Nottingham Forest 2 Middlesbrough 1 AET

FOR the second time in four seasons Boro have exited the Carling Cup in round two at the hands of a Nottingham team, tonight squandering a lead away to Forest, writes GORDON COX from the City Ground.

Boro made three changes to the side that beat Doncaster as Justin Hoyte, Andrew Taylor and Jeremie Aliadiere returned to the starting line up in place of Tony McMahon, Jonathan Grounds and Leroy Lita, who all dropped the bench as Gareth Southgate named a strong team.

The Forest side showed five changes from the side that drew with QPR on Saturday, Paul Smith, Paul Anderson, Robert Earnshaw, Arron Davies and Dexter Blackstock replacing Lee Camp, Joel Lynch, Joe Garner, Dele Adebola and David McGoldrick, with all except the injured Lynch dropping to the bench.

Wearing their new away kit for the first time Boro took a little while to settle and it was Forest who cut out much of the early running and it took a timely tackle from David Wheater to prevent further progress towards goal from Blackstock, a former England U19 team-mate of Andrew Taylor, Matthew Bates and James Morrison.

But the first chance of the game fell to Boro with six minutes played as Aliadiere had a shot blocked and Smith cleared a close-range low follow-up shot from Julio Arca onto the post and out for a corner.

It was hold your breath time when Wheater, just up from the edge of the box, passed back to Danny Coyne, not realising Anderson was there. Fortunately Coyne just got to the ball first.

Back came Boro, Adam Johnson cutting in from the right to fire low from the left-hand edge of the penalty area, Smith parried and the ball was scrambled away for a corner, which was cleared.

Mark Yeates was often the driving force as Boro probed and just short of the 20-minute point he fed Aliadiere inside the Forest area, but the Frenchman turned to pull a low shot just wide.

Passing the midway mark the game entered a lull as neither side could seize the initiative to gain control and create. Rob Earnshaw pulled a shot wide from inside the box for Forest, while Rhys Williams was inches to the right of Smith's right-hand post.

A sizeable travelling following were doing their best to encourage, but this was a game in need of a goal.

That came two minutes from time - and two minutes after Coyne had saved well from Earnshaw, who had drilled in low from 20 yards.

With 43 minutes played, Marvin Emnes fed Adam Johnson with a low ball and cutting in from the right, he did the rest with a low drive which Smith got a hand to but couldn't stop.

Half-time: Forest 0 Boro 1

After a bright start to the second half from Boro, it was Forest to began to turn up the heat and Robert Huth was called on to make a clearance from inside his own six-yard box.

Keeping up the pressure, Forest launched a deep cross into Boro's box, Huth and Blackstock clashed, the latter went down and Huth cleared. No penalty was the referee's decision.

Just under 10 minutes into the second half Boro had a great chance to grab a second and perhaps wrap up the tie but, after working his way into space Aliadiere, opted for power over placement and blasted well over.

Shortly before the hour mark the miss was brought into sharper focus as Davies whipped over a left-wing corner and Luke Chambers almost backheeled the equaliser in from 10 yards.

It took an excellent tackle from Wheater to stop Earnshaw in his tracks as he approached the edge of the Boro penalty area just over a minute later.

Three changes later, one per side plus the referee, who was injured and replaced by fourth official Nigel Smith, Boro cut through Forest with a quick break and Lita was inches away from a low Johnson cross when any form of touch would have brought Boro's second.

A drilled shot from Yeates from 25 yards brought howls of protest from Lita, who felt he was better placed to the Irishman's right when Boro next pressed.

The effort was blocked and Johnson's follow-up shot from even further out fizzed just wide of Smith's left-hand post.

But Boro were coming under increasing pressure as Forest attacked down both flanks with the pace of substitute Nathan Tyson causing problems down Boro's right.

Huth, Wheater and Taylor were all in the thick of the action as this looked like being a long night, though there was still a chance for either side when the new fourth official showed six minutes of injury-time to be played.

A chance apiece came in that time as Wes Morgan dribbled along the goal line before seeing a low cross thumped clear, with Boro breaking to set up Lita with a chance but he elected to shoot with three in front of him when there were men better placed to his right.

90 minutes: Forest 1 Boro 1

Extra-time

Forest pushed early down the Boro right and Coyne's handling had to be good as he met a swinging cross.

Boro came back with possession football played at a reasonably high tempo. Lita saw a cross from the left deflected for a corner and Arca was inches away with a low drive from 25 yards.

But the breakthrough came at the other end as Forest again pressed down the Boro right and Radoslav Majewski drilled home low left-footed from the 15 yards two minutes from half-time.

Half-time: Forest 2 Boro 1

Forest had a chance to give themselves a cushion in the second minute of the second half as Majewski found himself in space inside the Boro penalty area, but Coyne produced a fine save and grabbed at the second attempt.

Naturally by the now the game was stretched and Boro were caught on the break after they had piled into the Forest box. Had it not been for a poor pass from Blackstock midway inside the Boro half, Adebola would have been left with an unchallenged run on goal.

It was the home side creating the chances now and after Tyson left Hoyte stranded with a clever backheel he had time to dart into the penalty area and pick out David McGoldrick, who saw a 16 yard drive deflected for a corner.

There was still time and Franks flew into the Forest penalty area and drilled over a low cross that just needed a touch, but none was forthcoming and Boro's last chance had gone.

Nottingham Forest: Smith; Gunter, Morgan, Chambers, Davies (Tyson 66), Anderson (McGoldrick 79), Majewski, McKenna (Capt), Cohen, Earnshaw (Adebola 79), Blackstock. Unused subs: Camp (gk); Garner, Fairclough, Mitchell.

Middlesbrough Coyne; Hoyte, Wheater, Huth (Capt), Taylor, Yeates, Williams, Arca (Bennett 105), A Johnson, Emnes (Lita 65), Aliadiere (Franks 83). Unused subs: Steele (gk); McMahon, Hines, Grounds.

Referee: Kevin Wright

Bookings

Nottingham Forest: Gunter, 74, ungentlemanly conduct.

Middlesbrough: None

Attendance: 8,838 (1,721 Boro)

Conditions: Warm and dry with no breeze.

Website Boro Man of the Match: At times an average team performance, but David Wheater won most things at the back.