After a successful debut year, the dates for 2010 are confirmed as 4th – 12th September.

Over 1000 people participated in walks during the 2009 ‘Walking Week’ last September. The 79 walks on offer included; strolls for parents with pushchairs, walks for anyone interested in ghosts, history, or pubs, and various country rambles.

Walking Week aims to promote walking as an easy way to get fit and boost well-being, a chance to leave the car behind and help reduce pollution and a great way to explore everything the local area has to offer.

Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport, under the Active Together project will be supporting Leicestershire Walking Week with a programme of walks for everyone, available across Leicestershire.

Walks will range from short health walks for beginners to longer country walks and themed walks embracing local culture, cuisine and countryside. All walks will be led by experienced leaders from local groups.

Walking Week showcases Leicestershire’s and Leicester’s beauty and diversity. Leicestershire has over 3,000km of paths, plus parks, waterways and other trails, that are great opportunities for everyone to get out and about.

Andy Reed MP, Chairman for Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport, said: “Walking is an excellent form of exercise and a fantastic way to enjoy the beautiful Leicestershire countryside with friends and family. Regular walking can bring many benefits to your physical and mental wellbeing and Leicestershire Walking Week will showcase an exciting range of themed walks for all to enjoy.”

Lesley Pendleton, County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, added: “Leicestershire is an excellent county for walking – there’s no better way to explore the beautiful countryside, diverse wildlife and historic features in our landscape.”

For more information, please contact Andrew Watson on 01509 564872 or visit www.leics.gov.uk/walkingweek or www.lrsport.org.uk for details of all local ‘Active Together’ activities.

The win over Forest was the biggest game of the season so far and for City to put in a performance like that was fantastic. The whole of Leicester has been absolutely buzzing this week, with a real belief that the club can get into the play-offs.

That 3-0 victory was probably the most I’ve enjoyed myself at the Walkers Stadium since I came back to Leicester from Spain. The result, the performance and the atmosphere – everything was spot on!

The Forest fans were giving the City players, particularly Wayne Brown, plenty of stick about hoofing the ball up the pitch, but at times City played some great passing football. We looked the better team and completely outplayed them. For half an hour in the second half, Forest didn’t have a kick.

To be fair to the visiting fans, they were very respectful during the minute’s applause for Bobby Smith before the game. You could feel the love from the City fans and it showed the high regard in which they held Bobby.

I drove up to Scotland on Wednesday for Bobby’s funeral in Dalkeith. It was a great send off, an emotional day and a fantastic turnout. The church was jam-packed with people. There were plenty of his former team-mates and other City legends in attendance, including Gary McAllister, Mark Bright, Neil Lennon, Paul Ramsey, Jackie McNamara Senior and Alan Young. Dave Bartram from Showaddywaddy was there too, which was a nice touch.

I was sat next to Alan Young, who was great mates with Bobby. Alan’s just had a knee replacement and was hobbling around on crutches… I thought my knee was bad!

For City to play so well on Saturday was a fitting tribute to Bobby. All of the lads played their part, but I was particularly impressed with Bruno Berner and Jack Hobbs in defence and Paul Gallagher on the right.

Berner goes from strength to strength with every game he plays. You can’t ask for much more from a full-back. He’s solid at the back, strong in the air and makes a regular contribution going forward.

There’s been talk of a recall to the Switzerland squad for this summer’s World Cup and I’d definitely back him for that. I’m sure if Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld visits the Walkers, he’ll be knocked out by Bruno’s displays.

Jack Hobbs was on top form, alongside Wayne Brown, and they absolutely dominated the Forest attack. One of Jack’s challenges in the first-half really stood out. It was perfectly timed and I enjoyed it almost as much as the goals.

In attack, both Paul Gallagher and Martyn Waghorn played their part, with Waggy working his socks off and Gallagher showing Premier League delivery. Gally’s free-kick was a bit of a worldy and the stadium absolutely erupted when it flew into the top corner.

It was pretty much a full house on Saturday and the atmosphere was awesome. As a player, it definitely makes a difference when you’ve got that kind of backing. We’ve got six games left at home this season and it would be great to get the stadium that full for every one of those.

After a win like that, Nottingham-born Nigel Pearson has secured his status as a Leicester legend already! The more I see and hear of Pearson, the more I’m impressed by him. He’s an unbelievable character and we’ve got ourselves a really good manager. Nigel’s the sort of gaffer I would’ve enjoyed playing under. He’s to the point and tells it how it is, and I respect that.

