the boys deliver so early in a game on which so much rested? Pressure? They've obviously forgotten the meaning of the word!

Five minutes later it got better. Brett Ormerod, continuing the latest in a string of positive contributions (and I for one would not be averse to him staying on Trentside next season) slid a through ball towards Commo who advanced at speed into the right hand corner of the box before sliding a low ball through Mildenhall's legs into the bottom corner. Suddenly this is all looking rather good!

Well, yes it was, but amid the now deafening noise inside City Ground, and with 28000 supporters celebrating an unexpected two-goal lead, we were suddenly caught napping. Johnno lookalike Jaime Peters picked up the ball in midfield and proceeded to slice through our defence like a knife through butter. And although he was eventually tackled our defence was in enough disarray for Marcus Stewart to slide the ball back to him to complete the move from just a couple of yards out. An audacious goal if ever I saw one, and a timely warning for us which was emphasised in no uncertain terms by Calderwood as he struggled to keep his players focussed.

The embarrassment of conceding what has to be said a distinctly soft goal was, however, totally replaced only a couple of minutes later by sheer joy as word filtered through from Whaddon Road bringing the news we'd all been waiting for - that Cheltenham had taken the lead against Doncaster. At first it was a little confusing as no-one sitting within earshot could confirm or deny it, and our mobiles were initially slow to update with goal updates, but once we knew it was for real it felt almost as if we'd scored another goal ourselves.

But then that's exactly what did happen just a few minutes after this almighty boost. Chris Cohen was brought down just outside the box to earn us a free kick. McGugan territory! It was one of those moments when you just sensed something good might happen, rather like we used to whenever The Bartman stepped up for something similar. And we were not to be disappointed when Lewis's thunderbolt shot sailed into the top corner. Two up, and with our destiny in our own hands. This was positively dreamland, and my voice, like several thousand others I shouldn't wonder, was already in danger of disappearing as we launched into celebrations like half-crazed lunatics. And the game was not even half an hour old!

To be honest, the two-goal advantage was no less than Forest deserved as they had, for most of the opening period played assured and passing football, and to feet (hurrah once more!). In fact this was probably the best I'd seen us play all season with the possible exception of the day we entertained Crewe, who were receiving something of a pasting at the hands of Oldham, an experience which seemed a very distant memory for us right now. The only real scare we had for the remainder of the period was when a defensive lapse saw Williams break through and really ought to have buried it from 12 yards, and there were huge sighs of relief all round when he contrived to send the ball wide of the far post. With the job half done there was much applause as the players trooped off at half time. You sensed, however it was unlikely to be as plain sailing as what we'd just witnessed during the opening period.

We started the second half well enough, but it was not long before we looked to have reverted to distinct backs-to-the-wall mode as we let Yeovil come back at us. We had kept up the tempo for a good hour or so, but we looked just a little as though we could start to wilt, allowing Yeovil a chance to spoil things for the second year in succession. Brecks had come on for Luke Chambers, and Perchy - who'd had a superb game having pulled off some fine tackles only to injure himself with the latest of them - had been replaced by Junior Agogo, who continued to waste chances apart from his first move in which he set Tyson up with an opportunity which he only just missed when the ball trickled agonisingly slow towards goal only to be cleared off the line by Skiverton with Mildenhall beaten.

The fans were still playing their part, but there was a definite dip in the atmosphere when word seeped through that Doncaster had equalised against Cheltenham, and Carlisle (through Scott Dobie, no less!) had taken the lead against Bournemouth. This didn't change anything statistically for us, as this still meant we were holding on to second place, and Bournemouth had also equalised against Carlisle which gave us a little extra cushion.


But then Andy Kirk pulled another goal back for Yeovil with a bullet header from a corner with 15 minutes to go to start an almighty fingernail-chewing session in the stands. For a short while we wobbled, and continued to allow ourselves to be pinned back. Calderwood screamed at his players to remain calm until it emerged, just over five minutes from time, that Cheltenham had regained the lead.

It was almost surreal. The cheers swept around the ground like a tidal wave, and although we'd been in the driving seat since Cheltenham's opener what seemed a lifetime ago, now for the first time all afternoon did we at last feel that automatic promotion - so sorely yearned for ever since our disastrous capitulation here twelve months ago - was about to be ours. Brett Ormerod was loudly cheered off the pitch as he made way for Arron Davies to make a cameo appearance against his old club. We'd spent most of the afernoon nervously checking mobile phones (those of us without radios, at least) but now we were counting down the final minutes as ninety minutes - and stoppage time - approached. The boys hung on, even managing to advance forward as the minutes ticked by. The noise from the stands grew louder, especially as news finally filtered through that Cheltenham had fulfilled their side of the bargain, earning themselves another season in League One in the process. It was like watching us score another goal, and it was as good as that since it only made our own position that much safer. Ironically Carlisle could only manage a draw, so even a draw would have been enough for us, as it turned out.

