Morgan is a lifelong Barnsley supporter who played over 200 games for his hometown club before joining the Blades five years ago.

His former employers are getting ready for a trip to Wembley after pulling off shock victories over Liverpool and Chelsea and Morgan will be there in the stands with his wife to lend vocal support.

It would, of course, be a far more satisfying end to the current campaign for Morgan if he is able to lead his own side out at Wembley a few weeks later.

That scenario looked out of the question just a few weeks ago, but the Blades have edged another step closer after picking up a fourth consecutive League win, against the Tykes.

The result lifted the Blades to within six points of the play-off zone and there are seven games left to play.

Is it a bridge too far? Normally, you would have to say 'yes', but the Championship has rarely been tighter and who is to say what could happen between now and the end of the season, especially when a team is on a roll.

In keeping with footballing tradition, Morgan was subjected to jeers by the home crowd on his first return as an opposition player – yet, despite the flak, there are few in Barnsley who will not respect the service he gave to their club or his reasons for moving on.

The news that he intends to attend the FA Cup semi-final as a Barnsley supporter will further cement his relationship with the Oakwell faithful although the Blades now have his 100 per cent commitment as a player.

"It was nice to come back to an old club and I enjoyed winning the game," he said. "I took a little bit of stick through the game, but that's par for the course and you expect it.

"I always want Barnsley to do well," he admitted. "I might even try and get a bet on it – Barnsley to win the FA Cup and Sheffield United to sneak into the play-offs."

The appointment of Kevin Blackwell as manager after the disappointment of the Bryan Robson regime has revitalised the Blades.

From a team that looked capable of going down has emerged a team that is as good as anything else in the division. Unfortunately for the Blades supporters, it may have revealed itself just a little while too late.

Morgan said: "The new manager has come in and instilled a work ethic and got us organised. That's not disrespectful to Bryan Robson, but things under him were not happening. Things have changed and the players have grasped the change. We are just looking to finish the season as strongly as we can and let's see where that takes us."

As for Barnsley, the distraction of the FA Cup – whether they care to admit or not – has transformed a promotion push into a relegation scrap.

With Wembley on the horizon, it is only natural that players will want to avoid injury or suspension. Captain Brian Howard, for example, is one booking away from a ban and rarely jumped into a tackle. That allowed United's midfield more time to control the game and it was Gary Speed who ran the show.

Even Barnsley supporters have grown divided on the issue of whether the FA Cup is more important that staying in the Championship.

Who, for example, would look back in 30 years and recall with pride 'the season we stayed in the Championship'?

Far better, some say, to be able to look back on a trip to Wembley and a season when a club achieved something many others only dream about.

Even if relegated, could they be playing in Europe next season and back in the Championship one year later?

As Morgan pointed out, the door is wide open for a Championship club to lift the most famous trophy in world football.

"I think they can win it. They have got Cardiff who are in our division and – no disrespect to the other semi-finalists, Portsmouth and West Brom – but they are not Manchester United or Chelsea," he added.

"So Barnsley have a fantastic chance. They have a good group of players and a good manager. All credit to him for turning the club around."

In fairness to Barnsley, it is not specifically Saturday's result that suggests that priorities have shifted. One win in eight games since drawing Liverpool in the fifth round is a far stronger indicator.

With better luck, they could have picked up a positive result against the Blades. Manager Simon Davey felt his side were denied a penalty and had dominated most of the game.

But, as so often happens in football, it was the killer instinct of one striker that proved the difference, in this case United's Billy Sharp.

Back to his best, thanks to a change in role under Blackwell, Sharp scored his third goal in as many games after being put in by Speed.

"People said to me 'why did the club pay £2m for Billy Sharp?'" said Blackwell. "I told them I would have paid £4m. You look at his goal today and realise why. You have to pay money for players who can do that. When a game is as tight as that, it makes the difference.

"It has been a tough spell for him and I am delighted to see him come out of the other side. He has had to learn the hardest lesson of all as a footballer – that you have to treat success and failure the same way."