BORO’S record-breaking start to the season came to a juddering halt with a tired defeat at the City Ground.

After a 11 games unbeaten the Teessiders were second best all over the pitch. Boro had only won once at the City ground in 37 years and they never looked like ending that hoodoo.

Forest attacked from the off and with a much changed Boro looking creaky at the back they carved through with ease.

They went ahead in the first half with a well worked goal by Marcus Tudgay and capped it with a neat Lewis McGugan strike after the break.

But they could have had more as a scrappy and shapeless Boro failed to cope with a side who kicked off in the relegation zone.

Forest carved out the first chance on six minutes as sluggish Seb Hines was caught on the ball by Tudgay who drilled a 20 yard effort wide of the post.

Boro had a chance when Barry Robson played Marvin Emnes in the box, but as the striker miscontrolled and the ball ran out.

Forest were back on the attack on 17 minutes as a long ball over the top sent Ishmael Miller surging into the box, but Stephen McManus grappled with him all the way then Jason Steele was quickly off his line to dive in at to smother.

And on 20 minutes Forest won a free-kick 30 yards out and McGugan’s low effort took a nick as it squeezed through the wall and fizzed just wide.

Then, with the home side starting to carve Boro open with alarming ease, on 22 minutes Miller managed to wriggle behind the defence on the left but blazed his angled shot well over.

Forest’s pressure told as they took the lead on the half-hour with a well engineered goal. After Nicky Bailey made a 50/50 challenge in the middle the ball squirted free for McGugan to slot a ball down the left and Chris Gunter raced to the byline and squared for Marcus Tudgay to stab home from eight yards.

Forest almost had a second on 41 minutes when a corner dropped to Luke Chambers 10 yards out but his goalbound piledriver hit team-mate Miller and deflected over.

Then soon after McGugan got free down the right and curled a cross towards Miller at the far post but McManus stretched to just poke the ball away.

Just before the whistle Boro won a free-kick to the left of the box, but Robson’s effort curled straight into keeper Camp’s hands.

Mowbray introduced on-loan striker Alex Nimley for Bennett at the break to give Boro some extra punch up front