Football: JOHNSON GOOD FOR THE HART

PINT-SIZED striker David Johnson came down on The Bantams like a ton weight to notch up his 100th league goal.

The on-fire Forest man may only be 5ft 6in tall but he put Bradford's defence to shame as he stooped to conquer yet again for Paul Hart's young braves.

The quicksilver hitman got between two defenders to sneak home a header from a Jim Brennan cross.

That marked his 17th strike of the season and just minutes earlier, the division's top scorer even had a "goal" disallowed when strike partner Marlon Harewood strayed offside.

By then, Forest were ahead anyway as another in-form hitman, Jack Lester, scored with a far-post header after 18 minutes, the chance carved out by the superb Johnson.

To add to Bradford's misery, defender Mathieu Louis-Jean headed in Forest's third on 36 minutes.

Riccardo Scimeca's corner was flicked on by star-in-the-making Michael Dawson and Louis-Jean made no mistake.

Poor old Bradford may have had 12 senior players out injured or suspended but Forest were in no mood to sympathise.

It was obvious from the start that Forest would stretch their unbeaten league run to 11 games.

Bradford lived a charmed life from the start when Simon Francis cleared a Louis-Jean cross from his goal-line.

Johnson missed a sitter after being set up by Lester, then when Johnson chipped in, Harewood was only inches away.

Once more, Johnson was unlucky as he narrowly failed to make contact with Brennan's plunging cross.

Shell-shocked Bradford troubled Forest rarely - Paul Evans twice tested keeper Darren Ward from long range and Robert Molenaar had a header cleared off the line, but it was Forest's day.

MAN OF THE MATCH DAVID JOHNSON

Tricky and troublesome.

NOTTM FOREST: Ward 6, Louis-Jean 7, Dawson 7, Walker 7, Brennan 7, (Doig 6), Williams 7, Scimeca 7, Prutton 7, Lester 7, JOHNSON 8, (Jess 6), Harewood 7

BRADFORD: Davison 5, Francis 6, Molennar 7, Bower 5, Emanuel 6, Juanjo 6, Evans 7, Standing 6, Singh 6, Facey 6, Gray 6.

MANAGERS: Hart 8; Law 6.

REFEREE: P Robinson 8.

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