[Archived] News Article -> 2012/13 Full-Time: Rovers 3 Nottingham Forest 0

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Rovers have picked up a vital win at home to Nottingham Forest. After a dull first half, Rovers burst into action in the second and scored three unanswered goals. It was a very good performance from the home side and it means that Rovers have won on New Year's Day for the first time in four years.

There was very little goalmouth action in the first half and neither keeper was tested seriously. Rovers' best chance of the half came from an indirect free-kick inside of the area after Camp had picked up Collins' backpass. Rochina's effort came to nothing, but Rovers nearly took the lead just before the break when Kazim-Richards' volley landed on the roof of the net.

Whatever was said at half-time certainly had an effect and Rovers were quickly onto the front foot after the break. They took the lead only three minutes into the second half in bizarre circumstances as Ayala played the ball off of Rochina and watched in horror as the ball made its way past a wrong-footed Camp and into the corner of the Nottingham Forest goal. Jake Kean then produced an excellent one-handed save to keep out Billy Sharp's header after the forward had found himself unmarked in the penalty area.

That might have been the scare that Rovers needed and they soon grabbed a second and, if the first was fortunate, the second was anything but. Rhodes did well to beat both the keeper and a defender to Pedersen's pass and the striker exquisitely took the ball around the keeper, turned and fired into the goal from a tight angle. That all but ended the match as a contest, but Rovers added a third when Kazim-Richards met Henley's cross on the half-volley and beat Camp with a thunderous effort. It was a fine goal and it rounded off one of Rovers' better performances of the season. Forest nearly grabbed a goal from a free-kick, but Murphy did well to get back onto the line and head the ball wide.

It was a good performance and it is an excellent three points that sees Rovers move to within 5 points of the play-off places with a game in hand on many of the sides above them. There is growing speculation that Peter Taylor is poised to take over as manager, although it seems that an appointment today is unlikely. Whoever takes charge, Bowyer and his team can be proud of the work that they did in their brief time in charge, a spell that saw Rovers win back-to-back games and pick up an invaluable 6 points that sees them looking up at the start of 2013.

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