After their effort against Forest, I’m sure the players will have enjoyed a week without a midweek game. February was a pretty hectic month with seven fixtures, but four wins, three draws and 14 goals will do me just fine.

Next up is Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday. The Owls are struggling at the bottom of the table, but I’m sure it’ll still be a tough game as they’re desperate for the points.

The lads will be buzzing going into the match and if they can recapture the tempo and workrate of recent games, I’m sure we won’t come away empty-handed.

Hillsborough’s a great arena for football. It’s usually a big crowd and they can be pretty volatile. I’ve enjoyed some amazing moments and some terrible defeats there. The biggest low was the 7-1 defeat in 1993. Boss Brian Little was absolutely seething after that one and rightly so. The all-time high, and one of the best moments in my career, was lifting the League Cup after beating Middlesbrough in ‘97.

This weekend will be Pearson’s first return to Hillsborough as City manager. After playing for Wednesday for seven years, he’s still thought of as a bit of a legend by Owls fans and I’m sure he’ll get a good reception. I remember playing against some top players up there, including Carlton Palmer, Chris Waddle and David Hirst, who was always a handful.

It was great to see my old mate Tom Meighan from Kasabian at the Forest game. He was there with his dad, who’s also called Tom and they were both buzzing and ecstatic at the result. Tom’s back in Leicester for a while between tours and we’re going to try and meet up for a beer at some point.

Former City defender Colin Hill emailed me this week. He now works for the PFA and is looking to book Kasabian for a special World Cup event being held at Wembley. Franz Beckenbauer and Roberto Carlos will be there, as well as a whole host of other top sportspeople and celebrities. Colin wants the lads to close the event so I’m going to try and sort it.

I missed out on my wager last week as Burnley and Huddersfield both let me down. I had a bit more luck with another a coupon accumulator, though, getting six results right and making a tidy profit. The last one I was waiting on was Bradford City, managed by Tater Peeler.

As it’s only Tater’s third game in charge I thought he hadn’t had enough time to mess things up completely, so I backed them to win. I never like seeing him get a victory, but the cash I won softened the blow. I’ll take it as the first instalment of what he owes me for ending my City career!

This week I’m backing Arsenal, Norwich and Rotherham. Fitzy from Turner & Kendrick will again be donating a £25 bet for Wishes4Kids. If you fancy a flutter, good luck.

For more info on what the Walsh man is up to, join The Steve Walsh Appreciation Group on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.

Steve Walsh Blog in association with:

Giveaways and pure Leicester youth talent, MCs, DJ’s, Beat Box, and the winners of Leicester’s best dance crew will come together from 7.30pm until 10.30pm to entertain the crowds.

Guest artists include: Bossman, Aimz, Ekko, Krishna, Morgan, Matthew R Richards, Twisted Pennys, Mierous Hennessy, Nat Nat, K.Y, 2Crew 4U, Daydream, Tantrum, Dash, Livewire, Poetical So and DJ Cam.

Entry is by ticket only. Tickets are free and can be obtained from 2Funky in Belgrave Gate, Leicester.

Organised by the School Development Support Agency and supported by the Leicester NHS Quit! Smoking team, this event is designed to promote the benefits of quitting smoking, or even better, not starting in the first place.

The flyers for the event showcase a startling quote from a tobacco company executive at J. R, Reynolds “We just sell it. We just reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the black and the stupid.”

For more information, artist images and media opportunities on the night, please contact Alan Curtis or Juliet Martin at the School Development Support Agency on 0116 2995977.

Come game time, it will be just over a month since the Lions took on the Riders in Leicester, on the February 6th. Tempers flared towards the end of that nail-biting contest, as Riders completed a 100-85 win.

The Lions will be looking for revenge and aiming to level the all-time series between the teams, which currently stands at 38-37 to Riders, who have 23 home wins to the Lions 21.

Riders’ boss, Rob Paternostro, has been pleased with his side’s preparation for a tough schedule, which has seen them win four of their last six games, winning five out of six at home.

“I like the way we are competing. It all starts in practice, where we have been as competitive as you can be over the last month or so. We have the amount of depth that is very beneficial to us. Guys are pushing each other day in and day out which is always good for your club.

