IN normal circumstances, it takes something special for a manager to change his keeper.

And, when he took to the field as the only senior player in Nottingham Forest's reserves yesterday afternoon, Paul Smith would have known he faces a battle to regain his first-team place.

But if there is a perfect way to respond to being dropped, Smith produced it at the City Ground.

With QPR loan replacement Lee Camp turning in outstanding performances in a three-match unbeaten run for the first team, Smith is unlikely to regain his place at Bristol City this weekend.

But he sent out the message that Camp must maintain his performance levels or risk being ousted from the side himself.

When it came to experience, perhaps with the exception of Lee Martin, Smith was the only player in Forest's reserve XI who could claim to have any of significance.

And that was often reflected against a Sheffield United side that boasted more Premiership and Championship appearances than Forest's first team, with Smith required to be at his best on more than one occasion.

Martin, a man who had been on loan at Bramall Lane, was behind a brief Forest flashpoint in the first half, as he was brought down 25 yards from the United goal.

After taking a moment to dust himself down, the Manchester United winger showed a bit of Premiership quality with a curling free-kick that was well saved by Justin Haber, a Maltese keeper the visitors have taken on trial.

But it was a strong Blades side that edged the advantage in a closely-fought encounter.

Smith may be frustrated at being ousted from the first team but, in one 30-second stint, he showed why he is facing a fight to oust Camp.

Having made an outstanding save to palm away a rasping low shot from Adam Chapman, plunging low to his left at full stretch, from the resulting corner Smith tried and failed to collect a looping ball towards the far side of the six-yard box, with Kyle Walker heading narrowly over.

David Cotterill, a winger signed for a seven-figure sum from Wigan in the summer, brought the best out of Smith again, with a driven shot that was rising towards the top corner until the keeper swatted the ball over the bar.

Not to be outclassed, Haber made a truly breathtaking save at the other end, after Adam Newbold had connected with a Martin corner to send a header arrowing towards the bottom corner.

It was Smith who had his reactions tested again early in the second half, as Greg Halford pounced on a ball on the edge of the six-yard box, but was denied as the keeper spread himself.

Smith would have been helpless had former England man Lee Hendrie not fired over following a clever cut-back from Dyer and had Cotterill not rolled the ball wide following a superb cross from the ex-Villa man.

Mark Byrne's instant control then allowed him to set up a shooting chance for Richard Tait, with Haber getting his body behind the ball.

Substitute Liam Hook, who came into the reckoning after netting twice in the 4-1 home win for Forest under-18s against Barnsley on Saturday, came close with a deflected effort that had the alert Haber scampering across goal to cover.

Smith came to Forest's rescue yet again with a fine sprawling block to thwart substitute Zeyn Latif, as the Blades went in search of a later winner.

But another Reds sub, Nialle Rodney, was left with his head in his hands after flicking a header wide, after a Byrne cross had deflected kindly into his path.

Having worked hard for a clean sheet, a point was the least Smith deserved for his efforts.

FOREST: Smith, Tait, Whitehurst, Byrne, Mitchell, Bencherif, Darnet (Hook 54), Dunne, Newbold (Diagne 90), Martin (Rodney 78), Reid. Subs: Darlow, McCashin.

SHEFF UTD: Haber, Halford,(Latef 70) Naysmith (Carney 45), Montgomery, Walker, Lowton, Cotterill, Hendrie, Dyer, Chapman, Cotton (Tahar 70). Subs: Ho Lee, Lamm.