Cooper: Bring on the Blades!

FOREST BOSS IS RELISHING PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL CLASH

NOTTINGHAM Forest boss Steve Cooper is anticipating an exciting play-off semi-final against Sheffield United.

The Reds ended their regular season with a 1-1 draw at Hull City to finish fourth in the Championship table.

And that result means they will take on the Blades over two legs in a bid to reach Wembley and keep alive their promotion hopes.

The first leg will be played at Bramall Lane on Saturday, followed by the second leg at the City Ground on Tuesday, May 17.

“We went into the game not too concerned about who we were going to get in the play-offs, because so many things could happen,” said Cooper.

“We just thought, ‘go play the game and see who we end up with.’

“We’ve got Sheffield United. We look forward to it.

“Going into the game, we weren’t thinking about who we might play. I’ve done the play-offs for the last couple of years; they are unique games.

“It doesn’t matter who you play, it’s a challenge for anybody. We’ll be the same for Sheffield United. It’s the same for the other ties that are going on in all the leagues.

“We’re in good shape. We’re looking forward to it.

“We look forward to the game. We’ve not really thought about it too much but it’s two big stadiums, two big clubs and passionate fanbases.

“It’s two good teams, who have finished fourth and fifth in the league. It has the makings of a really good game.”

Brennan Johnson’s late penalty looked to have secured victory over the Tigers, which would have seen Forest finish third and face Luton Town in the play-offs.

But Lewie Coyle’s last-minute equaliser almost immediately after changed the picture.

Brennan Johnson starts to take his shirt off (inset) before celebrating his late penalty for Nottingham Forest against Hull City. However, the Tigers grabbed an even later equaliser to snatch a draw.