The week that was - 3rd October 1998. Nottingham Forest 0 Charlton Athletic 1

Saturday 3rd October 1998. Premier League. City Ground Nottingham Forest (0) 0 Charlton Athletic (1) 1 (Youds 5) Att: 22,661

Nottingham Forest: Beasant, Louis-Jean, Rogers, Quashie (Hjelde 58), Chettle, Stone, Shipperley, Johnson, Bart-Williams (Hodges 82), Freedman, Armstrong. Unused subs: Crossley, Darcheville, Gray.
Charlton Athletic: Ilic, Mills, Powell, Redfearn (Brown 89), Rufus, Youds, Kinsella, Hunt (S Jones 79), Mendonca, Mortimer (K Jones 72), Tiler. Unused subs: Konchesky, Petterson.

Referee: P. Jones (Loughborough)
Booked: Tiler, Mills, Powell.

Sasa Ilic could not have chosen a better moment to rediscover his form.

Yugoslavia's new coach Milan Zivadinovic was at the City Ground and saw a display of poise and agility which will earn Charlton's goalkeeper his first cap against the Republic of Ireland in Belgrade this Saturday.

The injury caused Ilic to hobble through a second half during which he twice dived to his left to fingertip away low drives from Forest defender Steve Chettle.

Ilic said: 'I twisted my foot in the first half. I wanted to try my hardest but the second half felt like 250 minutes. It's swollen at the moment but I've been told by the coach that I have to be ready for Tuesday. He said he is counting on me and this is a really big chance. Charlton pay my wages so they are my priority. It was frustrating that we kept creating chances and didn't put them away but the pain was worth it.'

Ilic should not have been called upon to perform his heroics and preserve Charlton's first away win in the Premiership. Alan Curbishley's side ought to have wrapped up the points by half-time.

They took the lead after five minutes when Forest, whose defence demonstrated a worrying uncertainty throughout, dallied and allowed Eddie Youds to send the ball low, via the leg of Clive Mendonca, past the unsighted Dave Beasant.