A firm downward header by Martin Allen into the bottom left-hand corner gave him no chance to test

A firm downward header by Martin Allen into the bottom left-hand corner gave him no chance to test the wisdom of that.Frank Clark, the Forest manager, must have been wondering if he had been correct to stick with the squad of 14 that had given him an unbeaten opening to the season, thus leaving his pounds 1.8m Italian signing, Andrea Silenzi, confined to the training ground, and, presumably, brushing up his English.Clark’s mood can only have worsened when Roy was booked in the 27th minute. Slater was unafraid to run directly at the defence down the left flank and, almost equally important, scurried back to make himself available for the ball when necessary. It was a cross from the Australian international that first suggested that Forest, for all their early season frolics, might be susceptible. Two successive defeats appeared to have done little to affect the crisp quality of their play and to each move that Forest mounted they had an immediate reply.No sooner, for instance, had Bryan Roy eased the ball through for Steve Stone only to find him marginally offside than Martin Allen passed back for John Moncur to have a shot from the edge of the area at the other end.Moncur typified the Londoners’ habitually busy midfield but it was the introduction of the debutant Robbie Slater which embellished their forward threat. While Nottingham Forest might have taken all three with a flurry of activity in the final 15 minutes it would have been more than their earlier stifled efforts had merited.West Ham may have been without points, but there was abundant point to their approach. He tucked his first away on the opening day of the season against Shrewsbury and was spot-on from the spot after 36 minutes of yesterday’s 3-2 win. A fine way to celebrate the clubs’ 75th anniversary of Football League membership They even let children in for 5p..

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West Ham United 1Allen, 14Attendance: 26,645With an initial hint of their traditional flair and a belated air of understandable panic West Ham United secured their first point of the season at the City Ground yesterday. As the striker hesitated, England goalkeeper David Seaman made a crucial save. It was inspiration enough for the Londoners to cling on for another point.Finally, congratulations to free-scoring Roger Freestone, the Swansea City goalkeeper who scored his second penalty of the season in the Swans’ 3-1 win over Chesterfield. But Ron Atkinson’s adventurous Sky Blues played the more expansive soccer with former Benfica midfielder Isaias linking from just behind the strikers Dion Dublin and Peter Ndlovu and John Salako supplying width.The Sky Blues soon had Arsenal under pressure – Steve Bould was booked in the second minute – and later in the first half Coventry missed three chances in four minutes, Ndlovu, twice, and Paul Telfer culpable.The Gunners full back Lee Dixon hobbled off with a back injury after 50 minutes, John Jensen coming on into midfield and Martin Keown moving to left back.Coventry’s pressure remained relentless and Ndlovu missed a third good opportunity when Bould’s clearance was intercepted by Telfer whose quick, crisp pass put the Zimbabwean forward clean through.

A fine flowing move ended when the unmarked Craig Hignett fired a hard shot into the roof of the net. Chelsea’s Ruud Gullit went close with an equally powerful but only slightly less accurate effort soon after.Jan Age Fjortoft added a second for Boro after 79 minutes as Bryan Robson’s side recorded its first Premiership win.Bruce Rioch chose the same XI Arsenal players who had battled hard for their win at Everton to start against Coventry City at Highfield Road. Also present at the festivities: Chelsea, who had started the season in less than flamboyant style with two 0-0 draws.Fittingly, it was Boro who scored the first goal at the new Stadium, after 39 minutes. City’s spluttering start stutters on.Middlesbrough, unchanged from last Sunday’s draw at Highbury, celebrated the opening of their own palatial ground, the new Riverside Stadium, which at pounds 16m costs roughly the equivalent of a couple of Collymores. He headed in off the post to send Southampton to the bottom of the Premiership.QPR, without a goal or a point at the start of the home game against Manchester City, put the visitors under tremendous early pressure with City’s central defenders Alan Kernaghan, in for Ian Brightwell, and Kit Symons making important tackles.Rangers broke their duck for the season when Kevin Gallen set up Simon Barker. The midfielder powered forward and beat Eike Immel, the former Stuttgart goalkeeper, with a low right-foot shot into the corner.Soon after the restart, Gallen himself twice went close, once failing to get sufficient power into his shot – Daniel Dichio and Ian Holloway had fashioned an opening for a shot which Immel saved easily – and once carving a chance for himself out of nothing. But it was their other wide player, Anders Limpar, who, after 31 minutes, played a one-two with Paul Rideout before letting fly from 25 yards, giving Dave Beasant no chance.
Eight minutes later, the Nigerian international Daniel Amokachi used his strength to bustle a second goal after Gary Ablett’s long clearance baffled the Saints’ all-too easily confused defence.

The stormy saga of Andrei Kanchelskis’s transfer to Everton reached its logical conclusion when the Russian international made his debut for the Merseysiders against Southampton at Goodison Park and the Blues were given wings. THE rivers are running dry and the reservoirs are as parched as the Gobi Desert but, to general sighs of relief, the early season goal droughts have ended at Everton and Queen’s Park Rangers. “We do expect Uefa will finally accept the fact Croatia is a safe place,” the Croatian federation president Ante Pavlovic said.He said the security situation had actually improved after the recent military offensive. “Now there are no more fears of shelling of urban centres,” he said.Italy are at present second with 13 points in Group Four, behind Croatia, but well ahead of third-placed Lithuania The top two teams will qualify.. You can even throw us out of the competition, but I am not taking my team to Croatia.”
The Italians want the match switched to Austria and a decision is expected from Uefa next week.Croatia’s soccer federation reacted angrily to Italy’s proposal and said it will not accept any relocation of the match.

“I am not taking my team to Split and neither am I taking it to Zagreb,” Antonio Matarrese, the president of the Italian Soccer Federation, said. “Neither I nor the coach nor the players feel like playing where there’s a war going on We are prepared to forfeit the game. Two home defeats in four days is not yet a crisis, but the merchants of doom may start showing an interest soon.. ITALY have threatened to withdraw from the European Championship if their 8 October qualifying match against Croatia is not switched out of the war-torn country.