“I feel like we are getting contributions from all nine players on a consistent basis and have been able to play many different combinations throughout the forty minutes.”

Paternostro sees Sunday’s trip to play the Lions as an incredibly tough test, as with all away games in the BBL.

“Last time we played Milton Keynes it was a hard-nosed, tough basketball game. They have a lot of weapons that can hurt you at any time. Both teams played very hard and I’m sure it will be a good game to watch on Sunday.

‘It is a road game and this season in the BBL, road wins have been very difficult to get.’

Despite having sold all Away Travel tickets, the club have ten tickets left for this game.

To make sure you don’t miss out, call the Riders office now on 0116 2558635.

Participants, who attend the FAB (Food and Activity Buddies) Healthy Lifestyle Groups, Calorie Killers and In2Shape, will be attempting to cycle the 120miles to raise funds for the Mablethorpe Children’s Home.

Also The Lord Mayors chosen charity, the Children’s Home is close to the heart of many of the people taking part as it provided their only opportunity for a holiday as children.

Many of those taking part in the ride face their own health challenges, which in the past have prevented them from taking part in physical activity. Joining the groups has helped them to overcome health barriers and change their lives for the better.

The team of 25 are training daily to prepare for the challenge and volunteering their own time to raise money, plan local rides and source donations.

Dave, one of the Calorie Killers taking part in the challenge is a smoker. He has lost over two stone since coming to the group after recently cutting down following a health scare.

A great character, who motivates and inspires the group to take part, Dave is up for trying to quit and doing anything he can to raise awareness of the benefits of exercise and reducing or quitting smoking.

Anything that can be donated in support of the challenge would be greatly appreciated and will mean more money can be raised for the Children’s Home.

For any more information please do not hesitate to contact the FAB office on 0116 225 2836.

For one fantastic fortnight, venues across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland play host to a wealth of national and international theatre, music, dance, puppetry and art, designed specifically for children.

The festival will also have a strong early years focus this year, featuring world-class performers, including Babyfest and LalaLuna at De Montfort Hall, Olga Volt The Electric Fairy and Funnybones at Curve plus Oily Cart’s ‘Drum’ at The Richard Attenborough Centre.

Many of the events are interactive and offer even the youngest children a chance to get hands on, with workshops or maybe even becoming part of the show! Also, many of the events are completely free!

The Spark is also delivering the festival right to your doorstep with performances at small community locations and larger venues alike. Many schools in the region are also looking forward to Spark performances in their own classrooms.

Last year, amongst other activities, families did chalk drawing on the pavements at Highcross, painting the grass red at De Montfort Hall and tightrope walking in a Big Top at Regent College.

For 2010, The Spark is bringing internationally acclaimed acts to Leicestershire with some visually stunning performances. World class companies including Oily Cart, Spoontree Productions, Horse and Bamboo, Barebones and Shona Reppe will delight young audiences during the festival.

Modern classics such as The Gruffalo at De Montfort Hall and Funny Bones at Curve, sit alongside traditional favourites, including The Princess and The Pea at community venues and Treasure Island at Loughborough Town Hall.

With so many stimulating and engaging arts events, The Spark offers the whole family many opportunities to spend quality time together, go somewhere new and do something completely different.

2010 will see an innovative outdoor production of Grimm’s Fairy Tales at the Botanical Gardens and Leicester Cathedral will be hosting its first ever Spark event.

The Festival is brimming with unique ideas for family days out with lots of ways to get stuck in and have a go, such as the Spin performance poetry workshops at The Y and a Sculpture Day at Cross Corners.

The Spark Children’s Arts Festival will take place between May 31st and 13th June at venues across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

For more information please visit www.sparkfestival.co.uk, call 0116 261 6893 or email admin@sparkfestival.co.uk

Berner’s was delighted with City’s performance and to grab his third goal of the season .

“It was a fantastic feeling. We all knew from the start that the opener would be crucial for the game. I’m delighted with my goal and you could see how our confidence improved immediately.

“I felt we were in control of the game today. We knew it was going to be tight from the start and I thought mentally we were stronger than Forest.”

The 32-year-old defender also paid tribute to teammate Paul Gallagher for the quality of his delivery.

“Paul’s free kicks were absolutely exceptional… top class. His right foot is just fantastic and he proved it again. Hopefully more goals will follow for him.”

