Chances missed in front of goal and in squad

AT THE final whistle it was clear which of these two teams was the happier with a point as Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 away against Sturm Graz.

- By SARAH CLAPSON

The hosts orchestrated a thunder clap in front of their fans as they celebrated keeping Sean Dyche's side at bay.

The Reds applauded their supporters, too, but there was an air of frustration at not returning from Austria with more to show for their endeavours.

Familiar issues were evident for Forest at the Merkur Arena. This was a potentially valuable point on the road but Dyche was left with mixed emotions afterwards.

Turning around the Reds' form, he has frequently admitted, is not a case of simply flicking a switch. Much like tackling Graz's famous Schlossberg hill, it is an uphill task for the Reds.

Below are some of the big talking points from Thursday's Europa League stalemate.

Drawing a blank

Goals have been hard to come by all season for Forest. The issue stretches back to the tail end of last term, too.

They had plenty of chances against Graz - “golden ones” as Dyche referred to them. James McAtee should have buried one early on, Ryan Yates had a header cleared off the line and Nicolas Dominguez hit the bar at the death.

And then there was Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty. The playmaker looked like a man still short of confidence as his strike lacked conviction and was easy for the goalkeeper to save.

“He's alright,” Dyche said of Gibbs-White’s spurned spot-kick afterwards.