Blackwell won't rule out another upset

After beating Bolton - at the Reebok Stadium in the third round - and Manchester City already this season, Blackwell sees no reason why his side cannot make it a hat-trick later this month.

"It's not a bad start to my reign against a Middlesbrough side in a rich vein of form at the moment," said Blackwell, still to sign a contract on his short-term deal to the end of the season. "Without a doubt I feel we can win the replay - I believe we can win every game."

He added: "We were unlucky with some of our set plays, particularly the one just before half-time, but I was pleased with the attitude shown.

"I said to the players afterwards 'tell me what you want' because sometimes it's the manager who gets the stick.

"But there are times when you have to ask the players what they want out of their career, where they want to go and where they want to take this football club. They want to go up, and if that's the case then let's start doing something about it."

Blackwell revealed the comical-looking collision between James Beattie and Michael Tonge which led to the former's free-kick hitting the post was not amateur dramatics, but a planned ploy.

It was the nearest either side came to scoring, with Blackwell adding: "I said to the lads I wanted them to be different. That free-kick was something I'd used the last time I was here.

"A lot of the Sheffield United fans will have immediately realised where it came from because on that occasion Michael Brown hit the bar in a quarter-final against Leeds.

"So I decided to use it again, and it was something significant to the fans, and sure enough many of them recognised it straightaway."