Paul Heckingbottom outlines Sheffield United play-off belief despite Nottingham Forest defeat

The midfielder secured a late goal for the Blades to keep United in the tie with Nottingham Forest going into the second leg.

While the final result ended 2-1 in Forest’s favour, Heckingbottom believes the late goal saw a shift in the mood of both games at the end of the game.

The 44-year old is hoping the strike could prove to be the key moment of the tie, with his side still believing they can get past Steve Cooper’s team to earn a place at Wembley Stadium for the final.

“I think [Berge’s goal] does [keep the tie alive]. It’s half-time and there’s still loads to go,” said Heckingbottom, via The Yorkshire Post.

“I think what it has done – and I think you could see with the body language of everyone connected with Forest more so than us – we are not happy we have come off the pitch and got beaten, but the goal has certainly changed the mood among the fans and both camps, definitely.

“Hopefully, it proves to be a pivotal moment.”

Goals either side of half time from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson had given Forest a 2-0 lead going into the final stages of the game.

But in stoppage time Berge pulled one back for the hosts to give United a one-goal deficit when they visit the City Ground on Tuesday evening.

It is still all to play for in the tie between these two teams, despite Forest’s superiority for the majority of the game.

Berge’s goal should give the team some belief that they can still get through to the final.

The Blades did also create chances of their own during the game, so deserved something for their efforts.

The performances from Forest certainly showed United that they will need to up their game at the City Ground to have any chance of claiming victory.

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