Dave Bassett remembers the Sheffield United game against Nottingham Forest that sparked great escape from relegation, 31 years ago today

Bramall Lane erupted. United’s players looked like they couldn’t quite believe what had happened. Without a league win all season, they were ahead. Could it be the day?

Then, straight from kick-off, Forest equalised. A right-wing pass from future Blade Franz Carr found the run of a young Roy Keane, who took the ball on and finished well. The Blades were ahead for about 15 seconds of play, and Stuart Pearce then gave United a familiar feeling when he put Forest ahead. Maybe it wouldn’t be after all.

Except it was. United dragged themselves back level with a brilliant Bryson header, before Brian Deane nodded home in front of the Kop and the final whistle was greeted by a pitch invasion as jubilant Blades fans rejoiced in their first win of the season.

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“Sixteen games, four points,” remembered Bassett when invited by The Star to remember that remarkable period.

“You don’t enjoy losing, obviously, but I was working hard with the players and the players' spirits were good.

“There was a god atmosphere in the club and we weren't getting hammered every week. There were certain games we deserved to win and didn't. We said we'd done enough, but sometimes it didn't happen.

“We just had to keep at it. The spirit was good. The players were working hard in training and in games - they weren't turning it in - and we kept going.

“The fans were with us. I think they realised we were lucky to be there [in Division One] and we could have been at Rochdale or somewhere, and we were at Villa Park and places like that.

“We beat Forest and won another, lost a couple and then luckily beat QPR, and kept going from there. All of a sudden, we'd won seven out of eight. It was a great run.”

Coming from behind to beat Forest was impressive enough, considering United’s fortunes so far that season. But the fact that Bassett’s men survived that season – after winning their first game at the 17th attempt, just before Christmas – was remarkable.

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Their newly-rediscovered taste for victory was quenched again on Boxing Day against Luton Town and having been odds-on to go down at one point, the Blades were safe by Easter after eight wins in a remarkable nine-match unbeaten run.

Bassett’s men finished 13th in the Division One table, 12 points clear of second-bottom Sunderland.

“I remember Derek Dooley saying to me: ‘David, don’t worry. You aren’t getting the sack, with the work you’ve done. It’s one of those things’,” Bassett added.

“The fans were great and the media were okay. There were one or two or slagged us off as not being good enough for the Premier League and when we finished 13th, they kept their gobs shut.

“I didn’t get any apologies from them. But that was a big day when we beat Forest. It gave us a bit of a lift and then when we went on a run after that, we realised: ‘We’ve got a bit of a chance here’.”

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