DANNY Collins spent a few hours this week selling tickets to Nottingham Forest fans – but he admits it is now time for the team to give them an extra incentive to turn up.

The Reds skipper put a shift in at the ticket office on Wednesday afternoon, to the surprise of a few supporters.

But he will return to his regular day job at the City Ground tomorrow, at the heart of the Forest defence.

And, as Sean O'Driscoll's side face up against strugglers Sheffield Wednesday, Collins says only victory will do.

While the last three games have produced good performances as well as bad, they have also failed to produce a win.

And, with the top six opening up a small gap between themselves and Forest, Collins warns that they must keep pace with the promotion pack.

"We have to get back to winning ways now. We have to stay with the pack," said Collins.

"We are only four points off the play-off places. But the only way we can get up there is to win a few games.

"We are not in a panic, because we have 30ish games left to play yet. We are in touching distance of the play-offs and we are still very much in with a shout.

"I always go back to Reading and where they were at Christmas. They were 15th or something like that, but went on to win the league after going on a really good run.

"We are capable, with the squad we have got, of going on a good run. We just need to find the consistency that has eluded us all season.

"I can only recall us winning two games back-to-back once this season. That is obviously something we need to address.

"That is what we have to look to do. Confidence can build from that and you can quickly find yourself in the top six as a result.

"We know we are capable, we just have to go out and do it."

Collins admits working behind a desk was not really his forte.

But he remains convinced that Forest do have the skill set to flourish in the Championship.

They proved as much against Middlesbrough, in their last home outing, when they should have emerged with three points, but could not make the breakthrough.

Collins does not gloss over the fact that the Reds were below par against Millwall and Leicester, either side of the Boro fixture, however.

"It is not quite to the point where we have a good game and then a bad one, but we cannot quite find that balance at the minute," said Collins.

"Credit to Boro, they wanted to play football, which let us play as well.

"We are a third of the way into the season now and we have had enough training sessions to know how to deal with teams who come to stop us playing.

"We have to look to get the better of teams when they come to do that, we have to get on top of the opposition and play our game, because we are the home side.

"We have to make sure we do that against Sheffield Wednesday.

"Against Boro, we wanted to bounce back after the Millwall result. We picked ourselves up and played some good stuff.

"We created some good chances in the first half and should have gone in a few goals ahead.

"And, while it was more stretched after the break, overall we were the better side and deserved three points.

"We knew it would be tough going to Leicester, but we went there wanting to collect three points.

"We had our heads down at half time when we were 2-1 down, but we had a few words and tried to dig ourselves out.

"There were a lot of stray passes and it got very scruffy, but credit to us for getting back into it."

The moment that got Forest back into the game was a controversial penalty awarded after Zak Whitbread had tackled Billy Sharp from behind in the second half.

Simon Cox calmly converted from the spot, leaving Foxes boss Nigel Pearson to launch into a remarkable rant, lambasting everyone from the referee to the television pundits on Sky.

But Collins does not feel Pearson had the right to feel quite as aggrieved as he made out.

"People have been asking whether it was a penalty or not," said Collins.

"I'd point out that we haven't had one for 14 months. I thought we should have had one against Boro, when Chris Cohen was pushed in the back by Andre Bikey. We didn't get that one. So we were due a decision going in our favour.

"I saw that the Leicester manager had been complaining a lot about it.

"But having seen the incident back again, while the lad did brush the ball, he has also gone in from behind.

"He came through the back of Billy to get the ball.

"Anywhere else on the pitch, nobody would have complained if the referee had given a free kick, so it has to be a penalty, doesn't it?

"Credit for the referee for standing strong. After it had happened, I spoke to (Leicester striker) Martyn Waghorn and we were debating whether it was a penalty or not.

"We honestly were not too sure. But Billy was adamant after the game, he was certain that he had come through the back of him. If you look back, he did it a couple of times on the edge of the box, during the game.

"Credit to the referee for making the decision.

"We were fortunate to come away with a point, but we will take it and we will try to build on it now.

