Nottm Forest 4 Sheff Wed 0

Last updated : 19 August 2002 By Footymad Previewer

The temperature was hot both on and off the pitch as the visitors finished the game with only ten men.

Sheffield Wednesday had four booked and one sent off here at the sweltering City Ground.

Paul Hart's men took the lead as early as the second minute when Johnson carried on from where he finished on Wednesday night. He received the ball wide on the left, cut in past Beswetherick and placed the ball past Pressman, the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper, to open the scoring in this goal feast.

Forest had the luxury of having a perfectly good goal disallowed as Harewood beat his men and rifled his shot into the net. Referee Mr Danson was the only man to have noticed a foul. The linesman never flagged, even the Sheffield Wednesday players didn't appeal.

The Reds came out in the second half as hot as the weather. They took just three minutes to increase their lead with Jack Lester finishing a good move from deep inside his own half. He linked well with Johnson, played a lovely one-two and cleverly beat Pressman with a placed shot into the right hand side of the net. Terry Yorath's visiting men were clearly demoralised at this point with Sibon sent-off and facing a rampant Forest.

The home side took full advantage of this with Ricardo Scimeca scoring two goals in the space of three minutes. His first was a sweetly placed shot when he was left unmarked. He collected a neat pass from Jack Lester and rifled his shot past the despairing Pressman.

Two minutes later he couldn't believe his luck when yet again poor marking by the visitors left him to smash home his second and Nottingham Forest's fourth goal of the game.

The home side looked like a team who were hungry for success and on this form you cannot rule Nottingham Forest out of at least a play-off place.