We'd already played one minute of stoppage time with two still to play. It was all done in slow motion as we kept the ball upfield for as we could. The last action of the game saw Agogo trying to emerge from a tight spot by the corner flag, eventually winning us a corner kick. But there was no time for the kick as the full time whistle sounded. Cue total delerium to accompany an explosion of noise all around the ground. I would have said the stands, but within seconds there were hundreds of fans already on the pitch creating the scenes all ground officials dread, and warnings to stay off the pitch at the end broadcast every ten minutes or so throughout the afternoon proved about as futile as one of Gordon Brown's recent election broadcasts. Mayhem. Five minutes later the pitch was a sea of red and white as the players took refuge and stewards struggled to contain the thousands of fans pouring onto the pitch. As we gazed from the Trent End Upper in awe of the scenes below us (and dozens of fans were saluting the Trent End as we watched) there were emotional scenes in the stands. My friend to my left couldn't help but ask if this meant we really were up, whilst the guy a couple of places to my right was genuinely moved to tears, and I have to admit I was not far behind him. My mobile was red-hot from strings of text messages from well-wishers, themselves all football fans who fully appreciated what days like today are all about.

Eventually order was restored and the fans on the pitch retreated to the touchline so the players could re-emerge to take their bows, and to loud cheers from everyone. Even the music men in charge of the PA system had got it right with full blasts of 'That Loving' Feeling' and 'Mull Of Kintyre' which just sparked off more singing and with no little emotion amongst the fans. Inevitably the pitch came once more under siege as the players ran in a chain from the Bridgford back towards the Trent End, and with little else likely to be seen we decided to make for the exits, having hugged dozens of delighted fans on the way. Honestly, it was fantastic, and the scenes of jubilation continued not only in the streets, but in plenty of scarf and flag bedecked cars too, and the drive home is something I will never forget as I and other delighted fans cheered and waved to each other the whole way home - all 120 miles!

For me celebrating my birthday this weekend it was the best present I could have wished for, and Cheltenham Town FC must surely be expecting a thank-you letter from this fan at some point. Top of this weekend's in-car playlist on the way home were two very contrasting messages, courtesy of a Journey CD I recently acquired. 'Who's Crying Now' is dedicated to Doncaster and, more significantly Carlisle for whom automatic promotion was theirs to lose and both could ultimately lose out just like we did a year ago; and 'Don't Stop Believing' the most appropriate message conveyed by Forest, not only today but for the last six games during which the vast majority of us (myself included) were resigned to the lottery of the play-offs once more.

Faults I may have - being wrong isn't one of them. A message displayed on the wall at my local chippy, and how utterly delighted I am to have been proved wrong. Credit where it's due, and up and down the country fans will be saluting Calderwood having achieved promotion at two levels in his very short managerial career. Whether he achieves his hat-trick at City Ground is anyone's guess. Whilst he has had his doubters (and I've been one of them in recent weeks) it cannot be denied he has stuck to the job in hand and kept a cool head whilst there was still a chance, and ultimately he has been proven right. Granted, we rode our luck at times (and there I beg to differ with Mr Calderwood's post-match comments), but name me a team who hasn't, and even the so-called Big Four clubs (who have so much to answer for the failings of English football) cannot escape this one.

We are Championship bound. The league which IMO has been far more exciting this year than The Premiership, which is fast assuming a mantle I liken to clubs like Middlesbrough. In other words, overrated. Every club in The Championship had something to play for as recently as last weekend. Of course the test for Calderwood is whether he can cut it at Championship level, and for him the test is only just beginning. Reports of signing strikers of Rob Earnshaw's calibre would certainly suggest ambition (all the more satisfying if it's at the expense of The Premiership's worst-ever club [official!], to whom we will look forward with relish), and we await with anticipation to see if signings such as this, and others are forthcoming, as well as the usual guessing games of who's staying and who's not. And as Doughty suggested after the game, promotion to The Premiership has to be an aim next season (though let's make sure you really are serious about it this time!) however I'd be happy enough if we achieved at least a top ten finish first time round.

An interesting summer is anticipated. And, I expect renewed optimism among the fans, and the number-crunchers can probably expect a good number of decisions over non-renewal of season tickets being overturned, though my comments made previously of the club's need to provide some sort of tangible recognition to season ticket holders still applies.

Hopefully there will be a Lancashire Red season review in due course, and match coverage will resume on a regular basis in late August (will miss opening day due to holidays this year).

It's been three long years. Three long years of hurt, and the club and its fans have had more than their fair share of going through the wringer. Talk about going up the easy way by doing it the hard way! And at last it's over. A final thought: Man City bounced back in once season; Sheffield Wednesday in two; if it took us three seasons, then does that mean we can look forward to Leicester enjoying four years or more in the backwaters of the English Football League?

Congratulations to Colin & The Boys. We're proud of you - at long last!



Ref Watch: F Graham - A mere bit-part player today, which is probably just the way we'd all want it to be.

Entertainment Value: Three Forest goals in thirty minutes accompanied by unfolding developments elsewhere made it an end-of-season extravaganza. 9/10

Atmosphere: An absolute sizzler from start to finish.

Highlights: Need you ask? The last two minutes when we knew Doncaster had lost, but the goals here and at Whaddon Road were right up there too.

Lowlights: The moment we discovered Doncaster had equalised, closely followed by Yeovil pulling the score back to 3-2. The wobbly period had the fans wondering how anything could still happen.

Stinker: The national press (and BBC/ITV coverage) who virtually ignored Forest's achievement, preferring to focus on the usual glamour-clubs, whose season still has another week to run.

Stormer: Bennett crowning his Player-of-the Season status with the crucial opener? McGugan's screamer? Perch and Wes with their tackles? All worthy contenders. Actually, I think today belongs to the long-suffering fans who at long last had something to celebrate, and they positively revelled in it!