Sheffield U 3 Notts F 1: Blades’ vigour and verve is deservedly rewarded

Twenty five years on from Brian dispatching his own form of summary justice towards Nottingham Forest fans celebrating a famous win on the City Ground turf, son Nigel was a much calmer figure on the touchline as his Blades side once again upset the odds in the FA Cup.

A late double from Chris Porter shattered Forest’s 16-game unbeaten run to set up a potential Steel City derby in the quarter-finals – a mouth-watering prospect, not least because the winner will be guaranteed a trip to Wembley.

No wonder, therefore, that exuberance got the better of several hundred Blades fans at the final whistle as they celebrated a 
famous win by invading the Bramall Lane pitch.

“No, I couldn’t catch any of them – they were too quick for me,” was Nigel Clough’s response to a post-match enquiry as to whether he had been tempted to follow his father’s lead of 1989, when he punched a couple of Forest fans as they ran past the dugout at the City Ground.

No doubt Clough junior was also too busy celebrating another momentous victory for a side who pack a punch in Cup football that belies their lowly status in League One.

Aston Villa and Fulham discovered that much when knocked out on home soil in previous rounds by the Blades. Now Billy Davies’s Forest have been added to the list of notable scalps claimed by Clough’s Cup battlers.

Porter’s decisive double may have come late on but, on the balance of play, Forest could have few complaints with the result.

Not only did the Yorkshire club defend with tremendous determination throughout, Harry Maguire and Neill Collins typifying the guts and desire shown by the hosts, but they also broke at pace and with such vigour that the only surprise was that it took until almost the midway point of the second half for United to cancel out Jamie Paterson’s opener.

Conor Coady made that all-important breakthrough for United to set up the dramatic finale that left the Lane bouncing and Clough able to reflect on another wonderful chapter in this most extraordinary of Cup seasons.

He said: “What a brilliant performance. Not just the result, I mean the performance.

“Even at 1-0 down, I told the lads at half-time that if we kept going our reward would come.

“Over the course of the game I would say we just about deserved to win. I know they put some pressure on us at 1-1, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.

“They have quality and are also 16 games unbeaten coming into this. To break that run is very pleasing.

“Now we can look forward to the next round. Being at home – whether it is Sheffield Wednesday or Charlton – is the big thing.”

Such is the often ludicrous thinking that surrounds the world’s oldest Cup competition, the draw for the quarter-finals was made with two ties still to play and the Bramall Lane contest just 40 minutes old.

What this untimely scheduling did do, though, was give an added impetus to proceedings in S2 with the pace quickening noticeably once the news of the draw had been relayed to the teams.

Such a response was understandable. For Forest, a home tie against either of two teams below them in the Championship offered hope of a trip to Wembley. For United, meanwhile, a first Steel City derby in more than two years was suddenly in the offing.

By then Forest led thanks to a bit of magic down the left from Andy Reid on 28 minutes and a deft header from Jamie Paterson that gave Mark Howard no chance.

United’s best effort of a frantic first half had been Stefan Scougall’s shot that Dorus de Vries saved smartly to his right.

After the break, however, it was a different story with both sides pouring forward in the hope of booking that home tie in the last eight.

United were the first to threaten as Maguire had a shot blocked and Scougall brought another decent stop from de Vries.

At the other end, Howard then followed a stunning save to keep out Paterson with an even better one-handed effort that turned away a rasping drive from Simon Cox.

The significance of Howard’s double save became clear on 65 minutes when Coady tapped in from close range after de Vries had spilled John Brayford’s cross.

Cue a frantic finale as Howard again saved brilliantly from, first, Reid and then Greg Halford.

Jamie Mackie also went close with a shot that Maguire did well to deflect just over before Halford wriggled clear on the right to drill a low cross across the six-yard box that was begging for a white shirt to convert.

As play raged from one end to the other, Jamie Murphy went close as de Vries blocked Ryan Flynn’s effort.

Then, as the hosts broke swiftly, Flynn was played in to hit a shot that de Vries did well to block.

That seemed to be that until, with just 100 seconds remaining, Murphy raced clear down the left to drill a cross that Halford blocked with his hand.

Referee Michael Oliver had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Chris Porter did the rest from 12 yards.

Forest were stunned and their afternoon got even worse in stoppage time as Murphy again got to the by-line before picking out Porter with a low cross.

That left the Blades striker with the simple task of bundling the ball over the line to spark a huge party all around Bramall Lane and leave Sheffield dreaming of a long overdue derby meeting next month.

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Sheffield United: Howard; Brayford, Maguire, Collins, Harris (Hill 90); Doyle; Flynn, Coady (McGinn 89), Scougall, Murphy; Baxter (Porter 86). Unused substitutes: Miller, Long, Kennedy, De Girolamo.

Nottingham Forest: de Vries, Halford, Lascelles, Collins, Fox; Jara; Paterson, Majewski (Abdoun 78), Reid; Henderson (Djebbour 70), Cox (Mackie 67). Unused substitutes: Darlow, Harding, Greening, Derbyshire.

Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland).