Steve Cooper wants Nottingham Forest to thrive on what is sure to be a white-hot atmosphere at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
The Reds take on Sheffield United in the first leg of their play-offs semi-final at the weekend. And they know they must be able to cope with a raucous crowd as both teams look to take a step towards reaching Wembley and a shot at promotion to the Premier League.
Only a couple of months have passed since Forest made the trip to face the Blades in league action, in March. A late Ryan Yates header was needed to come away with a point on that occasion, despite the visitors feeling they deserved more.
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“I think you have to thrive on the atmosphere. Try to be not fearful of it - be the opposite, look forward to it, get ready for it,” Cooper said.
“It is a big ground, with passionate and noisy support. But if you want to succeed in life, these are the sort of things you have to embrace and go for.
“It’s no different for us. And for the other play-off games, not just in the Championship but in the other leagues as well.
“If you want to be a team that succeeds, these are the games and the moments that you have to commit to, back yourselves and go for it. But go for it our way.
“I don’t know if the previous games against them will count. It wasn’t that long ago we played them.
“But they will have some personnel differences, and we will have some personnel differences, so maybe those things change. Tactically, I think there will be a lot of similarities. The stadiums will both be full, so that will be similar to the league games.
“Some bits, yes, they might be similar. And some bits, no, because it’s the play-offs! They are different and unique, and the context around it changes.”
