Nottingham Forest 1-0 Barnsley: Under-fire Forest boss dodges Barnsley chop

Colin Calderwood has avoided the Barnsley chop but must feel as comfortable as a turkey listening to Christmas carols as confusion reigns at the City Ground.

Calderwood has surely earned a stay of execution after Joe Garner's header helped Forest to only their third win of the season.

Garner's first home goal since a £1.14million move from Carlisle lifted Forest off the bottom of the Championship and will have forced chairman Nigel Doughty into a rethink.

Doughty was ready to replace Calderwood with Billy Davies (circled) today if Forest failed to win, after spending all last week lining up Davies.

The former Derby boss is seen as the No. 1 choice to take over at the City Ground after Sam Allardyce said he wanted to hold out for a job in the Premier League.

Garner's goal will have forced Doughty to scrap his plan, though Calderwood is clearly still on borrowed time.

Garner said: "There was a lots aid about the manager's position but we're out there to get results and that's what we've done.

"All the lads are behind the manager and the fans can see we've been playing well.

"I've a lot of faith in him for bringing me here and the performances have warranted more points.

"I'm happy to get a goal here and hopefully there will be many more.

"We've just come up from the league below and obviously it's difficult to adjust but I think we can turn the corner now. It's a great three points for us.

"We've been playing well lately but our luck changed against Barnsley."

It all looked ominous for Calderwood early on as Barnsley controlled the game for the opening 20 minutes, with Jon Macken missing an easy header.

But Forest took the lead with their first attack when Garner nodded Nathan Tyson's excellent cross past Heinz Muller.

Barnsley mounted a late bombardment and Forest keeper Lee Camp pushed away a free-kick from Anderson De Silva before Stephen Foster struck the crossbar.

But Forest clung on to secure a crucial win and keep Calderwood in employment.

He said: "You might find it bizarre or naive but whether it's a stay of execution doesn't overly concern me. I've nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about and the rough comes with the smooth.

"The situation was never going to change dramatically but we've taken a step forward."

Forest's win denied Barnsley the perfect get-well present for striker Iain Hume, who is recovering from surgery on a fractured skull after his clash with Sheffield United's Chris Morgan.

But Barnsley defender Rob Kozluk revealed Hume is still playing his part this season.

He said: "On Monday, Humey was put back in hospital for a slight infection, but we all know he wants us to do well .

"He texts us before every game and he's watching out for us and we want to do well for him.

"We're all supporting Humey.

Whether anybody is injured or not, we all rally the troops here - although Humey's injury is different with it being his head."

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