Blues and Forest will have it all to do again, this time at St. Andrew's, after their third round FA Cup tie ended goalless in the East Midlands.

Two of the country's in-form sides met at the City Ground and due to their recent runs of results many people were predicting a fair few goals.

But try as they did neither team could find the back of the net - although both keepers were tested on occasions - and a replay will take place at the home of the Blues on Tuesday 12 January (kick-off 7.45pm).

Alex McLeish made six changes for the game - into the side came Kevin Phillips, Lee Carsley, Keith Fahey, Gregory Vignal, Stuart Parnaby and Damien Johnson.

With less than two minutes on the clock Dexter Blackstock got onto a James Perch pass and broke into the area for the hosts and his shot into the side netting served as an early warning.

Phillips headed Parnaby's cross wide from the edge of the area before on seven minutes, at the other end, Robert Earnshaw's piledriver from 18 yards deflected off Carsley and behind for a corner.

Right-back Parnaby was causing Forest problems with his surges down the flank and his cross on ten minutes was almost turned into his own net by Perch, whose header flew just wide of target.

From the resulting Fahey corner to the back stick Phillips laid a ball back to Carsley whose driven shot from just outside the box was well blocked by the sliding Luke Chambers.

On 19 the game swung from end to end as first Forest's Chris Cohen burst into the Blues box from the right but couldn't find anyone with his cutback and then, as the visitors broke, Cameron Jerome stung Camp's fingertips with a low drive from 25 yards.

A forlorn Parnaby limped out of the action on 21 and having only just made a return to first team action will have been disappointed to have only last such a short time. He was replaced by Gary McSheffrey.

The forced substitution led to a change in players' positions with right midfielder Johnson dropping back into the right full-back position with Fahey up ahead of him and McSheffrey out on the left.

Earnshaw tested Hart's prowess with another strike from range but, as so often this season, the Blues keeper was in the perfect place to clutch the ball into his chest.

On 32 Jerome linked up well with Phillips 20 yards out and the latter unleashed a low thunderbolt that had Camp scrambling to his right. He palmed the ball away before it could creep in at the near post.

Less than a minute later Blues pressed again and Vignal released Jerome with a lovely low sweeping 50-yard pass. The frontman got in behind the home defence and took a touch but could only skew a low left-footed shot six yards wide of target.

With 37 played keeper Hart was booked for delaying play as his captain Carsley received treatment for what looked like a possible knee injury at the side of the pitch.

The skipper's game was up and he was replaced a couple of minutes later by Lee Bowyer, McLeish's hand having been forced twice in the first half due to injury.

As half-time approached Radoslaw Majewski sent a looping drive into the arms of Hart and then, on 43, Forest won a corner out on the left which almost to the opener. Majewski swung over a right footed corner and Chambers climbed highest to thump a header against the bar.

Blues made a lively start to the second half and, five minutes in, Camp was forced to dive bravely to his right to parry the ball away with Jerome bearing down on goal.

On 62 Hart did what he does best with a superb instinctive save down to his right to keep out Cohen's shot after the Forest man had been sent into the area by Blackstock's neat lay-off.

With 16 of the second period gone Chris Gunter picked up a booking for a foul on Fahey but within 60 seconds of that Forest had something to celebrate when Vignal was adjudged to have tripped Anderson inside the penalty area. But the glee didn't last long as Earnshaw stepped up and looped one of the worst penalties you'll see this season high over the bar with 62 minutes on the clock.

Three minutes later Earnshaw had his head in his hands again after charging into the penalty area and curling a low shot that appeared to have Hart beaten but once again the Blues stopper pulled off a wonderful save to dive to his left and push the ball just past the post and behind for a corner.

Blues rallied and with Camp beaten all ends up Phillips' shot flew back off the post. By now the game was wide open as both teams looked to break the deadlock.

On 73 Blues had a double chance to go in front. First McSheffrey rolled the ball into the path of Phillips and he was in for the kind of opportunity he's spent his entire career snaffling up. But his low shot was well saved by the legs of Camp and when Fahey knocked the rebound into the path of McSheffrey on the edge of the area he was impulsive rather than taking a touch and looped a first time shot over the target.

Four minutes later Phillips opted to shoot when perhaps the overlapping McSheffrey on his right was a better option and although Camp spilled the low effort he recovered to grasp the ball at the second attempt.

With just seven minutes left Johnson crossed superbly for Ferguson, who had advanced into a central position inside the Forest area. The Scot met the centre with a bullet header but it was turned behind for Camp.

Jerome then struck a fierce drive against Blackstock that led to some of the 4,485 Blues fans behind the goal to scream for a penalty but play was waved on by the referee.

On 85 both sides made a further change, Chucho coming on in place of Phillips and Forest bringing on former Blues striker Dele Adebola as a sub for Blackstock.

McSheffrey led the charge as Blues gave it their all to win it but his swirling cross from the right went past the back post out of the reach of the waiting Chucho and Bowyer and soon after the final whistle blew to signal a 0-0 draw and a replay.

Forest: Lee Camp, James Perch, Luke Chambers, Wes Morgan, Paul Anderson (Nathan Tyson 68), Robert Earnshaw (Garath McCleary 79), Chris Cohen, Chris Gunter, Paul McKenna (C), Dexter Blackstock (Dele Adebola 85), Radoslaw Majewski. Unused subs: Kelvin Wilson, Lewis McGugan, David McGoldrick, Paul Smith.

Blues: Joe Hart, Stuart Parnaby (Gary McSheffrey 21), Roger Johnson, Liam Ridgewell, Gregory Vignal, Damien Johnson, Lee Carsley (Lee Bowyer 39), Barry Ferguson, Keith Fahey, Kevin Phillips (Chucho 85), Cameron Jerome. Unused subs: Colin Doyle, Martin Taylor, James McFadden, Franck Queudrue.

Referee: Steve Bennett

Bookings: Joe Hart (37), Chris Gunter (61)

Attendance: 20,975 (4,485 Blues fans)