CITY 2 NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0
League Division 1
2nd September 1967
attendance 29,547
scorers Summerbee(3), Coleman
Ref P Baldwin
City Dowd, Book, Pardoe, Doyle, Heslop, Oakes, Hince, Summerbee, Bell, Young, Coleman – sub Cheetham(unused)
Notts Forest Grummitt, Hindley, Winfield, Hennessey, McKinlay, Newton, Lyons, Chapman, Baker, Wignall, Moore – sub Hinton
MIKE SUMMERBEE SCORES
FROM THE PRESS BOX
Manchester City are no longer suitable material for jokes. They have not been so for some time though people persist in feigning surprise over such of their results as Saturday’s at Maine Road. Why should not City, an impressively fit and considerably skillful side, beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 ?
Chelsea had to finish third In the First Division and later reach a cup final in order to be taken seriously. City may have to do that or better. What then are their chances?
On the evidence of Wednesday’s match, in which they beat Southampton 4-2 in spite of some tactical errors in defence. and of Saturday’s, in which their defenders were much improved. they have the ability all round to maintain a comfortable place in the league and the inspiration to go far in knock-out competition. Forest remain a fine side.On Saturday, however, though still difficult to beat they seemed incapable of passion except when the reputation of the defence was smeared by City’s lively young forwards.
Late tacklng and other minor infringements became rife but City no doubt felt that a few bruises were small cost for the pressure that could be maintained from the resulting free kicks. Summerbee, not unusually, attracted a lot of this attention. Indeed, he is proving a useful centre forward because he demands watching. Forest neglected to do this in the third minute when from a throw-in on the right wing, Bell chipped the ball to Summerbee, who had only to take a pace forward to head the ball into the net at close range.
Midway through the first half Coleman added to City’s lead with a hard left toot shot when Summerbee’s centre was not properly cleared. With the departure of Crossan, Young seems to have regained more of his skill and he is not afraid to shoot, though he risks ridicule when he uses his right foot to do it. Nor are Coleman and Hince tardy with their shots, and Bell had one superb drive just before the interval that Grummitt could only deflect on to the crossbar.
Forest had only one answer to all this in the first half and that was a fierce shot from long range by Winfield that Dowd caught soundly. They had carried on without a subsutute for 13 minutes when Baker was off the field for treatment to an arm injury and during that time City’s second goal was scored.Hinton, Forests substitute, might half restored some much needed spirit to the side.
Brian Crowther writing in The Guardian 4th September 1967