Billy Davies has started his tenure as Forest boss with a smash-and-grab away win against Charlton.
Tyson and Earnshaw secure away win in relegation six-pointer
Billy Davies has started his tenure as Nottingham Forest boss with a smash-and-grab away win against Charlton.
The Forest boss' first game in charge was greeted with victory thanks to first-half goals by Nathan Tyson and Rob Earnshaw.
The cliche that there's no luck when you're rooted to the bottom of the league will be on the minds of home supporters at the Valley after they found themselves 2-0 down despite completely outplaying their relegation rivals.
So against the run of play was Tyson's easy finish on 34 minutes, that there was almost an air of inevitability that Charlton's fortunes seem doomed from then onwards.
And just two minutes later, when substitute Matt Holland's headed back-pass found Earnshaw, the Wales striker duly obliged to double Forest's advantage and condemn Charlton to defeat.
The result piles on the pressure for Addicks boss Phil Parkinson as Charlton reluctantly extend their winless streak to 17, while Forest move up to 20th three points above the relegation zone.
With football matches dropping like flies on Saturday, Charlton's crunch clash with Forest was one of only seven Championship matches that went ahead.
A 16-match winless run in the Championship sat regretfully on Charlton's shoulders going into the match, but you would not have guessed it by the way the home side came out of the blocks.
Buzzing
16-year-old wonderkid Jonjo Shelvey and veteran striker Deon Burton worked chances as Charlton buzzed into action.
Burton with the first chance in the third minute, found space down the left and sprinted into the penalty area with the ball, but his left-footed blast could only find the side netting.
A minute later Burton was again set up by Shelvey, this time the youngster played an exquisite reverse ball into the path of the striker twice his age, but the onrushing former Charlton reserve keeper Paul Smith did enough to close down the 32-year-old.
With Charlton looking dominant and intent with 10 minutes gone, Jose Semedo was forced to come off after a hefty challenge and was replaced by veteran Holland.
Charlton's best chances came in triple medley on 17 minutes when Burton had a header cleared off the line to Hudson whose close-range shot was blocked, before Hudson had another opportunity, but headed over.
The next 10 minutes were uneventful until Tyson grabbed an unlikely lead for Forest.
A good Reds move saw Paul Anderson's scuffed volley deflect off Hudson and the ball broke to Tyson in the penalty area, and the striker made light work of hitting home the game's first goal with an easy left-foot finish.
Shelby hit a crashing right-foot volley a minute later from Burton's set-up, but the teenager's blast was straight down the throat of the Forest keeper and he managed to divert the ball clear.
In a frenetic three minutes, Charlton found themselves two goals down thanks to a terrible error by Holland.
The former skipper's poor header teed up Earnshaw who needed no second invitation to lift the ball over the head over keeper Rob Elliot and find the left corner.
Still though, the Addicks ended the half the stronger as Hudson let another shot fly off the left boot, but the captain was again frustrated as Smith palmed the ball away for a corner.
Second half
Forest brought off Tyson for Arron Davies in what one could only think was due to injury; however Charlton started the second half all guns blazing just like the previous one.
Burton had a header that went close, and Shelvey looked to threaten at every opportunity but the home side continued to lack penetration.
As the second half wore on, Forest got a foothold and nearly made it three when on-loan Liverpool winger Anderson let fly with a speculative right-foot volley, which just went wide.
Parkinson made a double substitution bringing on leading scorer Andy Gray and Martyn Waghorn in the hope of getting a goal, but it was not until it was too late that Charlton looked like grabbing what would be a consolation.
Darren Ambrose, back from his loan at Ipswich, struck a sweet left-foot volley in the 89th minute, but Smith was up to the challenge and tipped it wide.
Five minutes lit up on the fourth official's board to jeers from nervous Forest fans, and time stood still as Waghorn's deflected shot in the penalty area whistled beyond the post.
But bar the injury-time flurry from Charlton, Davies will be delighted with his side as they built on the remarkable FA Cup win at Manchester City last weekend by narrowly moving away from the drop zone.
