Nottingham Forest v Ipswich: FA Cup fifth round – live

GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Ipswich Town (Hirst 54)

52 min: Great opportunity for Broadhead as the ball lands kindly for the Welshman on his right foot … and the forward completely miskicks the ball.

50 min: Great save from Palmer to deny Elanga! Forest had scampered away on one of their textbook counter-attacks with sprinting clear of Luongo. Hudson Odoi squared the ball to Elanga on the edge of Ipswich’s box, and the Sweden international shot fiercely through a crowd of bodies but Palmer got down expertly well to his right with a strong hand. Good save.

47 min: Lively start from Ipswich! They win a succession of 50/50s in midfield and Johnson whips a dangerous cross towards Hirst. The away fans, now behind the goal that Ipswich are kicking towards, give a roar of approval.

Peeeeeeeeeep!

Half-time reading:

Some tea-related pics.

Half-time: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Ipswich Town

45 min: One minute added on. Then we can all go and have a cup of tea and reset. Do players still drink tea in dressing rooms?

44 min: “It’s rather refreshing to see these clubs in their straightforward red and white and blue and white home strips,” emails Richard Rae. “Like watching a match between two of my 1970s Subbuteo teams”.

42 min: Ipswich’s Burgess looks like he’s struggling slightly after tangling with Awoniyi. The centre-back is limping but trying to run it off.

40 min: It’s all Forest, as half-time approaches. Another corner, another clearance. This is not exactly Total Football.

38 min: Sangare is next to try his luck from range for Forest after more good work from Hudson Odoi down the right. But the Ivorian curls one waywardly into the away fans behind Ipswich’s goal.

35 min: Danilo crashes a shot at goal, after Forest get to the byline once again, but Woolfenden is there to block and clear. I think Palmer would have got down to the shot OK, had his defender not already made the interception.

33 min: Not sure if we can continue to call Ola Aina underrated anymore, given that he plays for a team that are third in the Premier League. But the London-born Nigeria international is such a good player.

31 min: The final ball is lacking for both teams, who are quite obviously both missing their chief creators/talismen.

29 min: Elanga continues to be Forest’s brightest spark going forward. He’s having a right good go on that left flank against Ipswich defender Tuanzebe, a former Manchester United teammate of course.

27 min: Ipswich’s Luongo, on a yellow card remember, goes charging into a tackle with Hudson Odoi. The Australian wins the ball but I would suggest he was just a Hudson Odoi toe poke away from being sent off there. And in such a frivolous part of the pitch, too.

25 min: Ipswich pop it about nicely for the first time in the match, before Luongo boots the ball out for a goal kick in trying to find Johnson on the right.

23 min: Ipswich are nearly undone by a long ball as Awoniyi wins a foot race with Woolfenden. Awoniyi has support from Elanga, who blazes high and wide when he had Danilo screaming for the ball to his right.

21 min: “Re Jeremy Boyce’s email, writes Mark Hooper, “it looks like Forest have finally agreed with Nottingham council to remain at the City Ground and improve the stands rather than relocating, which is great news … EXCEPT it means Nottingham Rowing Club will need to relocate their boathouses instead. Not too far and paid for by Forest, but there’s not many better feelings than standing on the pontoons on a summer afternoon before a game watching the rowing boats go by (Murillo backheels notwithstanding).”

18 min: Right on cue, Forest press high and a loose pass from Palmer so nearly allows Elanga a free shot on goal! Ipswich got away with one there.

16 min: Booking for Luongo, who was playing for Ipswich in League One two years ago and who trips Hudson-Odoi in a dangerous area for Forest. From the free-kick, Palmer does well to punch clear. The English goalkeeper has made an assured start in front of Thomas Tuchel, dealing with several tricky balls into his box (including a couple of dodgy backpasses).

14 min: Ipswich made eight changes from last Wednesday’s defeat at Manchester United and I can’t say I am overly impressed by the standard of their second XI here. Cue a 3-0 away win and egg all over my face.

12 min: Elanga is causing all sorts of bother with his pace, and Woolfenden does well to hoof the ball away for another Forest corner. But from the set-piece, it’s a poor delivery that doesn’t beat the first man.

9 min: Forest go close! From a corner, Sangaré glances a head just past Palmer’s far post. The home side had applies good pressure there, with Murillo showing fancy feet to set up an Elanga cross which led to the corner.

6 min: A round of applause for Forest fan, Sam Perkins, who died last month. Here is some context, with Forest releasing a statement over the weekend.