"It is a big game for us on Saturday. We have not won in a few games now and we want to bring an end to that run."

For Forest tomorrow, three points would be just the ticket.

ANYONE who thinks Carl Froch is in for an easy night at the Capital FM Arena against Yusaf Mack tonight doesn't know anything about boxing.

Mack, who is dropping down from light-heavyweight, doesn't bring a title to the table. He doesn't even boast an unbeaten record and has lost to Glen Johnson who Froch handled comfortably in America.

But Mack has only lost to quality opposition and is the epitome of a hungry fighter.

He has come up the hard way on the tough streets of Philadelphia.

His brother was killed by a mugger, his father drank himself into an early grave and seven of his mates were shot dead.

Mack, who became a father for the first time at the age of 14, has to put food on the table for nine children back home.

Taking the world title back to America would change his life dramatically. It is one hell of an incentive.

"I ain't coming to lie down," insists Mack, who doesn't fear fighting in front of Froch's home-town fans.

"The fire that comes from his fans will fuel my fire."

Mack is a man of few words, but the inference is that he is willing to die in the ring to get his hands on Froch's belt.

The Froch camp apparently thought long and hard before taking the Mack fight.

The Cobra is due a mandatory title defence against No.1 contender Adonis Stevenson, but that will have to wait, as will the anticipated returns against Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward.

Unfortunately for Mack, he is meeting Froch at the peak of his powers.

He has trained meticulously for this one . . . as usual. No stone will be left unturned by top trainer Robert McCracken . . . as usual.

"As a champion you cannot let your guard down for a second," says Froch. " I have prepared hard for this fight, as I did in my previous eight world title fights.

"If I come unstuck in this fight, everything I have achieved in the last few years will be wasted.

"This guy is dangerous and he wants to shock the boxing world by taking my belt, in my home-town.

"He will be bringing light-heavyweight power down to super-middle but I am convinced he will not be able to match me for heart, punching power, desire and skill."

Froch, learning from past experience, is careful not to predict a round for the punters, in case he gets in trouble with the authorities.

But look for him to turn up the power around round five (if Mack is still in there) and go for the early stoppage that he has promised the fans.

The undercard is headed by Froch's sparring partner, Tony Bellew, who meets Roberto Feliciano Bolonti for the vacant WNC silver light-heavyweight title.

Former Phoenix amateur Leigh Wood has his fifth pro fight against experienced Welshman Dai Davies, while more local interest is supplied by Tyan Booth v Ryan Aston.

It will be a good learning fight for confident Wood, who will have over 400 fans shouting him on.

Nottingham-born Booth, who has only been in action once since 2009, faces a tricky opponent in Aston.

Aston had an impressive stoppage on the last Froch bill, but then lost his unbeaten record when he was stopped in two by another Nottingham boxer, big-punching Curtis Valentine.

The big question is: How will Aston react to that?

The rest of the undercard showcases unbeaten prospect Khalid Yafai, who should be too strong for Italian Pio Antonio Nettuno in the first televised action, while light-welterweight prospect Scott Cardle takes on Joe Elfidh. The action starts at 5.45pm with Konrad Dabrowski v Kristian Laight.

Other fights on card: Kerry Hope v Norbert Szekeres, Callum Smith v James Tucker; Martin Joseph Ward v Dan Carr.

ENVIRONMENTAL health officers found a shopping trolley full of dog muck when they went to investigate complaints about smells in a garden.

Simon Grant, of Chichester Close, Top Valley, let his back garden become so full of faeces that neighbours could smell it several metres away.

He was served with environmental health notices to clean up the mess, but ignored them.

Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard professionals were twice called in to clean up the yard at a cost of more than £860.

Grant, 28, was found guilty in his absence by magistrates of five charges of failing to comply with an Environmental Protection Act notice served on him on February 21, March 22, April 17, May 12, May 22, and June 2.

The court heard Grant was first served with an Environmental Protection Act notice on September 24, 2010.

