Fate said it just had to be Forest in final

TWO SIDES HAVE BECOME RIVALS DURING THIS CAMPAIGN

IT had to be Nottingham Forest. It just did. Even when Steve Cooper’s side collapsed under the weight of Sheffield United’s pressure in the second half of the second leg of their play-off semi-final, even when Iliman Ndiaye went clean through on keeper Brice Samba five minutes before the end of extra time, it just... had to be.

We’re not believers in fate, because what does that say about self-determination and free will?

But sometimes it feels like the universe is just intent on telling certain stories. And over the second half of this remarkable Championship season, the two big stories have been the revival of Nottingham Forest and the remarkable form of Huddersfield Town.

When Forest made the decision to sack Chris Hughton after an awful start to the campaign, the first team they beat was Huddersfield.

When the Terriers needed a big win against top opposition in late December to assert that they were well and truly on the upward trajectory after their first few tentative steps out of a poor run of form, the City Ground provided the perfect venue.

When the FA Cup sixth round draw pulled Liverpool out of the hat, it just had to be the winner of Forest v Town that provided their opposition – Forest triumphed.

And when the race for third place went down to the final day, it was Huddersfield who took it after Forest were the victims of late drama away to Hull City. Call it 2-2, then.

That FA Cup game and the subsequent race for third, in particular, brought a previously unknown degree of bite between the two sets of fans, who sniped at each other constantly on social media about fireworks, games in hand, bottle jobs, media love-ins, and anything else that could possibly be used as a way to twist the knife against the other foe.

This story is being written by some unseen hand. We would urge both sets of fans to keep things on the right side of friendly banter at Wembley, but if things stay on the right side of that line, it could add that little sprinkle of delightful spice to what is already a massive occasion for the two sides.

Most important of all for the Championship’s final bow is how evenly matched these sides have been throughout the season. The quality of two teams once they both found their stride has been so high that if the campaign had started on December 1, they would finish first and second, separated by just a single point in Forest’s favour, and at least four points clear of the rest.

These are the perfect two teams to contest the play-off final, and whoever goes up will be a worthy Premier League competitor next season. And if that should be Town... well, it was just meant to be.

These are the perfect two teams to contest the play-off final. If Town win, it was just meant to be!