*Draper drops the curtain on failing Forest*

Goals by Mark Draper and Gareth Barry took Villa to their third successive win. What a maddening team they have been - impressive when the pressure is off but flawed when they were in contention.

To survive, Forest needed to win this match, and their final three matches by two- or three-goal margins while hoping that Charlton and Blackburn drew their encounter next Saturday and lost all their other fixtures. Even allowing for Charlton and Blackburn’s defeats yesterday, it was not going to happen.

You got the feeling that Ron Atkinson thought so, too. The Forest manager may have had seven players missing through suspension and injury but his team selection was baffling nevertheless.

Pierre Van Hooijdonk has not been flavour of the season at the City Ground but it seemed counter-productive that the experienced goalscorer found himself banished to the bench while more anonymous figures took their place on the field.

However, Forest’s motley crew did go at Villa with some vigour early on and might have had the lead when Marlon Harewood laid Alan Rogers’ cross to Andy Johnson, but Gareth Southgate blocked the shot.

Gradually Villa roused themselves, and Paul Merson shot over from Steve Stone’s low cross. They might even have had a penalty when Julian Joachim outpaced Jesper Matsson to reach Dion Dublin’s lob and was cut down, only for the referee Jeff Pettit - replacing Paul Durkin, who had pulled a calf muscle - to wave play on.

Soon after, in time added for Mr Durkin’s injury, Villa had the goal that a subdued first half had looked unlikely to provide. Alan Wright’s free kick from the right was glanced on by Mark Draper and entered the Forest net via the head of a defender.

Now the game was up. Villa were buoyed and Forest downcast, and a second goal was not long in coming after the interval.
Merson played a splendid ball to Stone - about to help send down the club he left last month - and he turned inside Stale Stensaas before looping in a cross which Gareth Barry, replacing the injured Dublin, met firmly to turn home.

After that it was turkey-shoot time. Southgate was just wide with a shot and Crossley dived to save from Merson and Draper. Van Hooijdonk did come on but was ineffectual, except for one ball to Marlon Harewood, which he shot just wide.

It was another substitution that lifted the occasion, Ugo Ehiogu returning after a horrendous, career-threatening injury in February when an eye socket broken in a clash with Alan Shearer needed extensive surgery.