Billy Sharp Sheffield United: Nottingham Forest fans 'outraged' by attack and show their support for Blades captain

Sharp, who represented Forest earlier in his career, was assaulted during a pitch invasion at the City Ground as home supporters celebrated their penalty shoot-out success over Paul Heckingbottom’s side.

Initially setting a target of £500, over £2000 had been pledged at the time of writing with organisers hoping the final amount will be donated to the Luey Jacob Sharp Foundation - set up, in memory of the United captain’s late son, to help fund research into gastroschisis, a condition which causes a baby’s intestines to grow outside of the body.

“A small way of showing we are all united in condemning the actions of one scummy ‘fan’,” a member of 1865 Red Army wrote on social media, adding it was a way of demonstrating the Forest support’s outrage at what happened.

Another follower of Steve Cooper’s side urged Brice Samba, whose performance between the posts helped Forest progress, to “share it around the team.”

Nottinghamshire Police have confirmed a 31-year-old man has been arrested and questioned by its officers in relation to the incident.

United manager Heckingbottom, whose squad bowed out of the tournament on spot-kicks after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate, labelled the person responsible “cowardly” and “a prison sentence waiting to happen” before revealing Sharp had received medical treatment in the dressing room.

MORE: Boss brands Forest fan who attacked Billy Sharp a "coward"