After ignoring requests to clean up the back yard, environment health carried out the clean up on January 25, 2011, and billed Grant £137.66.

Lorraine Raynor, head of Trading Standards & Environmental Health for Community Protection, said: "Since January 2011, circumstances with the property changed several times.

"The dogs vanished, then they returned. A couple of occasions the waste was cleaned up but overall the situation was dire.

"Mr Grant allegedly lived most of the time with his girlfriend, leaving the dogs in the rear of the property free to roam in and out of a concrete outbuilding."

Environmental health officers were granted a warrant to enter Grant's back garden to clean up the area.

Ms Raynor said: "During this clean up, the team found a significant amount of waste, including a shopping trolley full of rubbish and faeces."

The second clean-up cost £737.92 and has yet to be paid. Nottingham City Council is in the process of trying to recover the money.

Grant was found guilty of the breaches at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on October 31. He was fined £600, and ordered to pay £860.88 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Community Protection Officer Emma Purdy worked on the case after receiving complaints from residents.

She said: "There was general frustration among neighbours not being able to sit out in their back gardens in summer because of the smell.

"There were numerous other complaints from mums saying it was unsafe for their kids to walk down an alleyway next to the garden as it was also covered in dog faeces."

Councillor Alex Norris, Nottingham City Council's portfolio holder for community safety, said: "This individual was given numerous opportunities to clean up and ignored them.

"Dog fouling is seen as a significant issue for many of our citizens and we are committed to tackling the situation. Mr Grant and his property will continue to be monitored."

Anyone with an issue with dog fouling can report it by calling 0115 9152020.

A TALENT show, a sponsored swim and eating a tin of cat food were among the fundraising antics of Children in Need supporters in Notts.

Staff at Netherfield's DW Sports Fitness club swam a total distance of 106 miles from 6am until 10pm yesterday. The length is the same as the distance from the DW Sports Nottingham to DW Sports Wigan – the group's head office.

A total of 23 team members at the club in the Victoria Retail Park, off Victoria Park Way, were taking part in the swimathon including club manager Debbie Gallagher. She swam for seven hours and ten minutes to complete ten miles.

The club's initial fund-raising target was £300, but this was put up to £1,000 after £300 had already been received in sponsorship by yesterday.

More than £500 was raised at Arno Vale Junior School, in Saville Road, Woodthorpe, where pupils took part in a talent show. Performances included singing, dancing and a Mr Bean impersonation – which was the winning act by eight-year-old Kian Payadar, of Woodthorpe.

School council co-ordinator Hayley Webster, who has been leading the initiative, said: "It has been a lovely day." Mike Gregory at business development company Severn Trent Searches, in Hounds Gate, raised £120 by eating a tin of cat food.

A team of 10 people from technical services company Imtech G&H, in Hooton Street, took part in a relay run from Leeds to Nottingham. They set off from their offices in Leeds at midnight on Thursday and arrived in Nottingham, 71 miles later, just after 10am.

They split the run into 10 parts, running a leg of the journey each – but they all ran the last mile together.

Two members of staff from the Wheelhouse pub in Wollaton spent yesterday driving around as many Hungry Horse pubs as possible in under 12 hours, asking each pub manager to donate at least £10 at each stop.

Sean Stone and Martin Paterson drove around in a car donated by Vauxhall dealer, Evans Halshaw in Chilwell, for the day.

Over at Hobbycraft in Lady Bay Retail Park, children made Pudsey Bear cookies with local children's cookery expert Gerry Carnel, which were auctioned off to help raise cash.

And Experian, one of Nottingham's biggest employers, raised £2,000 by putting on activities including cake sales, a Wii games competition and casual dress.

Gedling Borough Councillors and senior leadership team members raised £170 by staging a car wash on Tuesday at Arnot Hill Bowling Green car park.

RECESSION and older cars on the roads are helping to prevent air pollution levels in Nottingham from falling enough to meet legal standards, it is claimed.

Although the EU has given the city until January 2015 to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels to legal limits, officials fear that the targets may not be reached in time. The city could be fined if that is the case.

