Blades boss Nigel Clough ready for Cup replay at Fulham

Tuesday 04 Feb 2014
Clough wants his side to challenge Fulham on Tuesday

Sheffield United boss Nigel Clough has challenged his charges to repeat their Villa Park heroics when they travel to Fulham on Tuesday night.

The Blades produced one of the results of the Third Round Proper when they eliminated Premier League Aston Villa on their own patch, with goals from Jamie Murphy and Ryan Flynn condemning the Midlanders to an early exit.

And United were just 15 minutes away from a second successive top-flight scalp toward the end of last month, until Hugo Rodallega popped up and salvaged a draw for Fulham at a wet and windy Bramall Lane.

 

Fulham v Sheffield United

The FA Cup with Budweiser
Fourth Round Proper replay
7.45pm, Tuesday 4 February
Craven Cottage
Winners receive £80,000
Live on ITV4
By Zarif Rasul

 

 

The sides will meet again in their replay at Craven Cottage on Tuesday, with both teams looking to cast aside their recent league travails for one evening.

United, who lost 3-0 at Crewe Alexandra last weekend, are locked in a relegation battle in League One, while Fulham prop up the Premier League table after slumping to a 3-0 home defeat against Southampton.

Despite the fact that the battle for league survival is at the forefront of Clough's mind, the former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool striker insists he would love nothing more than to book his side's place in the last 16 of The Cup.

He said: "It's not a distraction, it gives us an opportunity to get through to the last 16 - you don't get many chances like that.

"Fulham become firm favourites and they don't play again until next Sunday, so they've got a five-day break. We're both coming off the back of 3-0 losses at the weekend, so we'll both be hurting and looking for a reaction.

Video highlights of the first tie at Bramall Lane.

 

"It's sort of similar to Villa Park, let's enjoy it and have a go as well. When we get down there we will want to get through.

"Everybody's fit at the moment. We've just got the two lads who are Cup-tied who will drop out of the squad from Saturday, Billy Paynter and Elliott Whitehouse.

"So Diego De Girolamo comes back and we'll take one of the U18s with us. We'll think about [making changes] in the next 24 hours and see."

Fulham have strengthened significantly since the clash at Bramall Lane, with head coach Rene Meulensteen drafting in the likes of Lewis Holtby, Johnny Heitinga and Greece striker Kostas Mitroglou, but Clough is relieved that they will not be eligible to face his side.

He added: "I think he'll pick a much-changed side from the one which played at Bramall Lane. None of their new lads can play though, which is good. You had to be registered before the first game at Bramall Lane."

By FA Staff