Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom hopes his previous play-offs experience can be repeated when his team head to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
The Reds secured a first leg advantage in the semi-final as they triumphed 2-1 at Bramall Lane. And they will look to make the most of their strong home form under Steve Cooper, as well as what is sure to be an electric atmosphere at the City Ground, as they aim to reach Wembley.
Heckingbottom says his team are not out of the tie, however, with Sander Berge’s header having given them a lifeline. In the three times he has been promoted via the play-offs during his playing and management career, he has also come away with a victory in the away leg of the semi-final.
“In the three successful ones I’ve had, I’ve won the away leg every time so it can be done,” he told the Sheffield Star. “We just have to be better out there.
“The slips can happen. We aren’t going to blame the defeat on two slips (for the goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson).
“We have to do what we know we can do better. We like to be the team on the front foot.
“Forest have got a lot of pace at the top end of the pitch so we have to be aware of our strengths more. We have to be better than them, that doesn’t change.”
Heckingbottom led Barnsley to promotion from League One via the play-offs in 2016, beating Walsall home and away in the semi-finals. He also won the away leg with the Tykes in 2006, as a player, when they got past Huddersfield Town on their way to reaching the Championship. And the season before that, he was part of the Sheffield Wednesday squad which went up to the second tier, toppling Brentford home and away in the semi-finals.
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