Canning Circus, Upper Parliament Street, Shakespeare Street and Queen's Road have been highlighted as the city's most polluted roads.

Richard Taylor, noise and pollution control team leader at Nottingham City Council, said air pollution levels across the country were not falling as fast as expected because the Government had overestimated the take-up of cleaner vehicles such as electric cars.

Recession was also having an impact because it meant fewer motorists could afford to buy newer vehicles with less polluting engines.

"A lot of people are not able to change their vehicles as regularly as they were doing in the past," said Mr Taylor. "People are not buying electric vehicles as expected and more people are driving vehicles with diesel engines, which emit more NO2 than petrol engines."

It is expected another problem will be the widening of the A453, because it should bring more traffic into the city via the ring road – which goes past the A6005 Beeston Road in Dunkirk, an area that is in one of the city's two Air Quality Management Areas due to its high NO2 levels.

Additional traffic fumes in an area suffering high pollution could make it difficult for officials to work out whether the new NET tram line will improve air quality, as the council claims it will do.

"People will be driving their diesel vehicles from the A453 on to the A52 ring road, which goes through Dunkirk and up to the A60," said Mr Taylor. "Any increase in traffic may confuse monitoring results."

Nigel Lee, of Nottingham Friends of the Earth, said: "Traffic in Nottingham seems to be getting worse, not better. The pollution comes from buses and lorries as well as cars, though a lot of the problem is made worse by congestion. We need more people cycling to work. That is where investment needs to go, not into roads like the A453, designed to bring more traffic into the city, causing more congestion and more pollution."

NO2 is a major traffic fume pollutant that causes respiration problems and can worsen bronchitis in children who suffer from asthma. A study published by the journal Environmental Science and Technology earlier this year suggested more people in the UK died as a result of traffic fumes than were killed in road accidents.

In 2010 Nottingham was one of eight urban areas in England to be granted a time extension to bring NO2 levels under control. It gives the city until January 2015 to bring NO2 down to the EU's maximum permitted level of 40 micrograms of NO2 per cubic metre (m3) of air.

The latest figures show that 13 monitored sites exceeded that level last year. The most polluted areas were Canning Terrace and Upper Parliament Street, which both had mean annual readings of 51 mg/m3. The next highest levels, of 47 mg/m3, were Shakespeare Street and Queen's Road.

Nottingham's latest NO2 figures, for 2012, will be published in February 2013 but are not expected to show any significant changes. The fine levied against the city if it still breaches pollution limits by 2015 is unknown. Nottingham is not alone in facing air pollution and it would be the UK as a whole which would be hit by a penalty from the EU.

A spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the Government would decide how much cities breaching limits should pay towards the fine.

Do you think older cars are the problem? Call newsdesk on 0115 9482000 or e-mail newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

A SHOPKEEPER who sold dangerous fake vodka has been banned from selling booze and fined almost £3,000.

Chetan Patel was caught selling the illegal vodka in his Premier Stores shop in Tanners Walk at the Broadmarsh Centre.

When Trading Standards officers tested it they found that some of it had higher alcohol levels than displayed on the bottle.

It also contained dangerously high levels of methanol – 27 times higher than the maximum recommended limit.

Jane Bailey, Trading Standards manager, said: "It was so contaminated that it was unfit for human consumption."

That vodka was discovered on October 19 last year after Trading Standards were tipped off by Sharon Gayle, of Long Eaton, who became ill after drinking it.

When the shop was visited again just weeks later, Trading Standards officers seized yet more illegal vodka.

Among the goods seized by Trading Standards officers during their visits were:

Six bottles of Arctic Ice vodka – which was found to contain 27 times the permitted level of methanol and had an alcohol content of 51 per cent, even though the label stated it was 37.5 per cent.

Two, one-litre bottles of Russian Standard Vodka – which was later found to contain 18 times the normal level of methanol.

Patel, 36, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates Court on October 31 this year, where he pleaded guilty to offences under the General Food Regulations Act and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Act. Patel was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £2,876.

