Nottingham Forest will take their place in the Fifth Round Proper of The FA Cup after a hard-fought 2-0 replay win at Preston North End.
Jamie Mackie’s sublime first half strike and Darius Henderson’s injury-time clincher earned the Championship side their victory.
Mackie produced a clever finish inside the opening 20 minutes while Henderson calmed Forest’s nerves very late on to extend Forest’s unbeaten streak to 14 matches.
Preston NE 0-2 Nottingham F
The FA Cup with Budweiser
Fourth Round replay
Wednesday 5 February 2014
Deepdale, Preston
Winners receive £90,000 from FA Prize Fund
The win also tees up a trip to Sheffield United, the only League One side remaining in this season’s competition.
Former Preston North End boss Billy Davies enjoyed a happy return to a wet and blustery Deepdale as his current charges produced a disciplined display to see off Simon Grayson's Lilywhites.
It certainly wasn’t plain sailing for Forest, however, as the hosts threatened on numerous occasions – and they could have broken the deadlock after just eleven minutes.
Kevin Davies, twice an FA Cup Semi-Finalist with Chesterfield and Bolton Wanderers, appeared to bundle the ball over the line, but he was penalised for backing into goalkeeper Dorus de Vries.
Midfielder Lee Holmes was the next to threaten, but he saw his shot land a yard wide of the post after attempting to bend the ball beyond De Vries.
Preston made it a difficult night for Forest
However, Mackie silenced Deepdale just three minutes later with a truly wonderful finish.
Preston goalkeeper Declan Rudd punched the ball away following a corner kick from the left but the ball landed at the feet of Mackie.
Following a swift exchange of passes with Jamaal Lascelles, the Scotland international planted his first-time effort expertly into the top left-hand corner, leaving the former Under-21s keeper with no chance.
Simon Cox spurned a chance to double Forest’s advantage in the 28th minute, but he could only prod the ball wide after stealing ahead of Tom Clarke to meet Matt Derbyshire’s whipped cross from the right.
De Vries, who had remained relatively untested up until the half-hour mark, showed his class when his swift reflexes denied Davies. The striker’s close-range volley was bound for the back of the net but the Dutchman reacted quickly to parry it away to safety.
Darius Henderson sealed Forest's win at Deepdale in injury time
Grayson’s half-time team talk appeared to have the desired effect as Preston produced wave after wave of attack shortly after the restart.
Davies, Scott Wiseman and Neil Kilkenny all came close, while the former was unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when his shot appeared to be blocked by the hand of Greg Halford.
Despite pegging Forest back inside their own half for vast spells of the second period, Preston agonisingly failed to breach De Vries’ goal.
Substitute Joe Garner desperately unlucky not to force extra-time late on when his close-range strike crashed off the outside of the post.
Their efforts proved to be in vain as Henderson took advantage of slack defending in the dying moments to seal the win.
Forest will now head to Bramall Lane in the next phase for a reunion with Blades boss Nigel Clough.
He spent nearly ten years as a player at the City Ground and his late father, Brian, managed the Forest to great success in the 1970s and 1980s.
Preston North End
Rudd, Wiseman, Clarke, Wright, Buchanan (Laird 77), Welsh, Keane, Kilkenny, Humphrey (Garner 66), Holmes (Gallagher 66), Davies.
Subs not used: Stuckmann, Beavon, King, Hume.
Nottingham Forest
De Vries, Halford, Lascelles, Collins, Harding, Mackie, Moussi, Jara, Abdoun (Paterson 51), Cox (Henderson 67), Derbyshire (Majewski 51).
Subs not used: Darlow, Reid, Greening, Osborn.
Goals Jamie Mackie (18), Darius Henderson (90+3)
Referee Jonathan Moss
