Fans chanted Clough's name throughout the game at Forest
|
A stunning Marlon King goal gave Forest their first League win on a day marked by tributes to ex-boss Brian Clough.
The visitors dominated the first half and Paul Gerrard saved well from Nigel Reo-Coker before Marlon Harewood smashed an effort against the bar.
West Ham deservedly went ahead when Harewood netted against his former club from Matthew Etherington's cross.
But Paul Evans smashed in after a lay-off from Eugen Bopp and King sealed an unlikely win with a curling effort.
The match was preceded by a minute's silence for Clough, who died this week, and a parade of the trophies he won by some of his best-known players.
Forest's class of 2004 then went about trying to address their poor start in the Championship but the Hammers looked the likelier scorers - and it needed a brave block from Gerrard to deny Etherington after a clever flick-on from Teddy Sheringham.
In a rare bright moment for Forest, a superb pass from Reid then found Alan Rogers, whose cross-cum-shot was parried by Stephen Bywater and Reid could not keep his acrobatic half-volley down.
Forest legends walked around the pitch before the game
|
Reo-Coker came close to breaking the deadlock after Sheringham laid the ball off to him but again Gerrard was equal to it, palming away the ball for a corner.
And Harewood almost punished the home side for some laziness in defence when he and the impressive Reo-Coker combined before he unleashed a shot that hit the bar.
Forest improved after the break but the lack of anything to celebrate on the pitch at that point meant their fans had to limit themselves to salutations to Clough.
But it was the visiting supporters who were in full cry when Etherington raced down the left, beat James Perch to the ball and crossed for the on-rushing Harewood, who found the net.
Gerrard was again called in to action when he rushed out and hacked the ball away, with Harewood's pace causing more problems.
The six major trophies won by Brian Clough as a manager
|
With Forest struggling to create much pressure, substitute King wasted a half-chance when he blasted well over the bar.
But out of almost nothing, Evans equalised for the home side when Bopp set up the midfielder to fire an unstoppable 25-yarder past Bywater.
Suddenly it was a different game and, with the Hammers hanging on for a point, Bopp fired just over the bar and King went close.
And a tremendous finale from Forest culminated in King curling a beauty past Bywater to complete an emotional day in the east Midlands.
Forest boss Joe Kinnear on finishing a day of tributes to Clough with a win:
"I think the man himself would have been happy with that.
"I could not fault the players for their effort, and we scored two fantastic
goals to send the fans home happy.
"I did not need to motivate the players - the occasion did that. The last
thing we wanted today was to get beat."
West Ham boss Alan Pardew on conceding two late goals:
"We feel we have been mugged. We looked in control of the game but we went to sleep in the last 10 minutes.
"We needed to keep the ball and kill the game off and we had enough
experience to do that.
"We've gifted Forest three points today and cannot do that. If you look at
how we played for the first 80 minutes you'd say we were a good team, and the
players know that."
Nottm Forest: Gerrard, Perch, Hjelde, Morgan, Rogers, Impey (King 66), Evans, Jess (Bopp 83), Reid, Taylor, Johnson. Subs Not Used: Robertson, Roche, Commons.
Booked: Reid.
Goals: Evans 84, King 90.
West Ham: Bywater, Repka, Mackay, Davenport, Powell, Chadwick (Lomas 76), Fletcher, Reo-Coker, Etherington, Harewood, Sheringham. Subs Not Used: Walker, Mullins, Rebrov, Zamora.
Booked: Mackay, Reo-Coker, Fletcher.
Goals: Harewood 58.
Att: 25,615
Ref: M Messias (S Yorkshire).