If Forest lose to Ipswich Town on Sunday, there is a very strong chance they will be relegated from the Championship for a second time.
Nottingham Forest’s Hildeberto Pereira
It couldn’t be anymore ‘do or die’ for Nottingham Forest ahead of their final Championship fixture of the season against Ipswich Town, as a defeat could see them fall back into League One for the first time since they were promoted in 2008.
Worryingly for Forest fans, the club have been in this position before – albeit not on the final day – when they needed a win at Queens Park Rangers on the penultimate day of the 2004/05 season to stand a chance of survival.
Things didn’t get off to a great start for the Reds when Darryl Powell was sent off after 32 minutes, meaning Forest had to win at Loftus Road with 10 men – which ultimately didn’t happen.
A John Curtis own goal and a strike from Marc Bircham gave QPR a 2-0 lead, and while Eugen Bopp pulled one back for the Reds, it was too little too late, and Forest were officially relegated following the 2-1 defeat.
Sam Gallagher of Blackburn Rovers clashes with Matt Mills of Nottingham Forest
What Forest can take hope from is that this current set of players is a million times better than that team that went down, and Mark Warburton is a much better manager than then boss Gary Megson, too – who is still despised by large portions of the Forest fanbase.
For a club with such a rich and enviable history, this is one of the few times where Forest fans will be hoping their team doesn’t repeat what’s happened in the past, as falling into League One with the current ownership debacle could see the Reds walk down the same path as Blackpool and Coventry City.
Nottingham Forest fans protest against owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi
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