Bruno explained that City had been determined to impress during February and put themselves firmly in the promotion picture.

“We wanted to finish February on a high and we’ve done that. We knew we needed a good February to bring ourselves back in business and we are back in business, that’s for sure. Can we do it again in March? We are very determined to do so.

“Last time we played Forest they were on a good run and this time we were on good run. We beat Scunny 5-1 a few weeks ago and now we’ve scored another three goals with a fantastic crowd behind us, it was so enjoyable to play today.”

The victory saw City bridge the gap between themselves and Forest to seven points and Berner didn’t rule out an automatic promotion place.

“It’s a very nice thought but there’s still a long way to go. We’re on a very good run at the moment. Its eight games unbeaten and 16 points gained, so that’s fantastic. If there’s an opportunity for anything further, then why not?”

City’s next home game is against Cardiff City on March 13th. For ticket information visit the club’s website.  

Second half goals from Bruno Berner, Paul Gallagher and Andy King sealed the victory and maintained City’s promotion challenge. In front of their highest home attendance of the season, Leicester played with genuine hunger and desire and once they got the breakthrough, there was only one winner.

Speaking after the game, City manager Nigel Pearson was clearly delighted with the result.

“I’m pleased, of course I am. It’s a good result, keeps our run going and I thought we deserved to win. We’ve had a decent run of form since Christmas. We’ve always been in games and the games we’ve lost have been narrow defeats. I think that the players have worked very, very hard.

“It was always going to be a tight game. People were always going to look back at the result in December and that had an influence on how they viewed the game. We always felt it was going to be tight and for long periods it was.

“We scored goals from two set plays and that changed the game, but I think we thoroughly deserved it today. It may answer one or two critics as well, so it was a good day for us.”

Pearson didn’t think his side’s 5-1 defeat against Forest earlier in the season had much bearing on their preparation for Saturday’s game, but was delighted to get the three points.

“I know there’s been a lot of talk about the corresponding fixture this week and for the players who were involved in that, it’s good. The players have consistently been playing well this season. It’s a big ask when you come up from League One to be doing what we’re doing and I think the players have to take an awful lot of credit for the level of consistency we’ve shown all season.

“Local derbies always have a bit of an edge and the fans will see it as having the bragging rights, ‘we owe them one’ and all that type of stuff, but the bottom line was that it was an important game for us. At this stage of the season if you’ve got some momentum going then you need to try and maintain it. I think we did that today and it was nice to do it in front of a full house. We’re looking good at the moment.”

The City boss admitted to taking a little more satisfaction from the victory after that away drubbing in December.

“Of course there is, I’m only human. In terms of preparation, it’s been the same as it always would be. We’ve changed a wee bit since that game because we’ve had to. We’ve been playing well and it’s always important to emphasise the positive aspects of your game. I think today it was a tight game for an hour. I’m just pleased we’ve got the three points and now we can move on.”

Forest boss Billy Davies felt his players were comfortable until Bruno Berner broke the deadlock, but was disappointed with how they responded to going a goal behind.

”Up until that point I felt that we were the more likely and deserved to be ahead. I was very comfortable in open play and didn’t think there was any issue. We didn’t deal with the free-kick for the first goal. The second free-kick might have been a bit soft and I’d need to look at it. But, it was given and they scored a great goal. After that, we just lost our discipline totally.”

It was Forest’s fourth away league defeat in a row and Davies conceded that many of his players weren’t up for the battle.

“When you’re playing games like this you need a certain type of player and you need to compete. Quite frankly, from middle to front, I don’t think we competed. We didn’t do enough on the ball, we didn’t do enough with regards to challenges, the battles and the nasty side of the game. I thought that when they scored the goal they competed a lot better than us.

“We’ve got no excuses. I’m a little bit disappointed for my back five, I think they competed quite well. But, I’m extremely disappointed in my middle to front players, I don’t think they did enough on the day to influence the game. After the first goal I don’t think we showed enough discipline or character.”

Nigel Pearson’s men claimed the three points and a large dose of revenge, thanks to three goals in a devastating 14 minute spell. Bruno Berner opened the scoring after an hour, before two goals in two minutes from the superb Paul Gallagher and midfielder Andy King, put City out of sight.

For an hour both defences were firmly on top, until City raised the tempo to take charge and grab a result that will make the rest of the Championship stand up and take notice. Forest are challenging for an automatic promotion place but were outclassed during a display that announces City as genuine candidates for the Premier League.