In a separate action, Trading Standards applied for the store's alcohol licence to be reviewed.

At a hearing on October 24 this year, the city council's licensing panel revoked the licence.

Ms Gayle said: "You don't go in an everyday shop like that and expect to be sold dangerous goods."

She suffered sickness and dizzy spells for several days after drinking the vodka, and says her health is still affected.

"I get headaches every day and have to take medication all the time," she said.

Councillor Alex Norris, the city council's portfolio holder for community safety said: "We're really pleased with the level of fine imposed and also the decision of the licensing panel to revoke the licence. We take the health of our citizens very seriously and Community Protection's Trading Standards officers carry out regular test purchase operations to ensure that the city's off-licences are operating within the law."

Following the case, the city's Community Protection team is urging people to ensure they look out for potentially dangerous alcohol by following a few simple tips:

Look at the price. Don't be tempted by something that is too cheap.

Always buy recognised brands.

Look for spelling mistakes or poor quality labelling.

Have you seen fake booze on sale in shop in Notts? Call our newsdesk on 0115 905 1967 or email newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

A FORMER police officer has been jailed for two years for having sex with victims of crime that he met through his work.

Simon Jones, 32, admitted having a sexual relationship with two vulnerable crime victims, and having sex while on duty.

He was jailed yesterday following a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office.

Jones, who moved to South Wales after being dismissed by Notts police, had worked as a police constable and was based in Worksop.

Detective Superintendent Jackie Alexander, head of the Force's Professional Standards Directorate, said: "Jones should have been there to protect vulnerable people and uphold the law, not take advantage of their situation for his own sexual gratification."

"I hope that the sentencing shows how seriously the Force deals with behaviour of this nature and that no one is above the law."

A SENIOR councillor has walked free from court after being cleared of benefit fraud.

Councillor Milan Radulovic, who has been Labour leader of Broxtowe Borough Council since the last elections in May, was charged with receiving an overpayment of £45,511 from the Department for Work and Pensions.

He has been found not guilty.

As the prosecution was no longer prepared to offer any evidence to support the charge, an automatic not guilty verdict was given.

The Post said in January that the overpayment related to his expenses as a councillor.

He had been charged under the Social Security Administration Act for "having made a false statement or representation" relating to an incapacity benefit claim form.

This was claimed to have happened in or around May 29, 1997, in Eastwood.

Speaking at the time, Mr Radulovic said: "I am refuting all this.

"I'm contesting everything.

"I've never been given the chance to answer the allegations, it's gone straight to court.

"I shall counter-sue for damages.

"This is unfair. I haven't done anything wrong."

In a brief hearing at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday, the case against Mr Radulovic was discontinued.

At previous hearings, the court has heard that Mr Radulovic had to provide evidence of expenses he claimed over the past 13 years.

The judge said the Department for Work and Pensions. had treated this as "ordinary income" when this was not the case.

Benjamin Close, for the prosecution, said: "The prosecution are offering no evidence in this case as there is no realistic possibility of a conviction."

Judge Michael Stokes, QC, said: "You (Mr Radulovic) leave the court room with no stain on your character."

Speaking outside the court, Mr Radulovic, of Cross Street, Eastwood, said: "I'm relieved that I have been vindicated and that the judge said there is no stain on my character.

"Now I can finally get on with the task of leading the council and representing the people of Eastwood.

"It has been a hard few months and difficult to deal with, but it can be put behind us now."

Mr Radulovic went to Brookhill Leys Junior School, Eastwood Secondary Modern and People's College of Further Education and worked as a sub-contractor on oil rigs in the North Sea.

He was first elected to Broxtowe Borough Council in 1986, became leader of the opposition at Broxtowe in 1991 and finally leader of the council in 1995.

He said he is still considering whether to pursue a claim for damages.

NOTTS' first Police and Crime Commissioner promised to recruit 150 police officers over the next four years after being elected last night.

