Derry joins Forest on loan

Caretaker Nottingham Forest manager Mick Harford’s efforts to bolster his squad for the festive fixture programme have paid dividends with the arrival of Shaun Derry.

The Crystal Palace midfielder has joined Forest on a one-month loan and will go straight into the squad to meet West Ham in the Coca-Cola Championship at Upton Park on Boxing Day.

Derry began his career with Notts County before stints at Sheffield United and Portsmouth and then his £400,000 move to Selhurst Park in August 2002.

Harford said: “I’ve spent much of the last few days trying to get players in here, but we hadn’t been meeting with any success.

“That was due to the fact clubs didn’t want to release players at a busy time of the year and players didn’t want to leave their families.”