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Domination but frustration as Blades spurn golden chance MATCH REPORT AND SLIDESHOW
Sheff Utd 0 Nottm Forest 0
SHEFFIELD United received an untimely reminder that craft and guile as well as graft and determination will be precious commodities along the Championship's finishing straight as resolute Nottingham Forest denied them the opportunity to climb into the automatic promotion positions.
Despite playing the majority of the match with 10 men - Kelvin Wilson being sent off early in the first half for headbutting Greg Halford - the visitors' defence, expertly marshalled by Wes Morgan and Ian Breckin, combined to ensure what started as a promise-laden afternoon for Kevin Blackwell's side ended in frustration and disappointment.
United, predictably given their numerical advantage, dominated both territory and possession.
But, by their manager's own admission, they failed to achieve the right balance between industry and ingenuity which would have seen them leapfrog second-placed Birmingham City in the table.
As it is, they remain third, one point behind their Midlands rivals with three games of the season remaining including next week's crucial trip to fellow contenders Burnley.
"We've seen what Forest came to do," said Blackwell, who watched Halford, Craig Beattie and Arturo Lupoli all spurn chances to break the deadlock.
"The onus was on us to wear them down. But if you'd have told me in the summer that at this stage we'd be in with a great shout of going up then I'd have broken both of your arms and legs to make sure it was the case.
"We're on a great run and sometimes we get a little bit greedy. The important thing was that we didn't lose."
Against a Forest team who - despite achieving a result their, coach David Kelly, described as "terrific" - slipped back into the bottom three, there seldom appeared any danger of them suffering a first defeat since February's FA Cup replay at Hull.
But Blackwell, who found himself attaching jump leads to the flat battery of a friend's 4x4 before leaving Bramall Lane, saw his United side lack the creative spark to deliver a sixth successive victory.
Indeed, until Halford forced a fine reaction save from Paul Smith moments before the interval, the Forest goalkeeper had been relatively untroubled.
His seclusion continued after the re-start as United, having withdrawn David Cotterill to load their strikeforce, found themselves dragged increasingly into a war of attrition.
But, as Blackwell correctly insisted, it would be churlish to heap too much criticism upon his squad's shoulders given their efforts of late.
And Forest deserve credit for their obstinance.
"You've got to consider the bigger picture," Blackwell continued. "We have been excellent.
"It was never going to be a flowing encounter and there was absolutely no room in the box.
"They, to be fair, defended superbly, and sometimes you just need to get a bit of a break, although we could have moved the ball a bit quicker.
"But I've got a great set of lads and I'm proud of them."
Forest's cause was aided by some inconsistent refereeing - Mike Jones was fussy when it came to physical confrontation yet adopted a strangely laissez-faire approach towards time-wasting - but there could be little argument about the Cheshire official's decision to dismiss Wilson for thrusting his head into the face of Halford after just 17 minutes.
"We can't complain," Kelly, the former United marksman, admitted. "You can't do it and Kelvin is gutted.
"From where I was standing it looked like a red."
After investing so much in Friday's win over Reading, United, who had started in strangely low-key fashion, continued to pepper Forest's rearguard with crosses from deep rather than trust their geometry by working the angles.
Halford should have done better when he connected with Brian Howard's free-kick at the far post but Smith was equal to the task while Beattie, who had earlier headed a Jamie Ward cross wide, followed suit from Lee Hendrie's corner.
Lupoli also went close but Forest were not to be denied.
"The boys dug-in well," Kelly said. "I don't think they carved us up at any stage.
"We're desperate to stay up and we want to follow what United are doing."
Time will tell whether that is toasting an early return to the top-flight or attempting to negotiate a more complex route back to the Premier League.
Boss's view
They are a great set of lads and I'm proud of them. If you'd have said to me at the start of the week that we'd have amassed this number of points then I would've been delighted.
But sometimes you get greedy don't you?
You've got to look at the bigger picture and we've been excellent.
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