Labour candidate Paddy Tipping missed out on clinching the victory at the first stage of yesterday's count after getting 42 per cent of the vote, when 50 per cent was needed to win in the first round.

Independent candidate and retired police officer Malcolm Spencer took him to a second stage of counting after achieving 22 per cent, ahead of Conservative Tony Roberts who secured 19 per cent of the vote, and independent candidate Raj Chandran came last with 14 per cent.

Under the supplementary vote system, all candidates apart from those in the first and second place were then eliminated. Any second preference votes for the two remaining candidates were added to their first preference votes to establish the winner.

In the second round, Mr Tipping gained 8,563 and Mr Spencer 22,526 votes. This left Mr Tipping with a final total of 65,919 and Mr Spencer with 52,789.

Mr Tipping was declared the winner at 5.15pm at Nottingham Tennis Centre and immediately hit out at the Government's planning of the election.

He said: "It's a crazy time to hold an election in the autumn and I'm really disappointed with the Electoral Commission's booklet [which was posted to households] because it contained no information about the candidates."

He added: "I'm going to recruit an extra 150 police officers, plus 100 new PCSOs and try to redirect resources to neighbourhood policing."

On massive Government cuts to the Notts Police budget, he added: "It's going to be hard but I am clear in my own mind that these are cuts that are too quick and too deep."

He added he would review how much the force spends on paying senior officers to try and save cash.

Mr Spencer said: "I think I've done something for the independent movement in that I proved you can take politicians on at their own game.

"I promised to keep politics out of policing and I will keep my eye on Mr Tipping to make sure that happens."

In his new role, Mr Tipping will be in charge of deciding crime-fighting priorities for police, setting the force's budgets and scrutinising its performance.

Commissioners were elected in 41 areas of England and Wales yesterdayas part of a Government reform which scrapped police authorities.

Whitehall said the change will give the public more of a say in how police are run, but critics say its is too costly and has been poorly publicised.

Mr Tipping will be make a declaration of acceptance at the Galleries of Justice on Tuesday and his first official day at work will be Thursday.

He will be supported by a police and crime panel made up of representatives from the district, borough and Nottingham City councils, plus independent members.

Councillor John Clarke, leader of Gedling Borough Council, has already been appointed chairman of the panel, which will also scrutinise the commissioner.

The election was marred by a record low turnout for a vote in Notts.

Across the city and county only 16.77 per cent of people able to vote took part in Thursday's poll – less than one in six and less than voted in May's mayoral referendum in the city, which attracted 23.9 per cent of voters.

The area with the lowest turnout was Mansfield with just 13.47 per cent.

Rushcliffe was the highest with 22.35 per cent.

Tony Roberts said: "I feel disappointed, there might be a bit of a bruised ego but I'm not entirely surprised. It's representative of the Government not being entirely popular at the moment and it's been difficult to get the message across the county."

Mr Chandran said: "I think the low turnout is the reason why Paddy has won."

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A HEAD teacher has moved to reassure parents after police said they were hunting a serial flasher in Kimberley.

Notts Police said on Thursday four cases of men exposing themselves in the area are being investigated.

Last month, a man flashed at pupils outside Kimberley School.

Officers are linking three later incidents, and issued warnings to parents. Kimberley School headteacher Chris Teal said: "We've not been advised by police that our children are in any danger.''

On Thursday, October 12, outside the school, a man believed to be drunk exposed himself to children after asking them to fight him.

Police initially said this incident had happened on Monday but later corrected the date.

Officers said another incident happened at 6pm on Friday, October 19, in Knowles Park, Swingate, when a man exposed himself to a group of girls.

Then at about 8.30am on Monday a man exposed himself to four 12-year-old girls in Hardy Close. At just before 8pm on Tuesday a man exposed himself to a woman jogger in Eastwood Road.

Police are linking the last three incidents, in which the man was described as fair skinned, either white or mixed race.

Mr Teal added the school had not been aware of the incidents on October 19 and Tuesday until yesterday and had since decided to make an announcement in school warning pupils to take care.