Nigel Pearson made two changes to the eleven that beat Doncaster on Tuesday, bringing club captain Matt Oakley back into midfield and recalling Paul Gallagher to the attack, as Nobby Solano and Dany N’Guessan dropped to the bench.

City went into the game unbeaten in seven matches and on the back of three tough away fixtures. Despite their second place standing, the visitors had lost three of their last seven league games, with all three defeats coming on their travels.

With the home support clearly up for it and Forest selling out their ticket collection, the atmosphere at a close to capacity Walkers Stadium was bubbling over nicely before kick-off. But, before battle commenced a minute’s applause for former skipper Bobby Smith, who passed away this week, was passionately and respectfully observed by both sets of supporters.

In the opening minutes, City earned a corner after some good work down the right flank from Paul Gallagher. Martyn Waghorn whipped in a dangerous looking delivery, which just eluded Jack Hobbs. The City man was adjudged to have fouled his marker, but it was an early indication of Forest’s vulnerability to crosses and set plays.

Following the incident, Forest keeper Lee Camp received lengthy treatment on the goal line, but despite looking slightly groggy he was able to continue.

After six minutes, a determined and skillful run from the halfway line by Martyn Waghorn tore right through the heart of the Forest defence, but the striker couldn’t direct his right-footed shot on target.

Three minutes later, Richie Wellens was booked by referee Lee Probert for an ill-timed lunge on James Perch. Forest’s rather tame free-kick was easily dealt with by Wayne Brown, who headed to safety. Wellens, Oakley and King asserted their authority on the midfield in the early exchanges, with King’s touch looking particularly assured.

Martyn Waghorn looked isolated up front at times but was a constant menace to the Forest defenders with his workrate and enthusiasm. City were getting some joy down the right flank with Paul Gallagher’s touch and movement causing problems for the visitors and the Scotsman’s delivery into the box always looked dangerous. One cross fell kindly for Bruno Berner, who should have done better with his pull-back, with men in the middle waiting to pounce.

A fantastically timed tackle from the on-song, Jack Hobbs, thwarted the Tricky Trees as they threatened on the break. Hobbs was soon in the wars after a clash of heads with Dexter Blackstock. Unsurprisingly, the former Southampton striker came off worse and required treatment.

The City defender was penalised for a heavy challenge a few moments later, presenting Billy Davies’ men with a free-kick 30 yards from goal. Radsolaw Majewski’s subsequent delivery led to the best chance of the first-half, as a Robert Earnshaw header came thumping back off the bar, before another attempt was nodded off the line from Wayne Brown.

Earnshaw, who had torn the Leicester defence to shreds at the City Ground earlier in the season, was largely kept quiet, but again went close moments later, with an improvised overhead-kick. The Wales international then saw yellow for kicking the ball away after City were awarded a free-kick as the first–half drew to a close.

Majewski soon followed his teammate into the book for an exaggerated dive after Paul Gallagher’s challenge.

After four minutes of stoppage time the referee brought the opening period to a close. It was a first half that saw both sets of defences on top and left arguably the two best goalkeepers in the Championship largely untested.

During the interval, Billy Davies made one change for Forest, taking off Melton Mowbray’s own Paul Anderson and bringing on striker Nathan Tyson in an attempt to find a knockout blow. Jack Hobbs went into the book after 51 minutes for a clumsy challenge on Dexter Blackstock as the tackles began to fly in and the pace of the game increased.

A few minutes later, Lloyd Dyer was fouled on the right-hand edge of the box. Waghorn whipped in the resulting free-kick, which was met by the head of Michael Morrison. The right-back saw his effort thump back off the crossbar with keeper Camp well beaten, but the referee ruled that the Forest keeper had been fouled.

Then, a purposeful run from Paul Gallagher led to a clever exchange with Matt Oakley, who killed the ball with a back heel before Gallagher lifted his right-footed shot over the bar.

City kept the pressure up attacking down both flanks and another good Gallagher delivery lead to the opening goal. Forest couldn’t clear the ball and it fell to Richie Wellens on the right-hand side of the box. Wellens immediately got it under his spell and drilled a classy back-heel back across goal, which was met by marauding left-back, Bruno Berner, who kept his composure before slamming an unstoppable right-footed drive into the roof of the net, with 68 minutes on the clock.

