Superb goals from Sam Surridge and Cafu saw Nottingham Forest draw 2-2 with Notts County at Meadow Lane.
It was an entertaining affair for the pre-season friendly. Twice the Reds took the lead, but on both occasions their neighbours fought back.
The visitors could have opened the scoring almost straight from kick-off. Within the first minute Cafu had headed over an Alex Mighten cross.
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Richie Laryea then caused problems with a couple of driving runs. A cross from the first just evaded Lyle Taylor at the far post, while Surridge had an effort blocked from the second a few minutes later.
Surridge was central to another chance with 20 minutes gone. Braian Ojeda did well to win the ball and set the front man free down the flank. Taylor slid in to try to get on the end of the resulting cross across goal, but couldn’t quite get there.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Jordan Smith produced two excellent saves to keep out the Magpies in the first half. He denied Ruben Rodrigues with his legs on the quarter-hour, then went on to palm away a curler from Sam Austin 15 minutes later.
Ed Francis went close with a couple of free-kicks for the hosts as half-time neared. But it was Surridge who broke the deadlock.
It was a wonderful finish, too. Set up by Cafu, he curled his shot into the far side of the net to make it 1-0 with 43 minutes played. Rodrigues almost managed an immediate response for Notts, but his deflected effort struck the post.
Nevertheless, it didn’t take long after the restart for the Magpies to get back on level terms. Macaulay Langstaff rifled home from inside the box after a neat pass from Rodrigues.
An absolute rasper of a free-kick from Cafu put Forest back in front; thumped in from full-on 25 yards out. But Notts quickly restored parity as Austin coolly finished when Smith had failed to claim a cross.
Smith was called upon a few more times before the night was out, but it finished all-square.
Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at Meadow Lane.
Jordan Smith: Made two excellent saves in the first half, and some really good ones in the second half, too. Just won’t want to re-live Notts’ second goal in a hurry.
Alex Mighten: Deployed in the right wing-back role in the first half. In more familiar territory after the break and had some lively moments.
Giulian Biancone: Hasn’t been used too much as a centre-back since putting pen to paper, but was part of the three-man defence in the opening 45 minutes before moving to the wing-back spot. Some good moments.
Loic Mbe Soh: Cool and calm as you like when he had the ball, and really strong defensively. A smooth showing from the defender. Looks like he could really benefit from regular minutes somewhere.
Aaron Donnelly: Grasped his opportunity and can be pleased with his performance. Good to see him given a chance from the start.
Richie Laryea: Showed his marker a clean pair of heels more than once early on, making some powerful runs down the left flank. Certainly started brightly.
Ryan Yates: A bit concerning to see the midfielder pick up a knock and require treatment before the break. Hopefully nothing serious and he was taken off for the second half as a precaution.
Braian Ojeda: Tendency to give away a few too many soft free-kicks didn’t look to go down particularly well with the manager. Some positive moments, but was also shaky at times.
Cafu: It might only be a pre-season friendly, but that was a heck of a strike. Properly walloped in the free-kick from a long way out. Superb.
Lyle Taylor: Inches away from getting on the end of a couple of crosses. Worked hard as he got minutes under his belt, including chipping in defensively.
Sam Surridge: Trademark finish from the striker on his return from injury. Took his goal superbly. A welcome sight to see him back and looking sharp.
SUBSTITUTES
Oli Hammond (46mins): Some lovely touches. Has impressed throughout pre-season, showing he has bags of potential.
Billy Fewster (46mins): The Reds had their work cut out in the second half. A good workout, though, and pleasing to get plenty of minutes out there.
Zach Abbott (46mins): Valuable game time in what was a testing second half with a young Forest side put under pressure.
Dale Taylor (71mins): Looked lively at times, but not too many chances to make his mark.
Ateef Konate (71mins): Had some bright moments and was keen to get on the ball.
Julian Larsson (75mins): Didn’t get much opportunity to make an impact. Great to see so many young players get game time, though.
Justin Hanks (88mins): Great experience for the youngster, being brought on for the final few minutes.
Not used: Shelvey, Hogarths.
Who stood out for you against the Magpies? Have your say in the comments below
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