A BOY of 15 has been locked up indefinitely after he attempted to "degrade and humiliate" a pensioner by raping and sexually assaulting him.

Ben O'Neill had taken the party drug MCat, also known as 'meow meow' and 'bubble', before he picked on a 65-year-old man in Mansfield.

O'Neill was carrying a bottle of vodka as he walked up to the man, who cannot be identified, and told him they were "going to have some fun together".

The man was "manhandled" into a field and was unable to resist what was happening because of a disability, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

The boy told the terrified man he was going to have sex with him, forced him to the floor and hit him in the face.

During a terrifying ten-minute ordeal, the boy performed a form of rape, tried to rape him and subjected him to a serious sexual assault before leaving him in the field.

Afterwards, O'Neill turned up at he home of some school friends, drinking from a bottle of alcohol, and effectively "took over", using their laptop and leaving the house with it.

Judge John Milmo, QC, told O'Neill he would serve a minimum of three-and-a-half years before he can apply for parole.

He is subject to detention for public protection, subjecting him to a life on prison licence if he is ever suitable for release.

Judge Milmo said he was satisfied the offences represented a "deliberate attempt to degrade and humiliate" the man.

O'Neill will be required to sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely after his release from custody.

The day before the horrific sex attacks on the pensioner in August, the teenager, of Beck Crescent, Mansfield, had been involved in robbing a 24-year-old man next to Mansfield Woodhouse Railway Station.

The victim had been walking alone at 9.15pm, when he saw a group of 20 youths shouting and laughing.

O'Neill and a second man then broke away and attacked him.

O'Neill grabbed him in a bear hug and the other man inflicted the violence, hitting him on the head with a bottle and leaving him unconscious, the court heard.

The following day, at 6.30am, O'Neill stole a bottle of vodka from a supermarket in order to sell to buy MCat.

An hour-and-a-half later he attacked the pensioner. He admitted robbery, two thefts – the vodka and laptop – rape, attempted rape and the serious sexual assault.

THE job description remains the same, but Sean O'Driscoll may admit to finding himself in unfamiliar territory at Nottingham Forest.

On the pitch, the challenges of honing a successful side are no different to those he faced at Doncaster Rovers.

But, in every other sense, the Reds boss is treading new ground.

With the south Yorkshire club, every penny counted. Contract negotiations were simple – Rovers would offer what they could afford and that was that.

There was little room for manoeuvre; little wriggle room.

In a few weeks time, O'Driscoll will meet with the Al Hasawi family to discuss the blueprint for the future at Nottingham Forest, in terms of the players they have got and those they want.

The Kuwaiti owners have backed the manager thoroughly so far, enabling him to bring the likes of Simon Cox, Danny Collins, Adlene Guedioura and Henri Lansbury to the club permanently, while signing players such as Billy Sharp, Daniel Ayala and Jermaine Jenas on loan.

They have also backed his judgment when it comes to several more high profile players that Forest might have signed – but O'Driscoll felt might not fit into the sense of harmony and unity the club, under the manager's guidance, have engineered in the dressing room.

With the January transfer window approaching and with seven players out of contract in the summer – including some key names – there are more big decisions approaching on the horizon.

And O'Driscoll says the club must decide what course they wish to take, as they look to plot a path to the Premier League.

If past evidence is anything to go by, the stance is unlikely to be as frugal as he was used to at Doncaster or Bournemouth.

"The club has to decide what direction it wants to go in," said O'Driscoll, when asked about the future of the likes of Lee Camp, Lewis McGugan, Dexter Blackstock, Radi Majewski, Andy Reid, Brendan Moloney and Marcus Tudgay.

"I can give recommendations, but that is something for the owners and the club to decide.

"It is an important decision as well.

"If you have the finance, you can fast track things, you can take a risk. You can do that.

"Or you can build the club in a sensible manner. There is no wrong or right. You just need to know which, so you can move things on.

"For the players who are out of contract – I have been in that situation as a player – there is uncertainty.

