Adams is chasing case of survival déjà vu as Blades look to avoid drop

Adams is hoping to lead the Blades to Championship survival by taking maximum points from the remaining two fixtures against Barnsley tomorrow and Swansea City the following weekend.

Even that may not be enough as the Blades are also relying on Doncaster Rovers or Crystal Palace to blow up.

However, until it is mathematically impossible, Adams will hold on to the idea of staging a truly ‘Great Escape’ – warning his rivals that ‘strange things can happen’ at this stage of the season.

Back in 1985, as a Coventry City player, Adams and the Sky Blues sat eight points adrift of safety in the top flight with only three games to play.

All but written off after picking up just one point from the previous four games, they subsequently won their final three games against Stoke City, Luton Town, and Everton to stay up and condemn Norwich City to relegation instead.

The Blades had fallen eight points adrift of safety with four games to play before recording back-to-back victories against Bristol City and Reading over the Easter weekend.

The margin is down to six points with Doncaster and Palace the only two clubs who can still be sucked into the relegation zone.

“Strange things can happen at this stage of the season,” said Adams. “If they lose two games on the spin and we win two games, who knows? It’s not an impossible turnaround but we are reliant on other teams now to do us a favour.

“We know what we have got to do – win our last two games – and if we don’t beat Barnsley, it is gone whatever anyone else does,” he added.

Adams, 49, was still a fresh-faced left-back learning his trade when Coventry survived in May, 1985 but scored one of the goals in a priceless 4-1 victory over Everton at Highfield Road in the final game of the season.

“The scenario now is similar but, as a player, I could go out on the pitch and do something about it,” he reflected. “I kicked a few people and upset a few people. Now I have to rely on my team going out and performing.”

The Blades’ task tomorrow will not be helped by the rivalry with neighbours Barnsley who, under the guidance of manager Mark Robins, remain on course to finish the season as South Yorkshire’s top club and have lost only one of their nine Yorkshire derbies this season.

“I am told Mark Robins has not lost a (South Yorkshire) derby all season,” said Adams. “Let’s hope, by the law of averages, that run is due to come to an end.

“He’s done a great job, he is one of the young managers to keep an eye on in future years, but you don’t need me to tell you what his team talk is going to be.”

Doncaster host Leicester City tomorrow and Palace visit Hull City with the Blades intending to keep track of both scorelines throughout the afternoon.

“I will take the pressure off my players as best I can,” said Adams. “I am sure the fans will let me know how other teams are getting on but, at Reading, we knew Crystal Palace had gone 1-0 up and it didn’t change the way we were playing.”

As reported in Wednesday’s Yorkshire Post, Adams believes his club has a bright future – regardless of success or failure in this season’s survival battle – due to the quality of the young players who have emerged in recent games.

However, there are still mixed emotions about the situation that has developed at the club since his arrival from Port Vale at the start of the year.

“I am proud of the youngsters – but I can’t say I am proud of this season,” he admitted yesterday. “I was proud until January because I had taken a team to first and second in the table. After January, it has been a scrap.

“Every Sheffield United fans wants to see home-grown talent and it’s a vindication of all the money that (chairman) Kevin McCabe has ploughed into youth development.

“If anyone should feel proud, it should be him. The message it sends to youngsters in Sheffield and Yorkshire is that if you come here you might get an opportunity that other clubs don’t give you.

“But a football club is only as strong as its good senior professionals,” he added pointedly. “And I am not saying we have got all good senior professionals.”

Adams confirmed that winger Mark Yeates was axed from the squad at Reading but refused to elaborate on the reasons why.

Striker Daniel Bogdanovic, however, was omitted due to an ankle injury and has also been feeling ill during the build-up to tomorrow’s meeting with his former club. Better news for the Blades is the possible return tomorrow of strikers Ched Evans and Richard Cresswell who have missed the last five games through injury.

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