Nottingham Forest Football Club was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend, Sam Perkins, on Sunday, 9th February 2025 at the age of 43, following a courageous battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Sam was not only a cherished member of the Forest family but also an inspiring figure whose strength and resilience in the face of adversity touched the lives of everyone around him.

After his diagnosis in 2019, Sam took it upon himself to raise awareness and funds for MND, establishing the Stand Against MND charity. Through his tireless efforts, he raised an incredible £320,000, which will continue to support vital research into this devastating condition.

Throughout his illness, Sam remained a constant presence at the City Ground, never allowing his condition to overshadow his passion for the club and his unwavering support. His spirit, kindness, and determination will forever be remembered by all who knew him.

As we mourn the loss of Sam, we also celebrate his extraordinary legacy—one defined by his bravery, generosity, and commitment to making a difference.

In tribute to Sam’s life and his fight, we invite all supporters to join us in a minute’s applause during the 6th minute of Monday’s match against Ipswich Town, symbolising the six years he faced MND with unyielding courage.

If you wish to donate to Stand Against MND in Sam’s legacy, click here.

5 min: Townsend crosses nicely for Ipswich, where Broadhead is waiting. The Ipswich forward gets a neat flick on but Sels collects. It would have had more of a chance if that was a flick on towards the far post.

4 min: “If that picture was pulled back just a little bit, it would include Meadow Lane, just across the Trent, Notts County’s home ground,” emails Joe Pearson. “Two of the closest stadiums in English football”.

Correct, Joe. And here is the picture to prove it.

2 min: A scrappy start. Ipswich press high and win the ball before Morsy lumps an aimless cross into the Forest box, where no teammate is waiting.

Peeeeeeeeeeeeep!

The teams are out! Red against blue. The City Ground, under the lights, rarely disappoints. Let’s have a few goals, shall we.

Some FA Cup-related news, right here.

Kieran McKenna, Ipswich Town, speaks to the cameras:

A few changes. A lot of the boys did well in the last round against Coventry. Palace away [on Saturday] is a really big one and we have a competitive squad. We picked a side tonight who you think will compete with a strong Forest side.

There’s only nine teams left. Everyone sees this as an opportunity. We know who is next in the draw [Brighton].

Another email, this time from Andrew Goudie.

“Looking at the teams remaining in this year’s competition reminded me of JL Carr’s excellent book ‘How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F.A. Cup’. If you haven’t read it, you have a treat in store. Surely there is no finer football-related novel?”

I would argue that Steve Bruce’s Striker would take some beating, but I have not read Steeple Sinderby Wanderers’ epic, so who am I to judge? However, just in these past five minutes, I have read this piece on another book by JL Carr, so I can at least vouch for this article.

Our FA Cup-flavoured Football Daily, for your reading pleasure.

“Nice aerial photo of the Clough Arena, thanks and isn’t it great to see so many top level sports all within walking distance?” notes Jeremy Boyce, via email. “As an ex-oarsman/rower I have to point out that you totally overlooked the the boathouses of Nottingham Rowing Club and their jetties/pontoons between the City Ground and the Trent Bridge itself. The Trent is a hothouse of top-level rowing and not far from the national rowing centre at Holme Pierrepont. Our rowers, unlike our footballers, consistently win World Championships, Olympics and anything else going, so I think they deserve mention. Interesting match up tonight, recently promoted side doing well versus recently-promoted side suffering a big reality check. I suspect they will both take it seriously, chance for glory, chance for salvation. 2-1 to Ipswich but relegated all the same.”

A great email, Jeremy, thanks! I was completely ignorant to the Trent’s reputation for rowing. Although I have to disagree with your prediction. Hard to look past Forest tonight, especially with those line-ups.

Will Unwin, our correspondent at the City Ground tonight, has been in touch to say he’s been reliably informed that England manager Thomas Tuchel is in attendance tonight (with his first game less than three weeks away). The bad news for Tuchel is that Morgan Gibbs-White and Liam Delap are both on their side’s respective benches.

Could Alex Palmer wiggle his way into being Tuchel’s third-choice keeper? He’s certainly got an outside chance, given recent performances.

Callum Hudson-Odoi is possibly the only person who could make the squad, although you might remember that he and TT fell out at Chelsea.

Nottingham Forest have, Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White aside, named a strong side. Ipswich have not, with manager Kieran McKenna obviously (and sadly) prioritising Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace.

The teams!

Preamble