"If you are not going to get signed, you move on and deal with the situation. If you are going to get signed up, you sit down and you talk about it.

"We are just in that period where the crucial decisions have not been made. There are a few meetings coming up in the next two or three weeks.

"The sooner we can clarify what is going on, the better."

O'Driscoll says he would like to see Forest's out-of-contract players persuaded to sign new deals.

And, in the meantime, he says he hopes they can remain focused on the task in hand.

"Yes, I would like to see them stay. They are all good players," he said.

"And, when you look at your squad, it is OK saying you can lose player X – but only if you feel you can replace him.

"It is who you replace him with that matters... can you get somebody who is better?

"For most football clubs, the idea is to let a player go and replace him with somebody better, who also costs you less.

"If you can get that scenario going, you are on the right track – but it is also an unbelievably difficult thing to do.

"You can lose one player and find it costs you three times as much to replace him with a player who is not as good. It can work both ways."

It is here that O'Driscoll insists there is little difference between his challenge at Doncaster and the one he faces now, even if the figures involved may be slightly different.

"Recruitment is a massive, massive part of football, regardless of what level you are at," he said.

"Whether you are a small club scrambling around or a big club with millions to spend, you have to make sure you have the right players for you at that particular time.

"Regardless of if you have three- to five-year plans, this is a week-to-week business.

"If it fits in with what you are doing now, in the short term and what you want to achieve further on, then you are doing well."

Last summer, Forest saw Luke Chambers, Garath McCleary and Joel Lynch leave the club for nothing, when their contracts expired.

But that was at a stage when the club's own future was uncertain, with the Al Hasawi takeover still far from completed.

Now, with a promotion challenge – rather than a relegation fight – being the ambition for the future, the mood feels rather different.

Forest, you might imagine, should find it easier to persuade players to put pen to paper.

"They are good players and they will have opportunities," said O'Driscoll. "There are not many players who stay at clubs because it is 'their club'.

"We have an opportunity. We have to think about where we pitch what we want to do.

"We have to make sure that we do not do one thing one minute and another the next, because we will get a mish-mash of players and we will send out mixed messages.

"We have to make sure we are consistent. We have to sit down and talk. We have to have a view about where we are and what we want to do.

"You don't all have to agree, as long as you all pull in the same direction after you make a decision.

"The sooner that happens, the better for everyone, for the players and for the club.

"Once that happens, we can move things forward."

Under O'Driscoll, Forest have already taken some big steps, as he rebuilt a squad that had been decimated by players leaving because they were allowed to slip out of contract.

In the coming weeks, between now and the end of January, we will find out how big their next strides will be, as they look to build the momentum they hope will carry them into the top flight.

DID somebody say that Yusaf Mack was a bum? I hope not. He is most certainly not a bum: Carl Froch never fights bums.

This is the 15th fight of his career at the Arena, which has had a few names over the years.

The best fight at the venue was arguably the first world title fight, a pulsating win over Jean Pascal, who was unbeaten and the favourite.

However, it's possible that his first title fight at the Arena was the hardest.

Froch won the Commonwealth super-middleweight title beating Ghana's Charles Adamu. There was not a lot in the fight until Froch dropped him in round eight.

Froch has a nasty habit of finding something late in a fight to turn it round.

The Arena has had five names by my calculations since Froch first fought there in 2003.

The fans have also changed and changed dramatically. At first the 'house' was poor, quiet and almost hesitant in their applause.

It all changed when Damon Hague came up from Derby and was done quickly in a British title fight. By the way, there was no trouble.

Froch now has fanatical followers and they love their boxing.

Froch in his last 14 appearances here, and during his long mission on the road fighting the very best, has created arguably boxing's most knowledgeable fans.

One or two were forced to pawn their Grannies to make sure they shared the delights of Helsinki, Herning and Atlantic City on fight night.

Froch is the most old-school of old-school champions with fight after fight against leading contenders and champions.

He delivers and that is why the 'Nottingham FM Trent Ice Capital Arena' will be sold out once again.