Brighton manager Gus Poyet admitted he felt bad for Nottingham Forest as his side snatched a dramatic injury-time victory.
Poyet feels for Forest; Cotterill says his side were hard done by
Brighton manager Gus Poyet admitted he felt bad for Nottingham Forest as his side snatched a dramatic injury-time victory thanks to substitute Will Buckley.
Albion clinched a hat-trick of victories in the Championship thanks to a goal in the second minute of injury time, which was the only highlight of a dreadful encounter at the Amex Stadium.
The hosts had failed to score in five of their last league fixtures, while Forest had drawn a blank in four of their last six, but Buckley broke the trend rifling in an unstoppable shot following good work by Frenchman Romain Vincelot.
Boring
"It was a boring day but then Will produced a great finish," Poyet said. "It was a case of one quality run and a quality touch to win the game.
"I feel for Forest. Everything worked for the team that is doing a bit better. They (Forest) would have thought 'what have we to do to win?'."
Poyet is certain Buckley will continue to make an impact, saying: "Will took his chance in great style and he will be okay.
"We looked a bit tired and I don't think we've been doing fantastically but we've been winning football games."
Brighton now boast four wins in their last five games but Poyet admits they are far from their best.
He said: "Overall this was not a good game for us. Technically we were very poor and couldn't find the right way to play.
"But, in games like this, if you are still in the match and then you find a bit of quality in the end, things can work out for you.
"We weren't having our best game and then Romain Vincelot produced the best touch of the match to set-up Buckley with the perfect ball for him to score."
Dominate
Forest boss Steve Cotterill felt his side were particularly hard done by to suffer a fourth defeat in their last five games after a much-improved display.
He said: "It was a real kick in the teeth especially when you have played so well.
"We dominated the second half and I have never see any team dominate Brighton in the way we did at this ground. How we lost the game was a mystery.
"I wouldn't say it was a lack of firepower. We know what we need. It was a fantastic team performance."
Cotterill admitted his players need to find some consistency, but is being careful not to be overly critical of them during their losing run.
He said: "I must keep coaching and try to keep them believing.
"I know what I need to do. It's not all dead and buried, we are not halfway through this season yet."