Forest’s Chris Gunter was the next player to go into the referee’s book for dissent. A couple of minutes later, a mistimed challenge from the back-tracking Paul Gallagher gave Forest a free-kick near the left-hand touchline. City struggled to deal with the ball in and a dangerous shot from James Perch was well blocked, with Chris Weale slightly out of position. As The Foxes broke forward, Perch slid in dangerously on Wellens, and was rightly booked by Probert.

The challenges continued to fly in and Leicester were awarded a free-kick on the right-hand edge of the Forest box. Waghorn and Dyer initially stood over the ball, until super Scot, Paul Gallagher stepped up and slammed a net busting strike right into the top left-hand corner. Camp was beaten all ends up as City extended their lead with just over ten minutes left.

Inside two minutes, with Leicester continuing to run their rivals ragged, Bruno Berner’s shot was turned into the net by Andy King, who had timed his run into the box to perfection. The goal caught Forest on the break and was enough to wrap up all three points and cued huge celebrations from the home fans.

In what was the Walkers Stadium’s highest attendance of the season, the last ten minutes were the stuff of dreams for the City fans. As many of the away support headed for the exit door, The Blue Army enjoyed their side’s keep ball football, cheering every pass with glee and also taunting the remaining Forest fans with several Mexican waves.

The impressive Paul Gallagher was substituted in stoppage time and given a well-deserved standing ovation as Nicky Adams replaced him. The tireless Waghorn was then taken off for Steve Howard moments later and was also given a rousing tribute by the home support.

Forest slumped to their fourth consecutive away defeat and boss Billy Davies will be concerned by their second half surrender. In contrast, his City counterpart Nigel Pearson will be both proud and delighted as his team’s impressive form continues. The win cements Leicester’s place in the top six and maybe gives the likes of West Brom, Newcastle and of course Nottingham Forest, a little cause for concern at the top of the division.

Teams

Leicester City: Weale, Morrison, Berner, Brown, Hobbs, Oakley, Wellens (Kermorgant 85), King, Dyer, Gallagher (Adams 90), Waghorn (Howard 90)

Subs: Logan, Bruce, Adams, Solano, N’Guessan, Howard, Kermorgant

Nottingham Forest: Camp, Gunter, Perch, Morgan, Wilson, Anderson (Tyson 45), Cohen, Majewski (McGoldrick 74), McKenna, Blackstock, Earnshaw

Subs: Smith, Chambers, Moussi, McGugan, McGoldrick, Adebola, Tyson

Goals: Berner (68), Gallagher (79), King (81)

Bookings: Wellens, Hobbs, Waghorn, Oakley (Leicester) Earnshaw, Majewski, Gunter, Perch, Morgan (Forest)

Referee: Lee Probert

Attendance: 31, 759

Man of the Match: Paul Gallagher – Beckham like delivery from the Scotsman whose assured touch and intelligent running caused Forest problems all afternoon. The goal was unstoppable and it was his initial free-kick that caused havoc in the Forest defence for Berner’s crucial first strike. One of Nigel Pearson’s few permanent signings and is beginning to look right at home at the Walkers Stadium.

City’s next home game is against fellow play-off challengers Cardiff City at  3pm on Saturday March 13th. For ticket information visit the club’s official website.

I can’t wait for the Forest game on Saturday. The East Midlands derby is massive anyway, but with both sides firmly in the promotion picture, it’s more important than ever.

After the 5-1 embarrassment at their place in December, we owe them big time. I’m sure the players will be on a revenge mission. I was at the City Ground that day, amongst the City fans. It was not easy to sit there and take that medicine.

It was great to get the Blue Army’s perspective of travelling to a game, the excitement of the build up and being part of a cracking atmosphere, and I was really enjoying it until the game kicked off.

Seeing the lads go 3-0 down so quickly was horrible. I left at half-time as I couldn’t bear to see City outplayed like that by one of our rivals. That defeat still hurts and it will definitely still hurt the players.

It’s big games like these that you’re in football for and it would be great to beat Forest and close that points gap tomorrow. Victory would see the margin cut to seven and an automatic promotion spot become a possibility. But, we’re fifth at the moment and I’d take that at the end of the season.

The Plymouth result was a good point gained on a terrible pitch and following it up with a win at Doncaster on Tuesday night made it an even better result. The defence has been really solid in the last three away games and Chris Weale in goal has pulled off some top class saves.

