'Fans never gave up' - The day Sheffield United's famous great escape began, v Nottingham Forest on this day in 1990

United's start to that campaign was a real struggle and with Christmas on the horizon, they were bottom of the table and still looking for their first three points after 16 games. And their fortunes were perhaps best summed up when, after Ian ‘Jock’ Bryson gave the Blades the lead in front of the Kop, Forest went up the other end and scored directly from kick-off through a young Roy Keane.

The game revered to type a little when Stuart Pearce put Forest ahead – but United held their nerve to equalise through Bryson again before Brian Deane scored the winner from another cross from Carl Bradshaw. The final whistle saw jubilant United fans invade the pitch to celebrate but United weren’t finished there, with a remarkable run of form seeing Dave Bassett's side recovering to finish 13th that season.

"We were a hard-working side that didn't have the rub of the green,” Chris Wilder, a member of that side who later followed Bassett into the Bramall Lane dugout, said. “But kept going and believing and managed to get that first win.

"We got a few more wins over the Christmas period and then went on a new run into the new year. We stuck together and came through the other side and ended up maintaining Division One status for another season.

"There were incredible scenes at the end with supporters on the pitch and in the lead up to the game, they never turned it in. They had their doubts and opinions on the team but they never gave up supporting the players on the pitch and I believe that was earned by what was previously achieved and the performances pre-Forest."

The season was United's first back in the top division after back-to-back promotions under Bassett. With that Forest victory as the catalyst, seven straight wins at the turn of the year saw them turn around their season and finish 13th, 12 points clear of the drop zone.

They improved again to finish ninth the following season; sealing their place in the inaugral season of the Premier League.