Forest U21 Extend Winning Streak With Away Victory at The Hawthorns
Nottingham Forest U21 secured a comfortable away win against West Bromwich Albion U21, running out 3-1 victors in the Premier League 2 Division 1. The result leaves Forest fourth in the table with nine points from four matches, while the hosts remain rooted to 27th place with just one point from three games. To be fair, the visitors had been showing consistency before this fixture, collecting three wins from their opening four outings.
The breakthrough came midway through the first half when S. Samuels found the net in the thirty-fifth minute. He doubled his tally just before the interval with a second goal in stoppage time. The home side had their own chances — R. Parmar missed a penalty in the nineteenth minute — but could not find a way past the Forest defence. By then, West Brom had already seen C. Blackshields and R. Colesby picked up yellow cards.
The second half opened with four substitutions in quick succession, but Forest did not need time to extend their lead. C. Dexter struck in the forty-eighth minute to make it 3-0, and the game was effectively over. K. Bradshaw added a fourth goal in the seventy-eighth minute, confirming the visitors' dominance. West Bromwich's goalkeeper made six saves throughout the match, but could do little to prevent the mounting pressure.
Statistically, the match told a familiar story of possession without penetration. Both sides recorded fifty percent possession, yet Forest created more meaningful opportunities. The visitors registered ten shots on target compared to five for the hosts, though neither team managed to carve out a big chance. West Bromwich did edge the attack count with 109 moves against 96, but the quality of the final pass eluded them.
The yellow card count reflected a tense encounter, with five bookings for the home side and two for Forest. The hosts also saw K. Lucas and A. Whitehall cautioned late on, while S. Sutton and H. Rodda went to the referee earlier in the contest. Substitutions were made freely by both managers, with B. McClure, S. Samuels, S. Sutton, C. Nwosu and K. Thompson all coming on during the final third.
The result closes out a difficult start to the campaign for West Bromwich U21, who have now lost twice in three league outings. Forest's victory extends their unbeaten run and puts them in a strong position as the season develops. The table will not tell the full story of this match, but the three-goal margin speaks for itself.
