Nottingham Forest 2 Leeds United 1: Optimism still high at Leeds despite Reds loss

Ninth a year ago and in the hands of new owners, the Elland Road club will start 2014 sitting seventh and awaiting a second takeover in as many seasons.

So far, so similar following yesterday’s defeat at Nottingham Forest, when Matt Derbyshire broke West Yorkshire hearts with a late winner just 70 seconds after Ross McCormack had looked like rescuing a point with a well-taken equaliser.

Scratch below the surface, however, and plenty is changing with supporters firmly behind manager Brian McDermott, something that even during the high points of predecessor Neil Warnock’s reign, such as the stirring Cup wins of last term, was never really the case.

Further fuelling optimism levels is the impending takeover by managing director David Haigh, backed by Enterprise Insurance boss Andrew Flowers, that sources indicated to the Yorkshire Post yesterday is all but completed.

Providing that goes ahead in the New Year – and this is Leeds, let’s not forget, a club where little has run smoothly over the past decade or so – then the hope is that McDermott will be handed sufficient transfer funds in the January window to make a real difference to a squad that, on yesterday’s evidence at the City Ground, needs the energy that new arrivals inevitably bring.

Dominated in the first half, Leeds may have come close to rescuing an unlikely draw through McCormack but, in truth, it would have been a travesty if Forest had not claimed all three points to cement their own place in the play-offs.

In those opening 45 minutes, the visitors were left chasing shadows as Billy Davies’s side ran amok.

The tone was set inside 20 seconds when a woefully underhit back-pass by Marius Zaliukas and a full-blooded attempt by Forest’s Greg Halford to take advantage combined to leave Paddy Kenny writhing in agony with an ankle injury that troubled him for the rest of the afternoon.

Kenny’s bravery did, at least, prevent Halford, playing on his own up front, from scoring. It didn’t, though, inspire his team-mates to put in the sort of performance that had brought just one defeat in nine outings.

Instead, Leeds were way below par as the early initiative was handed to the hosts.

An inability to keep the ball in midfield was a major problem, as was a tendency to invite danger with wayward passing and poor decision making.

Never was this more apparent than for the opening goal midway through the first half. Michael Brown, who had been guilty of a couple of reckless challenges already by that stage, launched himself at Andy Reid.

Replays showed the veteran midfielder got a toe on the ball. The problem was he also clattered into the back of Reid’s leg at the same moment, to leave referee James Linington with little option but to award a free-kick and brandish a yellow card at Brown.

Forest then made Leeds pay the ultimate price when Reid swung over the resulting free-kick and Halford rose highest to head beyond Kenny.

Considering how Forest had dominated the opening quarter, the visitors could not complain about falling behind. And things would have been a lot worse by the interval but for a fine Kenny save to keep out Radoslaw Majewski and a delicate chip from Reid landing on top of the net.

Jamie Mackie should also have shown more composure when running at the Leeds defence, as a pass to the unmarked Djamal Abdoun would have been a much better option than the shot that flew wide of the target.

A further let-off for United came just before the break when Luke Murphy gifted possession to Forest, who broke quickly only for Mackie to shoot just wide with the goal at his mercy.

Able to re-group during the interval, Leeds were much more positive in the second half as a supply line to the forwards was re-opened.

It meant Matt Smith was afforded a rare sight of goal when picked out by a right wing cross five minutes after the restart only to head just wide.

Smith then used his height to set up an excellent chance for debutant Gboly Ariyibi but, again, the finish wasn’t there as the one-time Southampton Academy graduate blazed well wide.

The visitors’ belated attacking threat did mean Forest were also afforded openings and Abdoun brought a fine save from Kenny in the 64th minute.

Reid then went even closer with a rasping shot that struck the post after the hosts had attacked at speed to capitalise on a weak clearance by Kenny.

It was a big let-off for Leeds and one that, seven minutes from time, Brian McDermott’s side looked to have capitalised on courtesy of McCormack’s 18th goal of the season.

A quick dart by Sam Byram created the opening, the 20-year-old racing into the penalty box to hit a tame, scuffed shot that was cleared off the line by Jamaal Lascelles.

Unfortunately for the Forest defender, his clearance then struck goalkeeper Karl Darlow in the face before falling to McCormack who rammed the ball into an empty net with relish.

That should have been that, with United shutting up shop to claim what would have been a slightly fortuitous point.

Instead, the self-destruct element of the visitors’ first-half play returned as, from the kick-off, the midfield switched off to such an extent that three simple passes saw the Yorkshire side opened up once again.

Matt Derbyshire, collecting the ball 20 yards from goal, then looked up before hitting an unstoppable shot beyond Kenny.

The United goalkeeper squared up to his captain immediately afterwards, Austin’s failure to track back clearly being the topic of conversation.

It was an ugly end to what has been a year where, McDermott insists, “improvement has been made on and off the pitch”.

The challenge now is for 2014 to bring real tangible progress, which surely means the successful conclusion of a second buyout in a little over 12 months.