Forest’s unbeaten start to the season is intact – thanks to the intervention of Aston Villa fan Joe Lolley.
Substitute Lolley came on the pitch with his side two goals down and struggling. His first touch was a belting shot past Lee Camp. And with just a few minutes to go, another long-range effort from Lolley was palmed away by Camp with Darryl Murphy knocking in the rebound and an equaliser.
Forest left it late as the worst finishers in the Championship remembered how to find the net again. A fabulous header from Lukas Jutkiewicz in the first half, and a goal on the turn from Che Adams in the second, looked enough to deliver Birmingham their first three-pointer of the season.
Forest’s unbeaten start remains intact – thanks to the intervention of Aston Villa fan Joe Lolley
Last season they were the joint-lowest scorers in the division with 38 goals and they came into this match having recorded three successive blanks. Manager Garry Monk has continued to sound gung-ho despite the search for a first win of the campaign.
Watching Omar Bogle shoot wide and Gary Gardner send a free kick over the bar confirmed how difficult life can be as a Birmingham attacking player. But football is a funny game, so who should score first?
The visitors of course and quite deservedly. Look away now friends and family of Ben Watson because the Forest midfielder gave the ball away to Jacques Maghoma, who went on a run, and picked out Jutkiewicz.
The looping header, halfway through the first half, was sublime. In an instant silence descended on the City Ground. Forest had not looked particularly threatening up to that point but no-one expected them to concede in quite such a shambolic manner.
The reaction after the goal was worrying too – Birmingham took complete control. Forest manager Karanka has had a much busier summer than his counterpart Monk and is working to a different set of expectations.
Birmingham striker Lukas Jutkiewicz celebrates scoring his side’s first goal of the game
Wild scenes erupted in the away end of the stadium as some fans invaded the playing area
Birmingham’s Che Adams celebrates the second goal at the City Ground with Maxime Colin
He has compiled a squad which, on paper, has oodles of quality, not to mention a record signing in Joao Carvalho. To leave the £13.2million winger on the bench until the 55th minute suggests that he is still a work in process.
What Karanka needed was someone to show a spark of creativity or quality not to mention some character as Birmingham threatened to score again. One Jota free kick sparked utter panic in the area but there was no-one to finish.
Presenting the opposition with a series of set pieces is not recommended unless you enjoy living on the edge and that’s where Forest were parked – teetering.
Defender Tobias Figueiredo summed up the first half when he chose a square pass instead of a hoof to safety then watched as a chip from Maikel Kieftenbeld finished on the top of the net.
Lolley equalised before then playing a crucial role in Daryl Murphy netting a late equaliser
Birmingham fans were left devastated as the Forest players celebrated right in front of them
It was a relief to Forest fans who were jubilant at the full-time whistle after earning a point
It would be fair to assume the players were heading for a dressing room dressing down and, probably, some strong Spanish language. They trudged in to the backdrop of a chorus of boos, too. Forest fans are about the fairest in the country when it comes to backing their team but they need some material to work with.
Carvalho’s arrival finally gave them hope. One breakaway finished with Matty Cash and Carvalho exchanging passes only for Michael Morrison to block Cash’s effort. Birmingham should have had a second too but Maghoma could only shoot straight at Costel Pantilimon’s midriff.
They did score after Kieftenbeld and Jutkiewicz both got touches from Kristian Pedersen’s free kick with Adams applying the finish.
Forest sub Lolley cut the lead with his first touch to spark hope into the fans who had begun to drift away after Birmingham’s second. And it was his shot which Murphy pounced on to clinch a point.