'Nervous' Chris Basham determined to seize chance of rare Sheffield United start at Nottingham Forest
Chris Basham has revealed the words of advice from manager Slavisa Jokanović ahead of his long-awaited return to the Sheffield United side on Tuesday night.
Basham made only his fifth start of the current league season at Nottingham Forest after Ben Davies was declared unfit, catching the eye to give Jokanović some food for thought about his selection when the Liverpool loanee is declared available again.
Basham, now 33 years old, has been a mainstay of the United defence for many seasons now but has lost his place as a result of Jokanović’s switch to a back four, after abandoning the 3-5-2 system that brought his predecessor Chris Wilder so much success at Bramall Lane.
And, speaking ahead of this weekend’s trip to Blackburn Rovers after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at the City Ground, Basham admitted: “It was nice to get 90 minutes under my belt.
“I’ve not been playing as much, so you have to go out there and perform for the team. I’ve been on the teamsheet for many years so I was a bit nervous, but I just had to do my best.
“It fell quite nicely; I had to do a lot of defensive work and showed what I can do when I’m driving forward with the ball as well.
“The manager has said that all along – if you get on the pitch, you need to take your chance. You can’t be a passenger or a bystander; you have to make sure you do well.
“And I thought I did. I had a bit of pressure on myself to perform, and I did that, I thought.”