Usually such a dismal performance would be accompanied by a day-long downpour but this time the only people getting wet would have been right at the end of the queue at Witton station or parked a long way away. It wasn’t much of a consolation.

The team showed that the new arrivals are gradually being integrated, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back and the welcome sight of Johan Manzambi on the bench. Villa even started off brightly, with Victor Lindelof hitting the post and having a second attempt saved.

Pau Torres went off injured and the half-time whistle came with little further action to speak off. Nicolas Jackson, booked on the stroke of half-time, was replaced by Tammy Abraham presumably to prevent him getting another yellow, and Abraham’s contribution sadly summed up Villa after the break.

Forest scored early on, Villa did well to equalise through Alysson, another half-time arrival. But just when it looked as though they were getting on top Ian Maatsen went down after being assaulted and with all their subs used up, Villa were down to ten men.

Other clubs in such circumstances usually manage to raise their game, particularly against us. Villa, though, invariably all apart and so it proved again. Forest’s winner had an air of inevitability about it.

It was a doubly disappointing result because Villa had been improving since the opening game debacle and now seem back to square one, with the added disadvantage of two more injuries. Because it’s Villa, Torres is bound to be out for some time while Unai was already pessimistic about Maatsen’s absence immediately after the match.

There was naturally talk of Forest manager Oliver Glasner continuing his good run against Unai, although the result was more a continuation of an even lengthier poor sequence – for as long as I can remember Villa have struggled against inferior but niggly with the ability to have the game played to their strengths.

With the connivance of a referee incapable of clamping down or seeing what was a blatant red card, Forest’s win was the latest in a long line of such frustrations.

There were a couple of consolations, namely the second half displays of Alysson, Manzambi and Ibrahim Mbaye, all of whom looked as though they’ll be causing defenders plenty of trouble before long. But these were in effect cancelled out by the continued disappointment from players who should be playing a leading part in such a transitional season.

Emiliano Buendia has so far only shown flashes of his true ability. Boubacar Kamara still isn’t the player he was before injury while it might be bordering on sacrilege, but John McGinn is currently a long way from Super.