Nottingham Forest 1-0 Bristol City

Luke Chambers's second-half strike handed high-flying Nottingham Forest their fourth straight league win at the expense of Bristol City.

Defender Chambers broke the deadlock two minutes after the break when his 12-yard shot took a slight deflection on its way past goalkeeper David James.

Robert Earnshaw also went close for Forest when his 25-yard free-kick produced a good save from James.

City's best chance fell to Albert Adomah, who headed over the bar.

Team-mate Brett Pitman also headed straight at Forest goalkeeper Lee Camp, while goalscorer Chambers did well to block City striker Dave Clarkson's shot.

After the interval, Jamal Campbell-Ryce's 25-yard effort flew past Camp's post while Adomah wasted a good chance soon after when he blazed over the crossbar.

Forest also had other opportunities to increase their lead with James at full stretch to keep out striker Marcus Tudgay's shot from outside the penalty area.

James then did well to hold on to Earnshaw's 30-yard drive, while Lewis McGugan flashed an angled shot just over the bar.

Victory saw Billy Davies' side leapfrog Leeds into fifth place in the Championship, Forest also now sit just a point behind an automatic promotion spot with a game in hand on their rivals.

City have not won in four league games and have not won away from home since early November and remain six points above the bottom three.

Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies:
"Efficient would be the best way of describing our performance. It was always going to be a tough game after the Derby game at the weekend, which was draining both mentally and physically.

"But it's a fantastic three points. I don't think we would have won that game last season and that's a credit to the players.

"The maturity of this side is getting better, the discipline of the team is improving and it's a good clean sheet and three points."

"We're entering the stage of the season where it's all about results. We've got an important and difficult eight weeks coming up.

"This is a marathon and there will be highs and lows and ups and downs and the business end of the season, February, March and April, is when things will be won and lost."

Bristol City boss Keith Millen:
"We didn't have enough quality about our play in the final third of the pitch to trouble Forest as we might.

"I thought that we had enough chances to get at them, even in the first half when we had a lot of opportunities on the counter attack.

"In the second half we had more control of the ball but more often than not our final ball or decision-making let us down.

"It was poor and that's the way it has been for the last few matches."

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