Doncaster Rovers 0 Sheffield United 1: Che Adams back on goal trail to lift play-off hopes as Rovers are left far from safe

As the unmistakeable strains of one of the Jamaican icon’s most feted hits was aired on the Rovers tannoy just after the final whistle, sections of the 3,784 Blades contingent were in something resembling party mood as they joined in while filtering out of the Keepmoat.

On the day, Unitedites did not have much need to ‘worry ‘bout a thing.’ While it remains to be seen if ‘every little thing gonna be all right’, this was a welcome step in the right direction.

It was Blades chief Adkins’s counterpart, Darren Ferguson, who displayed the frowns after the vast bulk of the pre-match pressure had been heaped upon the shoulders of the visitors and their manager.

As away-days go, Saturday was not quite picture-perfect for the Blades, but it still afforded a performance which would have enabled Adkins to rest soundly enough at night.

Ferguson, whose Rovers side have lost three on the bounce at home, have not won at the Keepmoat this year and are without a win in six matches in all competitions, will have been restless in comparison with their proximity to the bottom four being duly noted.

Before the game, Ferguson spoke about his side cashing in on some edginess in the ranks of the Blades, under the pump after a run of one win in six outings with their play-off hopes seemingly teetering.

It seemed the perfect game at the perfect time, with senior players back in the fray on an afternoon to lift the senses in front of a bumper crowd, he said. That was the theory.

What the Scot witnessed instead was a flat, timid, low-grade performance that reaped what it deserved – nothing.

Ferguson watched the game from the stand due to a one-match touchline ban and his sense of helplessness as the mundane events unfolded would have been considerable.

Mixed in with his anger and frustration was boredom, perhaps the most damning critique of a wretched home performance.

Ferguson said: “It was one of the most boring games of football, certainly derbies, that I have ever seen.

“I can’t defend that performance. There was no tempo or energy. Quite honestly, I was completely bored to tears watching it.

“I would like to apologise for that performance as I wouldn’t have been happy watching that.

“I now need to see the players’ character and temperament. This was a performance that shocked me.

“We won’t get relegated, in my honest opinion. I certainly think we have enough to win enough games to stay in the league. But it might be worth mentioning it to them.”

It is a fair bet that Adkins’s sense of well-being afterwards will have contrasted with his feelings ahead of the game, more especially with top-scorer Billy Sharp (foot) missing out against his former club.

Adkins was bold in his changes and infused his side with youth in the shape of match-winner Che Adams, full league debutant Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Louis Reed, with all three justifying their promotion. Talk about things working a treat. Adams delivered the key moment on 42 minutes, latching onto a lovely pass from Jose Baxter, head and shoulders above most amid the derby morass, and steering the ball past Chris Neal with a slide rule finish.

The Blades were full value for that interval lead, with Neill Collins heading against the bar early on and Baxter and Calvert-Lewin going close. In contrast, Rovers produced next to nothing.

That pattern continued on the restart, so much so that goalkeepr George Long had virtually nothing to repel, aside from a stinging cross-shot from Cameron Stewart.

The polish up front was provided by the Blades, most notably on 72 minutes when an outrageous dummy from Adams left Luke McCullough for dead before he supplied Reed, who spurned a chance to grab a second when Neal saved at point-blank range.

The Blades need not have worried with Rovers meekly allowing the game to peter out.

The Blades head to Bury tomorrow with play-off hopes renewed after Adams’s eighth goal of the campaign and first since October at a venue where he was involved on a match-day for the first time with the Blades after signing last term.

He said: “I can remember I signed on the Friday and then found myself on the bench here less than a day later. It’s crazy what has happened in the past year. I’ve packed a lot in and I’m just enjoying my football.

“The past few weeks have been hard because I’ve not been playing but now I’m back and I want to make an impression.

“I thought I was going to get a goal. I just felt it was going to happen. A couple of the lads, and Billy included, told me he knew I’d get one. It’s been a while.

“At the start of the season, I wanted 15 goals. I might not do that now but it’s still possible. Hopefully, we can get into the play-offs and then I can hit that target.”