AN Ohio resident has had his final wish rejected, after the Cleveland Browns American Football team declined his request that they be pallbearers at his funeral.
Scott Entsmingerhoped that six of the team's players would carry him to his final resting place so that the Browns could 'let him down one last time'.
There are plenty of sports fans around the world who will empathise only too readily with Entsminger, who had been a child when the Cleveland side last recorded a Superbowl success, in 1964.
In Nottingham, Forest fans only have to go back to 1980 to recall the day their side last won the biggest competition in club football – the European Cup. But such glory days are still fading from memory. There are still a generation of fans who are yet to see the Reds ply their trade in the top flight, with 14 years now having passed since Forest last enjoyed Premier League football.
It has also been some time, however, since such a mood of optimism prevailed around the City Ground, as the new season approaches. With ambitious owners and a familiar face, in the form of Billy Davies, in charge, Forest fans are daring to hope; to dream that there could be good times on the horizon.
There is still work to be done off the pitch, as well as on it, as Davies attempts to add a few more faces to the equation, as well as fine tuning the players he already has.
And, while the Scotsman was not there to witness the latest pre-season outing for his side, with the manager still engaged in meetings with the Al Hasawi family in Kuwait, he can still allow himself to feel that things are probably ticking along pretty nicely.
On Saturday, there was probably also a certain sense of empathy between the two protagonists on the banks of the River Trent, as Forest took on a Royal Antwerp side who now ply their trade in the second tier of their national league.
Guided by a familiar face, in the form of ex-Forest coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Antwerp will be looking to win promotion back into the top flight this season.
It was fitting then, that an entertaining, absorbing encounter ended in a 2-2 draw. More than 1,000 Belgian fans certainly enjoyed their European adventure, as they staged a noisy party in the Lower Bridgford Stand.
But this was a day when the supporters of both sides had plenty to cheer about. In Forest's case, there was the continued, unexpected but unquestionably welcome resurgence of a player, in Matt Derbyshire, who had been regarded by many as a spent force at the club, as well as a spectacular strike from a player who is only just beginning his City Ground career.
For Antwerp, there was one of the best goals to have graced the famous stadium in recent times, as Roy Bakkenes swept a simply unstoppable 20-yard shot that curled gracefully into the bottom corner of the net.
But Jamie Paterson responded with a goal of equal quality, turning nimbly a few yards outside the Antwerp box to elude one marker, before escaping the attentions of the rest of the back four by simply knocking the ball through the centre and following it through with a surge of pace, before slotting a calm finish beyond the advancing keeper.
A quick internet search will take you to a highlights reel of goals scored by the young forward or winger for Walsall, many of which have a similar feel to his strike on Saturday.
If he can reproduce such moments on a regular basis in the Championship, then Forest could have a good signing on their hands.
Forest fans also had the chance to take a first look at Jack Hobbs, who arrived from Hull last week, although the defender was substituted at half time.
At that stage, Forest were 1-0 up after the lively Derbyshire had given them the lead from the penalty spot, confidently sending a low shot to the keeper's right after Andy Reid had been clumsily brought down by Jonas de Roeck.
Emrullah Guvenc twice came close, with Karl Darlow making a strong save to deny him from the edge of the box, before the Antwerp man saw another driven effort rise narrowly over the bar. John Bostock also fizzed a free kick narrowly wide of the post.
But, otherwise, it was Forest who were marginally the better side in the first half, with Derbyshire and Henri Lansbury both forcing saves from Bjorn Sengier and Derbyshire seeing a header cruelly bounce away off the bar when he had beaten the keeper for a second time.
Hobbs and the rest of the Forest defence had not had too much to concern themselves with, as the visitors struggled to build momentum. It was a different story after the break, however, with Jordan Faucher keeping his composure to fire the Belgian side level, before Bakkenes and then Paterson provided the game's two real moments of outstanding quality.
Forest were without Ishmael Miller and Simon Cox, who are both believed to be injured and Adlene Guedioura, who is understood to be attracting the attention of more than one Premier League club.
And there could be more new additions before Forest kick off the new season against Huddersfield, with Grant Leadbitter, Wes Morgan, Kelvin Wilson, Charlie Austin, Jamie Mackie, Egyptian wonder-kid Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet and Olympiakos winger Djamel Abdoun all still on the Forest radar.
What happens between now and the end of the transfer window will still have a significant say in the outcome to the coming campaign.
But, while they may have suffered more than a decade of frustration, unlike the unfortunate fan in Ohio, the supporters of Forest may soon have the opportunity to see their club take a big step towards the return of their glory days.
Forest: Darlow, Lichaj (Cohen 72), Collins (Lascelles 73), Hobbs (Halford 45), Harding, Greening (Gillett 62), Majewski (McLaughlin 77), Lansbury (Paterson 72), Reid (Moussi 62), Henderson (Blackstock 62), Derbyshire. Sub: de Vries.
Antwerp: Sengier, Marzo (Iboma 60), de Roeck, Diakite, Vansteenkiste, de Decker, Kil (Bakkenes 45), Bostock, van Tronhout (Faucher 45), Guvenc, Tano. Subs: Nirisarike, Kil, Mombongo-Dues, Carvalho, Brondeel.
![Derbyshire shows he still has a lot to offer]( "Derbyshire shows he still has a lot to offer")
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