Nottingham Forest continued their climb up the Championship with a 2-0 home win over Scunthorpe.
Chambers and Blackstock secure second straight victory
Nottingham Forest continued their climb up the Championship table with a 2-0 home win against Scunthorpe.
The hosts dominated throughout and late goals by Luke Chambers and Dexter Blackstock gave Forest their second win in four days.
That was enough to send Billy Davies' men up to 14th and leapfrog Scunthorpe, who slipped to 17th after their third league game without a win.
Forest started the game brightly and forced the visitors onto the back foot early on with a succession of corners coming inside the first 10 minutes.
But despite a red-shirted player getting his head to almost every delivery, none managed to trouble Joe Murphy in the Iron goal.
The visiting keeper was eventually tested on the quarter-hour mark as Chris Gunter met the ball at the back post but he headed straight at the feet of Murphy and Scunthorpe eventually managed to clear.
Forest's Nathan Tyson then made a strong run down the left flank and managed a high floating cross from the byline which was met firmly by Blackstock, but the in-form frontman glanced the ball wide of the far post.
In the final action of the first half, Michael O'Connor produced Scunthorpe's best effort at goal with a burst into the hosts' half and eventually let fly with a shot from the edge of the box which narrowly missed the target.
The Forest players were sent out early for the second period by Davies and carried on much as before, with Gunter forcing Murphy to tip over a shot on the turn from inside the box.
Late Opener
David McGoldrick and Tyson then both fired wide from good positions, but in the 71st minute the hosts finally grabbed the goal they richly deserved.
Chris Cohen whipped in a corner from the right which Chambers met strongly with a powerful header to break the deadlock, much to the relief of the majority of the 18,332 crowd.
Then just five minutes later, Paul Anderson made a burst through the middle towards the right and swept in a low cross which was met by the onrushing Blackstock, who converted his sixth goal of the season.
Jonathan Forte was unlucky not to give Scunthorpe hope of snatching a draw with seven minutes remaining after a strong run, with his shot rebounding agonisingly off a post after deflecting off Forest keeper Lee Camp.
