Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the Midlands derby between Nottingham Forest and Derby County at the City Ground.
It would be fair to say that there is no love lost between these two clubs, who were both managed with such distinction by the late Brian Clough.
His son Nigel, who played for Forest, is now in charge of the visiting Rams.
Neither of these sides have set the world alight in terms of results this season and they find themselves within the bottom half of the Championship table.
However, victory for either will see them move up several places. Stay tuned to find out who will claim the local bragging rights.
3.10pmNow with all the fuss cleared up, we'll call time on our coverage. Thanks for joining us this afternoon. Hope you've enjoyed it.
3.10pmAnd it has all kicked off at the final whistle. Players from both teams are involved in a scuffle in front of the Derby supporters.
3.08pmFULL TIME: Forest 0-1 Derby
90+3 minTwo minutes to go and Derby look like they are going to hold on here.
90 minThere will be five minutes of stoppage time for Forest to try and rescue a share of the spoils.
90 minBOOKING! Forest striker Cox goes into the book for prevent Fielding from taking a goal kick.
88 minSAVE! Cracking stop from Fielding, who throws himself left to push clear a volley from Gillett. Is that a match winning save?
86 minThe hosts are beginning to pile on the pressure but they are yet to work Fielding in the away goal. Derby standing firm at present.
81 minSUBSTITUTION: Last swap for Derby as Sammon jogs off to be replaced by Robinson.
81 minForest are going to have to throw caution to the wind soon. They're running out of time. Derby may benefit from that though with the gaps that are sure to appear.
78 minSUBSTITUTION: Final change for the Tricky Trees as Halford limps off to be replaced by Maloney. Derby also make switch - Roberts off, O'Connor on.
74 minSUBSTITUTION: Two changes for Forest as Reid and McGugan depart. Lansbury and Sharp fill the void.
73 minThe visitors are really making their extra man count at the moment. They're keeping the ball really well and making Forest work extremely hard.
69 minBOOKING! Forest midfielder Gillett gets his name taken after a trip on Bryson.
69 minCHANCE! The corner is cleared to Hughes, who sends in a shot from 25 yards. Camps gets behind the ball and gathers at the second attempt.
68 minCorner to Derby, who are dominating this match now...
65 minSUBSTITUTION: And that's game over as far as Ward is concerned. Michael Jacobs comes on in his place.
64 minBad news for Derby. Jamie Ward pulls up with what looks like a hamstring injury. He's laid out flat on his back.
59 minCHANCE! Really good chance for Forest to draw level. Halford whips in a cross for Cox, but the Irishman gets his feet mixed up and he drags his shot wide of the target.
55 minLovely goal from a Derby point of view. Coutts drills in a cross for Bryson, who will never have an easier tap in. His strike sparks wild celebrations from the away supporters! Now ten-man Forest have to come out and attack.
54 minGOAL! Forest 0-1 Derby (Bryson)
50 minWill be interesting to see how Forest react to going a man behind. Will they settle for a point? Or still try and win this encounter.
46 minWow 20 seconds after the restart and Forest are down to ten men! Blackstock is handed a straight red card for an elbow on Derby skipper Keogh. Granted the Forest striker made a connection, but he only had eyes for the ball. Looks very harsh. Drama!
45 minRED CARD! (Blackstock)
45 minDerby get the second half underway...
2.04pmWell, what that half lacked in terms of quality it certainly made up for it with passion and incidents. A few more goalscoring chances after the restart wouldn't go amiss though!
2.03pmHALF-TIME: Forest 0-0 Derby
45+2 minCHANCE! Almost 1-0 to Derby. Sammon unleashes a swerving shot from 30 yards which just goes over Lee Camp's goal.
45+1 minTwo minutes of stoppage time to be played...
45 min...But Reid's delivery comes to nothing.
44 minLate corner for Forest...
39 min...And his effort forces Fielding into parrying clear. Not the most astute piece of goalkeeping you will ever see but he got away with it.
38 minBOOKING! And there it is! Derby's Roberts has his name taken following a full-blooded challenge on Roberts. Forest have a free-kick to the right of the area, which Reid will take...
