Notts Forest 2 Middlesbro’ 0: Middlesbrough lose unbeaten tag as Cotterill opens up with victory

Marcus Tudgay scored the first goal of the Cotterill era, providing the finishing touch to a flowing Forest move that epitomised their football in the first half.

Lewis McGugan capped a fine individual performance with a superb second goal shortly after half-time to inflict a first league defeat of the season on Middlesbrough and lift Forest out of the npower Championship relegation zone.

Boro made four changes. Matthew Bates and Rhys Williams missed out with knocks, while Julio Arca and Scott McDonald started on the bench. Seb Hines, Faris Haroun, Justin Hoyte and Stephen McManus were recalled.

Forest started confidently, passing the ball about and keeping possession but without threatening the Middlesbrough goal.

Chances were scarce in the first half and when the opening goal arrived 10 minutes before the break, it was something of a surprise. Forest’s football suddenly found some penetration when Ishmael Miller threaded a pass between Hines and Joe Bennett to release Chris Gunter.

The Wales international whipped a low cross into the six-yard box where Tudgay beat two covering defenders to the ball to tap home.

Forest almost doubled their lead before the break when McGugan’s corner fell to Luke Chambers at the front post but the captain’s goalbound volley struck Miller in front of the goal and went over the crossbar.

Middlesbrough should have equalised at the start of the second half but Nicky Bailey headed Barry Robson’s inswinging free-kick wide at the far post.

McGugan made Boro pay when unleashed a right-foot shot into the bottom corner.

At the other end, Lee Camp was called into a rare piece of action when he denied former Arsenal defender Hoyte.