A goal from Henri Lansbury helped Nottingham Forest kick-start the new Championship season with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield.
The Reds had failed to score in five of their last six opening day games but, just like last season, when they beat Bristol City, a single goal was enough to secure three points.
James Vaughan twice came close to scoring for the visitors, but Billy Davies' side had done enough to deserve victory, albeit in a closely contested game.
The Reds included three of their new signings in the starting line-up, with Eric Lichaj and Jack Hobbs involved in a new look back four. While Jamie Mackie played up front alongside Matt Derbyshire up front, with Simon Cox in the hole.
Derbyshire's four pre-season goals had played him into Davies' thinking, while Karl Darlow was given the nod in goal ahead of another of the new arrivals, Dorus de Vries, in goal.
Forest suffered an early scare when Adlene Guedioura suffered a cut head in the first two minutes, with the Algerian international forced to leave the field for stitches.
The Reds, sensibly, kept possession for the two minutes that the midfielder was out of the action, giving Huddersfield no opportunity to profit from the extra man.
James Vaughan had a half-chance within 20 seconds of the game starting, but failed to muster power or direction in an awkward diving header.
Martin Paterson came rather closer for the visitors when he let fly with a driven shot from the edge of the box, which took a deflection off Hobbs that left Karl Darlow looking on nervously as it looped just over the bar.
Forest's first effort came as Simon Cox, playing at the head of a midfield diamond just behind Mackie and Derbyshire, had a shot charged down inside the box, following a probing move. While Guedioura sent a rising shot a few feet over the target, after being teed up by Andy Reid.
Henri Lansbury flashed a low cross across the face of the penalty area, which was well cleared by former Forest man Joel Lynch and, when Lichaj hit a cross from the opposite flank, with the outside of his right boot, it briefly threatened to sneak inside the far post, before flying wide.
Another Lansbury cross from the left, almost picked out Mackie six yards out in first half injury time. But it was a rare moment of menace as two well organised sides fought out a closely contested first period.
Darlow had to be alert in the first minute of the second half as Vaughan ghosted into the box and let fly with a powerful shot towards the near post, which the keeper did well to push away.
At the other end, Cox had a speculative shot from the edge of the box that was always well off target – but it was not long before Forest did take the lead.
Cohen swapped passes with Reid and surged into the box down the left hand channel, before luring the keeper Smithies off his line and squaring the ball for Lansbury to sweep into an unguarded net from close range.
Cox then had Smithies scrambling across goal as a low, bobbling shot from him bounced just wide. While former Forest man Joel Lynch collected a booking when he slid in with a late challenge on Cox.
Vaughan should have scored when he attacked a Paul Dixon cross from the left, only to send his header wide. While, when Hobbs flicked on a Reid free kick, Derbyshire was agonisingly close to getting the vital touch at the far post.
While Reid himself came close to giving Forest some comfort as he bent a cross-shot close to the far post in the 85th minute.
Forest: Darlow, Lichaj, Hobbs, Collins, Cohen, Guedioura, Mackie (Henderson 75), Lansbury, Reid, Cox (Paterson 68), Derbyshire (Miller 83). Subs: de Vries, Harding, Halford, Majewski.
Huddersfield: Smithies, Dixon, Clarke, Hunt, Lynch, Hogg, Scannell (Ward 59), Clayton, Gobern (Hammill 63), Paterson (Lopez 70), Vaughan. Subs: Bennett, Carroll, Gerrard, Norwood.
Referee: Graham Salisbury