37 minStill very little football being played here. It's an interesting watch, but that's mainly because I'm anticipating when the next booking will come!
33 min...But the former can only find the wall. Disappointing attempt from the midfielder.
33 minFree-kick to Forest in a dangerous position 25 yards from goal as Buxton once again trips up Blackstock. McGugan and Reid wait over the ball...
29 minVery little to report on the football front at the moment. Both sides are finding it tough to have any spells in possession.
26 minAltercation number three! Blackstock and Bryson this time. The Forest frontman is involved in everything at the moment.
23 minBOOKING! There's now been more bookings than shots on target! Buxton is eventually cautioned as he mistimes a tackle on Blackstock. It would be fair to say those two are not the best of friends right now.
21 minBOOKING! Here we go again! Forest midfielder Reid goes in really late on Buxton and the Irish international goes into the book. I think the reaction from the Derby players helped make up the referee's mind there.
17 minFirst altercation of the match (of many probably) as Buxton ploughs through the back of Blackstock. The Forest striker is not a happy man. Free-kick given, no booking.
14 minCHANCE! Now it's Forest's turn to have a dig at goal. Cohen shifts the ball onto his left and from 25 yards out stings the palms of Fielding in the away goal. Good effort.
12 minCHANCE! First shot of the match goes the way of Derby. However, in truth, it wasn't the best of efforts. Sammon collects possession to the left hand side of the penalty area and when he shoots goalwards, the ball drifts over the bar.
10 minForest now appeared to have settled into this match. Lewis McGugan in the midfield is beginning to pull the strings with a succession of long range passes.
7 minPENALTY APPEAL! Forest want a penalty as Cox's cross strikes Buxton. Cox is adamant it hit the defender's hand, although replays prove to be inconclusive.
5 minDerby have been the better side so far without creating a goalscoring chance. Meanwhile, Forest look a little distracted by the atmosphere.
2 min...But it is eventually cleared and Forest have a throw.
2 minEarly corner for the visiting Rams...
1 minForest will get us underway...
1.15pmCracking atmosphere inside the City Ground. They may be in the minority, but Derby supporters are doing their best to be heard!
1.13pmRight, the players are out and the handshakes are underway. Not long now...
1.12pmOf course these two are not just playing for the three points. The winners will also be handed the Brian Clough Trophy, which means so much to these two clubs.
1.07pmAnd here's some words from Forest boss Sean O'Driscoll: "The intensity of the game at Pride Park last season surprised me. I remember chatting to Nigel Clough while the game was going on and asking him if all Forest-Derby games were the same. He told me they were usually worse."
1.06pm"Keeping our heads and showing as much composure as we can." That is what Nigel Clough has just said is the key to his Derby side claiming a positive result from this encounter.
1.03pmBilly Davies has just described this encounter to Sky Sports News as a "very special day for the supporters". He should know, having had a stint in charge of both clubs.
1.01pmThere is no place for former Forest striker Nathan Tyson in the Derby side. Manager Nigel Clough has opted to go with Connor Sammon as a lone frontman instead.
1.00pmDerby: Fielding; Brayford, Keogh, Buxton, Roberts; Coutts, Hendrick, Bryson, Hughes, Ward; Sammon
12.59pmSo there is no place for loanee striker Billy Sharp in the Forest starting lineup. That means Dexter Blackstock is partnered by Simon Cox. There is also no place for Jermaine Jenas. His second debut for the Tricky Trees will have to wait.
12.58pmForest: Camp; Halford, Ayala, Collins, Harding; Gillett, Cohen, McGugan, Reid; Blackstock, Cox
12.57pmRight, let's bring you some team news...
12.53pmWe've got some cracking derby matches in England: Man United vs. Man City, Liverpool vs. Everton, Sunderland vs. Newcastle and a host of matches in London (sorry for the local rivalries I missed!) But this one is right up there in terms of passion and dislike for each other. In fact I wouldn't bet against a red card or two this afternoon!
12.50pmAfternoon everyone. Really excited about this match. You can't beat a derby match to go with your Sunday lunch!
Written by
Liam Apicella
Liam Apicella
