Huddersfield Town 1 Sheffield United 0: Neil Warnock leaves crowd begging for more as he completes his rescue act

But even at this stage of his life, Warnock is something extra special.

"Twenty thousand, one hundred and seventy-two have witnessed a miracle," Paul Ramsden proudly announced on the tannoy as the final whistle rang out.

The 74-year-old writes his own scripts, so perhaps we should have known his team would finish the job with a 1-0 win over his boyhood club Sheffield United that had fingerprints all over it.

The Terriers only needed a point but on the night as over the season, they got the job done with something to spare.

When Warnock flew in from New York -to save them in mid-February – a game later than the anxious Terriers would have liked because he had promised his wife a holiday – you seriously wondered if the supreme firefighter had bitten off more than he could chew. In public at least, he did.

With 15 games to go, the Terriers were only off the bottom of the Championship on goal difference, five points off safety having been stuck in the basement all season.

The transfer window had been and gone and there were no free agents taking his fancy – he was stuck with a squad which had looked distinctly poor under Danny Schofield and Mark Fotheringham.

To keep them up was a big achievement, to do so with a game to spare was luxury beyond belief.

No wonder the home fans sang "One more year Warnock, one more year" long before the end.

"If I manage your team for another 12 months, I won't be here," he said when took the mic at full-time.

They had seen their team secure their place in the second tier with a Warnock masterclass which confounded a team bound for the Premier League.

Sheffield United had used all five subs and changed formation by the mid-point of the second half, unable to crack the conundrum their former manager set them.

Their chances came in the opening 45 minutes but they did not take them.

When Huddersfield peeped out of their shell for the first quarter of an hour, Danny Ward gave them a wonderful goal to cling to and having sussed the balance between defence and attack they could not get right in the first half, that is what they did.`

The first 45 minutes were far from an extravaganza for the watching television viewers but all Warnock would have cared about was that his players were not throwing enough – hardly throwing any – counter-punches to ease the pressure by making talented opponents think twice about pouring forward.

Under the wily veteran, the Terriers have got used to letting their opponents have the ball and most of the first half was played in their territory. Town had just 173 touches to the Blades' 372.

When the ball was at the feet of John Egan and Jack Robinson, the hosts just left them to it, and neither looked capable of killer passes.

For different reasons, Paul Heckingbottom's side will also get very few chances in next season's Premier League, so it is imperative they take them when they come along.

Daniel Jebbison had three decent first-half opportunities and failed to take any of them.

Played through after eight minutes, Lee Nicholls was able to put his chest in the way of the striker's first shot, taken with the Blades down to 10 men with Max Lowe having gone off injured.

Berge's 40th-minute was steered so precisely, it was more like a pass, and one Nicholls was able to collect.

When George Baldock got to the byline on the half-hour and crossed, Jebbison mistimed his jump and headed over. When Sander Berge crossed, he could only flick it across the face of goal.

Town started the second half with a change of intent and a flurry of early corners, the first of which Tom Lees headed straight at Jonathan Hogg, who unwittingly saved a goal.

Josh Koroma was inspired and in the 55th minute he beat Chris Basham and forced a good save from Foderingham.

Minutes later Danny Ward – a Warnock favourite from Rotherham United and Cardiff City – took a throw-in with his back to goal and unleashed a stunning finish.

From there Town manned the barricades but kept the visitors at arm's length.

"I feel really proud to be a manager, I've loved every minute of it," said Warnock at full-time.

"It's been bloody hard work but I'm really pleased you can be in the Championship next season.

"I'm glad I've given you something to smile about."

Then he headed down the tunnel through a guard of honour, assistant Ronnie Jepson at his side.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Lees, Helik, Pearson; Edmonds-Green (Ruffels 72), Kasumu, Hogg, Headley; Rudoni; Koroma (Hungbo 90), Ward (Harratt 89). Unused substitutes: Vaclik, Jackson, Diarra, Rhodes.

Sheffield United: Foderingham; Basham, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Norwood (Doyle 67), Berge, McAtee, Lowe (Stevens 8 (Fleck 67)); Ndiaye (Sharp 52), Jebbison (McBurnie 52). Unused substitutes: Davies, Coulibaly.

Referee: J Busby (Oxfordshire).