Sheffield United 3 Reading 0: Blackwell has Bunn to thank for Blades triumph

The goalkeeper, who joined the Blades on loan after Paddy Kenny was hit with a drugs ban, saved a penalty and produced a string of top-class saves against FA Cup giant-killers Reading.

Only two months ago, Bunn appeared to have no future at Bramall Lane after being axed and replaced by another loan signing, Carl Ikeme. He was recalled when Ikeme suffered injury in only his second game and has never looked back – keeping clean sheets in the last six home games.

Defender Jonathan Fortune also repaid the faith shown by manager Kevin Blackwell last night by scoring his first goal for the club to set up this 3-0 victory.

Click here to read the manager's reaction following Tuesday night's game >>

Blackwell stuck with Fortune after failing in his bid to secure a replacement for the departed Matthew Kilgallon.

Ironically, one of his targets, former Doncaster Rovers defender Matthew Mills, was in the opposition line-up last night and looked solid.

Fortune's progress has been hampered by injuries since his arrival at the club last summer and this was the first time he had started consecutive games.

Although stopping – rather than scoring – goals will be his main concern, Fortune pushes forward for the Blades at corners.

When Reading failed to clear the ball from a corner after 12 minutes, Fortune was the target for a ball swung back into the area by James Harper.

The defender showed technique befitting a top striker to control the ball on his chest before hooking it into the net with a sublime half volley.

It was the 29-year-old's first senior goal in nearly three years and only the eighth in his professional career.

Strikers Richard Cresswell and Ched Evans returned to the Blades side as Darius Henderson and Henri Camara dropped to the bench but Jamie Ward was preferred to new signing Mark Yeates as a replacement for winger Lee Williamson – fit enough to make only the bench after straining a hamstring against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup.

Reading should have equalised when captain Ivar Ingimarsson rose unchallenged to meet Shane Long's free-kick but his header was brilliantly pushed away by Bunn.

The Blades goalkeeper then truly grabbed the limelight five minutes before the break with a penalty save to deny Gylfi Sigurdsson after Chris Morgan had fouled Long.

With other fine saves under his belt to deny Jobi McAnuff and Long, Bunn had every reason to feel proud of display.

Just moments after the penalty, the Blades grabbed the security of a two-goal lead as Cresswell headed home from close range following a shot by Kyle Walker.

The introduction of Brian Howard threatened to spark a Reading revival but the former Blades midfielder was on the receiving end of several hefty challenges that upset his natural game.

Ward created a third for the Blades late on with a flicked header which Morgan made sure was over the line to claim the goal.

With only one defeat in the last 11 league games, the Blades have the look of genuine play-off contenders.

Whether they are capable of getting automatic promotion may rest on whether significant funds are made available from the transfer of Kilgallon.

Sheffield United: Bunn; Walker, Morgan, Fortune, Taylor (Stewart 45); Ward (Yeates 86), Montgomery, Harper, Quinn; Cresswell, Evans (Henderson 79). Unused substitutes: Williamson, Bennett, Geary, Camara.

Reading: Federici; Griffin, Mills, Ingimarsson, Bertrand; McAnuff, Cisse (Howard 45), Karacan (Kebe 74), Sigurdsson; Thorvaldsson (Rasiak 63), Long. Unused substitutes: Church, Hamer, Pearce, Khizanishvili.

Referee: PT Crossley (Kent).