Forest Round-Up, Saturday 24th October: Reds Held by Late Enciso Leveller as VAR Row Dominates After Ipswich Draw

Nottingham Forest had to settle for a point on the road on Friday evening, drawing 1-1 with Ipswich Town at a stormy Portman Road (The Guardian). The result did at least end a run of three successive league defeats, even if it also extended a winless streak as chances went begging at both ends (BBC Sport). The official club website confirmed the point was earned in testing conditions (NottinghamForest.co.uk).

The game swung on a major flashpoint when Ipswich defender Issa Diop appeared to take out James McAtee as the last man on the edge of his own box, yet the VAR check somehow saw no red card shown (Nottingham Post). Enciso went on to grab a leveller for the hosts amid the swirling wind and rain to deny Forest all three points (The Guardian).

Unsurprisingly, the VAR call dominated the post-match talk. Glasner admitted he was left baffled by the decision, saying it simply didn't make sense to him, though he was keen to praise his side's overall performance and push them to keep improving (BBC Sport). Even supporters joined in, with fan Ellie Molloson branding the non-red card "ridiculous" (BBC Sport). On the other side, Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil praised his side's resilience, saying his players had to "dig in and fight" to come from behind and snatch a point (BBC Sport).

In the player ratings from Portman Road, there were a couple of tough nights for Forest men who could only manage 5/10s as the Reds were left frustrated by their lack of cutting edge (Nottingham Post). There was a worrying moment too, with Neco Williams forced off through injury during the draw, and the club have since given an update on his and another player's fitness (Nottingham Post).

Away from the first team, Forest Women head to the North East this weekend as they prepare to take on Newcastle United Women, with a preview now out looking ahead to that fixture (NottinghamForest.co.uk).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.