Martin O’Neill stepped into the dugout at The City Ground for the first time as we welcomed Bristol City to home soil for today’s Championship clash.
Having been appointed manager earlier in the week as Aitor Karanka’s replacement, our European Cup winning legend was looking to make a bright start to life in his first game.
After a goalless first 45 minutes, the visitors took a 1-0 advantage with 20 minutes remaining in the game, but having created more efforts than they did overall, the disappointment was in getting so few on target as they made their chances count on the day.
Not the homecoming O’Neill would’ve wanted and not the result he’d have hoped for in his opening match but he’ll at least know what he’s dealing with better now, and areas of improvement are obvious, so all eyes to the next match now and hopefully the win.
Speaking to the BBC following the fulltime whistle, O’Neill said of his return to the club and the defeat.
“Naturally it’s disappointing to lose and it’s a learning curve for me. We were second best in the first half. The players were anxious and wanted to impress. I got a great reaction. It was quite emotional. I am very honoured. Now I want to settle down and put my stamp on the team. I want to make an impact.”
💬 A learning curve.#NFFC manager Martin O’Neill said that today’s defeat against @BristolCity was a learning curve for him and his new side.https://t.co/RondlbXvPc
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 19, 2019
