Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough 'glad to still be in competition'

Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough has defended his decision to rotate heavily for their 1-1 FA Cup draw with Preston North End.

A Blades side showing eight changes to the one which lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday came from behind to force their League One rivals to a fourth-round replay.

While Preston manager Simon Grayson is frustrated by the addition of an extra game to their busy schedule, Clough feels that United's performance and result at Deepdale shows that they have enough depth to cope with the demands of competing across three fronts.

"We've got a tight-knit squad, everyone trains together, and you hope everyone can come in and do a job," he told the club's website.

"Quite a few came in from the academy and it's a great statement about where we are as a club.

"The aim at the start of the day was to be in the competition at 5pm. Having gone 1-0 down early on we fought back brilliantly in the second half. We thought we'd have a better chance of getting a result with a fresh team."

The Blades host Spurs in the second leg at Bramall Lane on Wednesday, with their replay against Preston on February 3.