Sheffield United: Nigel Adkins on big blow to Blades play-off hopes

BITTERLY disappointed Sheffield United manager Nigel Adkins says he understands the anxiety of Blades supporters after a tough 1-0 loss at Bury.
Nigel AdkinsNigel Adkins
Nigel Adkins

After the weekend derby win at Doncaster, the Blades came crashing down to earth at Gigg Lane, with a solitary first-half goal from Craig Jones giving the struggling Shakers, who came into the game on the back of their worst league defeat for 27 years, a welcome win.

The result represented a big blow to Adkins’s men in their play-off quest and they trail sixth-placed Millwall by five points with only 15 matches remaining.

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Adkins said: “Because we have endeavoured to win a game of football and haven’t done, the repercussions of that is that everyone is feeling very, very despondent.

“Because of where we are in the division, everyone is going to be very very negative and upset.”

Adkins felt that defeat was harsh on the Blades, with the Bramall Lane chief also unhappy with Jones’s winning goal.

Adkins, whose side welcome Port Vale on Saturday, added: “It was a bright start and we wanted to get on the front foot and had the confidence and positivity of the weekend’s game.

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“On about 27 or 28 minutes, they go and score and he (Jones) has handled the ball in the penalty area and the referee has looked at it and it should have been a free-kick to us. We had two or three players appealing for it.

“We had four or five opportunities and that’s the fine line sometimes.”