It was a fantastic win at Doncaster. Waggy took his goal well, showing strength and composure, and he’s really stepped up to the plate since Matty Fryatt’s injury.

The same back five of Weale, Morrison, Berner, Brown and Hobbs have started the last seven games and it’s no coincidence that City have remained unbeaten during that period, only conceding four goals. It’s been a great month so far, picking up 12 points and moving up the table. Speaking of defenders, I’m looking forward to reading an interview with City’s centre back colossus Wayne Brown in the next issue of Soar Magazine, which is out soon.

I was saddened by the death of former City captain Bobby Smith this week. Paul Ramsey, who was great mates with Bobby, text me to tell me that he’d passed away.

I knew Bobby had been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and planned to go up and see him, but sadly, I’ll never get that chance now. I really thought he had a few years left. It’s such a tragic loss and my thoughts are with his family. Me, Paul and Birch will be paying our respects at his funeral.

Bobby was at the club when I first signed and he was a good little player, either at left-back or in midfield, and a great character. He was a really nice fella who enjoyed a good night out and his favourite tipple of gin. There will be a minute’s silence before Saturday’s game and rightly so. I just hope it’s respected by the Forest fans.

I’m sure it’s going to be a cracking atmosphere at fortress Walkers, which is well on course for a sell out. Forest have sold their entire away allocation and I know there are very few home tickets left. The hospitality boxes, including my 125 lounge, are going to be absolutely packed too.

The all-time record between the two teams couldn’t be any tighter, tied at 36 wins each in all competitions, with 21 draws. We’ve got the edge in the league though, beating them 35 times to 34. There’s nothing quite like beating Forest and Derby and it would be great to extend that lead today.

The 0-0 home draw with The Rams earlier in the season was disappointing, but I think Saturday’s game will live up to the hype, as Forest have plenty to play for and are unlikely to come and defend.

My last home game against Forest was back in 1998 when we beat them 3-1 at Filbo. It was the season they got relegated from the Premier League and they weren’t the best. They had plenty of attitude up front with rent-a-gobs, Pierre Van Hooijdonk and Marlon Harewood.

Van Hooijdonk scored early on and him and Harewood were giving us plenty of lip. I was giving plenty back and then Van Hooijdonk started piping up and eventually got himself sent-off. We ended up winning 3-1 as the Dutchman cried into his early bath and Harewood continued to throw his toys out of his pram!

Another vivid memory of playing Forest at home is the 1-1 draw in the Zenith Data Systems Cup Semi Final in 1992. Before the game I went into the referee’s room with John Gregory to hand in the team sheet.

Brian Clough was there with Stuart Pearce and walked right up to me and said, “I hear you don’t like being kicked, young man?”

I replied with, “I don’t mind being kicked.” Next thing I know, Old Big ‘Ead boots me as hard as he can in the shins. “You didn’t like that did you?” he shouted.

So I got right in his face and said, “Brian, I like being kicked.” He kicked me again before storming out, followed by Pearce who just looked at me gone out. That was typical of Cloughie, always trying to get inside your head, especially before the big games.

Colin Gordon scored with a late header to level the scores that night and afterwards I remember hearing Pearce and Clough talking in the bar. It was a Tuesday night and Psycho was asking when they needed to be back in training and Cloughie just said, “I’ll see you on Friday.”

Pearce was shocked as they had a game on the Saturday and again looked at me in disbelief. Brian Clough was a one off, but I’m pretty sure he’d been on the sauce that night!

Tater Peeler got his first win as Bradford manager the other night as they beat top of the table Rochdale. He tends to start well at clubs before the wheels fall off completely, as we know to our cost. I’m sure he’s still got that second relegation place firmly in his sights.

I was amazed to hear that Tater was recently approached by the Nigerian FA to be the manager of their national side, but turned it down. I can’t believe he didn’t back himself for that job. He’s got a great track record of identifying Nigerian talent… remember the prolific Ade Akinbiyi?

Get in there! The Walsh man’s wager came in last week as my treble tip of Chelsea, Stoke and Swansea was spot on, meaning £263 for Wishes4Kids! This week I’m backing Burnley, Coventry, Swansea and Huddersfield. Fitzy from Turner & Kendrick will again be donating a £25 bet for Wishes4Kids.

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