- Forest move up to third in the Championship following fifth league win in a row
- Davis and McKenna goals secure three points in front of largest City Ground crowd of the season
Head Coach Steve Cooper named an unchanged starting line-up for the third successive game, with the same 18 also named from Wednesday night’s home win over Coventry City.
The Reds made a bright start as inside two minutes Philip Zinckernagel clipped the ball down the right channel for Brennan Johnson whose low cross to Keinan Davis was cleared by the Birmingham defence.
But with only five minutes on the clock, Forest opened the scoring. Zinckernagel won possession inside the Birmingham half and the ball fell for Johnson who played Davis in down the left channel. The Aston Villa loanee strode past Nico Gordon and fired across low goal from an acute angle for his fifth goal of the campaign.
In the 12th minute, Birmingham broke down the right through Onel Hernandez who advanced into the area, but an excellent recovery from McKenna saw him win a goal-kick for The Reds.
Brice Samba showed great distribution to pick out Joe Worrall whose first-time header released Djed Spence down the right channel, before the wing-back motored into the box and won Forest a corner. From James Garner’s resulting flag kick, Johnson lashed a shot high and wide from the edge of the box.
Midway through the first half, Davis showed excellent footwork to nutmeg Gordon and break away on halfway before being taken down by the centre-half. Gordon subsequently became the first player to be booked by referee Gavin Ward.
On the half hour mark, Garner’s corner was flicked just over the crossbar by Joe Worrall at the near post.
Kristian Pedersen capitalised on confusion between Brice Samba and Spence as he saw a shot parried by The Reds’ goalkeeper, but McKenna was on-hand to clear the danger. Ivan Sunjic’s cross across the face of goal then narrowly evaded Gary Gardner at the far post.
Taylor Richards showed good skill to advance beyond Garner but his left-footed effort from just outside of the area was straight at Samba.
With four minutes of the first half remaining, Forest came close to a second as Garner wrapped his right foot around a shot 25 yards from goal which flew agonisingly wide of Neil Etheridge’s left-hand post.
Zinckernagel tackled Gardner on halfway and looked to break before being taken down by the former Forest loanee who was shown the game’s second yellow card.
After one minute was added on at the end of the half, referee Ward blew for half-time with The Reds ahead at the break.
HALF-TIME: Forest 1-0 Birmingham
The second half got underway as The Reds kicked towards the Trent End in front of the largest crowd of the season at The City Ground.
Early in the second half, Gordon headed wide from Colin's cross, then down the other end, Garner's corner was cleared only as far as Johnson who clipped the ball back into the box, but Davis flicked a header straight at Etheridge.
In the 53rd minute, Joe Worrall kept an attack alive and found Yates who forced a good save out of Etheridge down low to his left. Blues looked to break and Zinckernagel hacked down Bacuna to become the first Forest player booked.
Yates played in Worrall down the right and the marauding centre-half switched the play to Davis who produced a couple of stepovers before taking aim, but Etheridge was once again down low to his left to push the striker's shot away.
Johnson had his first sight of goal on 56 minutes when he drove inside and dragged a shot wide of the post with a left-footed strike.
Garner threaded the ball through for the advancing Johnson who was brought down on the edge of the area by Colin who received a yellow card. Garner took the resulting free-kick and saw appeals for handball waved away.
In the 63rd minute, Yates played the ball down the right channel for Spence to chase and the wing-back collided with Etheridge who had to be stretchered off and replaced by Connal Trueman after an approximate six-minute delay.
Shortly after play resumed, Tobias Figueiredo was across well to time a challenge on Scott Hogan. Johnson broke away down the left and deliciately chipped a cross towards the far post but Trueman was out well to beat Zinckernagel to the ball.
An exchange between Johnson and Spence down the right saw the latter deliver a cross for Davis but Marc Roberts was across to smother Davis' close-range effort.
In the 76th minute, Blues made their second change when Hernandez made way for Jordan Graham.
With just over ten minutes left to play though, The Reds doubled their lead.
From Garner's corner, McKenna rose highest to nod home inside a congested penalty area for 2-0.
Shortly after Forest's second goal, The Reds made a triple change. Johnson, Zinckernagel and Davis were replaced by Sam Surridge, Joe Lolley and Lewis Grabban, who all received a standing ovation from The City Ground crowd.
Birmingham also made their final changes, with Troy Deeney and Lukas Jutkiewicz replacing Richards and Hogan.
Grabban intercepted Bacuna's pass before finding Lolley down the left flank and the winger's cross had to be put behind for a corner with Yates lurking at the far post.
12 minutes were added on following the lengthy treatment given to Etheridge earlier in the second half, with Deeney poking Jordan Graham's cross off target on the outstretch at the far post for the visitors.
Gardner surged through a couple of Forest challenges in midfield before feeding Jutkiewicz to his left, but his low cross was shot wide by Deeney.
From Yates' pull-back, Lolley swept an effort wide via a Birmingham deflection for a corner. Graham's cross was then harmlessly headed over by Jutkiewicz.
The full-time whistle blew as The Reds won five successive league games for the first time since March 2013, moving up to third in the Championship table.
FULL-TIME: Forest 2-0 Birmingham
MATCH STATISTICS
Nottingham Forest (3-4-1-2): Brice Samba; Joe Worrall (c), Tobias Figueiredo, Scott McKenna; Djed Spence, Ryan Yates, James Garner, Jack Colback; Philip Zinckernagel (Joe Lolley 80’); Brennan Johnson (Lewis Grabban 80’); Keinan Davis (Sam Surridge 80’)
Substitutes not used: Ethan Horvath (gk), Richie Laryea, Alex Mighten, Cafu
Goals: Davis (5’), McKenna (79’)
Bookings: Zinckernagel (54’)
Birmingham City (3-5-2): Neil Etheridge (Connal Trueman 70’); Nico Gordon, Marc Roberts, Maxime Colin; Onel Hernandez (Jordan Graham 76’), Gary Gardner (c), Ivan Sunjic, Juninho Bacuna, Kristian Pedersen; Taylor Richards (Lukas Jutkiewicz 81’), Scott Hogan (Troy Deeney 81’)
Substitutes not used: Ryan Woods, Jeremie Bela, Jordan James
Bookings: Gordon (24’), Gardner (43’), Colin (59’)
Referee: Gavin Ward
Attendance: 29,293 including 1,998 Birmingham supporters
Possession: 54-46
Shots: 13-7
On target: 5-2
Corners: 9-4