Nine-man Nottingham Forest held Coventry to a 0-0 draw at Highfield Road this evening.

Gordon Strachan’s side dominated for 90 minutes but failed to create enough clear-cut chances to open their goals account at home this season which led to a chorus of boos for the City boss as he headed for the tunnel at full-time.

Forest, on the other hand, were given a standing ovation by Sky Blues supporters for their gutsy rearguard display which earned them a deserved point after Stern John and Matthieu Louis-Jean were sent-off.

The visitors thought they had taken the lead in the fourth minute when Trinidad and Tobago striker John headed home past Magnus Hedman in the Coventry goal, but the strike was disallowed for offside.

The Sky Blues began to take control and 19-year-old Jay Bothroyd, buoyed by his first senior goal against Bradford on Friday night, was causing Forest all sorts of problems.

The former Arsenal man was at the heart of three Coventry moves in the first quarter-of-an-hour, but Paul Williams, Keith O’Neill and David Thompson were all off target with shots from distance.

Bothroyd, who will have impressed on-looking England under 21 boss David Platt, held the ball up superbly for Thompson on 20 minutes and the winger’s cross found Lee Hughes in the box.

But the former West Brom striker struck his shot straight into Jon Hjelde.

Just after the half-hour mark, Bothroyd turned on Roland Nilsson’s throw-in and struck a thunderbolt just wide of the post.

John received a yellow card on 41 minutes for an innocuous challenge on Nilsson, and moments later was ordered off as he failed to retreat the full ten yards from a Coventry corner.

The Sky Blues pushed hard in the second half to make the extra man pay, but were a shadow of their first-half selves as they became over anxious to force a goal.

Forest's suffered their second dismissal when Louis-Jean was sent off on 67 minutes for his second bookable offence for two fouls on winger O’Neill.

But having struggled to break down ten-man Forest, the Sky Blues looked devoid of ideas to get through nine.

Thompson became the subject of the City fans unease as, time and again, he wasted opportunities to deliver a decent cross, and when he shot high and wide from 30 yards, Strachan’s patience was pushed too far and the former Liverpool winger was replaced by Edworthy.

City piled on the pressure late on, but O’Neill’s stooping effort, which was blocked by Hjelde, was the closest they came to claiming all three points.

COVENTRY CITY (4-4-1-1):
Hedman; Nilsson, Konjic, Williams (Zuniga, 74), Hall; Thompson (Edworthy, 84), Carsley, Chippo, O’Neill; Bothroyd, Hughes
Subs not used: Goram, Quinn, Shaw

NOTTINGHAM FOREST (4-4-2):
Ward; Louis-Jean, Hjelde, Doig, Brennan; Prutton, Williams, Jenas, Gray (Harewood 60; Edwards, 86); Bart-Williams; John
Subs not used: Roche, Johnson, Bopp

REFEREE: Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent)

BOOKINGS:
Coventry - none
Notts Forest - John (41, foul), Louis-Jean (53, foul) Harewood (80, foul)

SENDING-OFFS:
Coventry - none
Notts Forest - John (43, not retreating – second yellow); Louis-Jean (67, foul on O’Neill – second yellow)

ATTENDANCE: 18,467

COVENTRY MAN OF THE MATCH:
Jay Bothroyd – quick, skilful and hardworking, unlucky not to be on a winning side