Owls are fired up to take fight down to the wire

United go into the penultimate weekend holding the advantage in the race to finish runners-up behind champions Charlton Athletic courtesy of a one-point lead over their neighbours.

When a goal difference that stands plus 11 in the Blades’ favour is taken into account, that lead is effectively doubled but that has not stopped Wednesdayites believing the dramatic events of last weekend has tipped the promotion race in their favour.

Michael Antonio’s late, late winner against Carlisle United coupled with Sheffield United, now without 34-goal top scorer Ched Evans following his jailing for rape, losing at MK Dons means Jones’s men travel to Brentford today with renewed hope.

If Wednesday can prevail, however, their manager believes that even the most committed of Owls fans will admit to hoping United can then join them in next season’s Championshop via triumphing in the play-offs.

He said: “A look at my career would show I was at Cardiff when we were up against Swansea and then Wolves against West Brom so I don’t know any different (than challenging a local rival for promotion), it has always been there.

“It is great. I really do hope that both clubs go up. I think it would be fantastic for the city. Both clubs, with the facilities they have, deserve to be.

“I know people say we don’t deserve to be in this league. But we do because the club faltered and dropped down. To get back, you have to earn that. With facilities and fan base, we deserve to be at the highest level. But the key in football is we need to earn it.”

On the fight for supremacy in the Steel City, Jones added: “I have spoken to some United fans when I am out in restaurants and they are just as nervous as our fans.

“The one thing I will say is that for all the rivalry that is there, deep down I think the two sets of fans want both clubs to go up. Let’s hope that can happen.

“Having said that, I am more worried about what we do. If it’s us that go up and they don’t, I won’t lose any sleep. And if they do do it and we do it then I still won’t be losing any sleep.”

Wednesday’s game at Griffin Park kicking off almost two-and-a-half hours before United host Stevenage in front of the live Sky cameras means victory will be enough to leapfrog their rivals and leave Danny Wilson’s men needing to beat the team occupying the final play-off place.

Regardless of how United fare, however, what a win at Brentford will do is ensure the race for second place goes down to the final Saturday of the season when Wycombe Wanderers are the visitors to Hillsborough.

Jones, whose first 10 games in charge have yielded a phenomenal 26 points, said: “We are still chasing and United still have the upper hand through being a point in front of us. We are still relying on them to falter, as we have been since I walked into the club.

“I would rather be in second place and a point ahead. That is where we want to be as it means it is in our hands. That isn’t the case at the moment.

“So, in that respect, nothing has changed for us. We just have to keep focusing on what is in front of us and only that.

“There is pressure on both sides and pressure on those teams chasing the last play-off spot. We happen to be playing one of those so we have a game that is every bit as tough as Sheffield United’s.

“Everyone is looking at them faltering and Brentford being an automatic win for us. But it is a tough one and if we do win then we will have earned it.

“What I do know is the players are thriving. How we won against Carlisle (last week by Antonio’s ‘96th-minute’ winner) is the best way to win a football match, especially considering what is at stake.

“If we had won 2-1 and been two goals up at one stage then you don’t get the atmosphere we had last Saturday. The whole place was bouncing, everyone was.

“Games like that are ones that you thrive on and training here in the last couple of days has been fantastic. That is just from the Carlisle game. You can’t inject that in people, they have to earn that and the players certainly earned that result.

“Because of how late we scored and the atmosphere, Hillsborough was bouncing. The players need that sometimes. You get that at certain stages in a season and we were fortunate enough to get it last weekend.

“What we have to do now is make sure we take it to the last day. If it goes that far, I am told there could be 38,000 at Hillsborough (against Wycombe) and that would be a big help.”

Across the city, the Blades are in equally bullish mood as to their own chances of clinching automatic promotion.

There can, though, be no doubt that the loss of Evans is a blow with United’s performance in the absence of their attacking talisman last Saturday at MK Dons being way below the standard that had brought six straight wins before the trip to Buckinghamshire.

When asked if the Blades losing their top scorer had been a big boost for Wednesday’s own prospects, manager Jones said: “It is not for me to talk about that. All I am concentrating on is what we need to do. I have no influence on any other team in this league.

“I don’t know what United do in training, how their players feel, who is carrying knocks. I don’t have any influence and in all my time as a coach or manager I have never interfered in what another club does because my job is hard enough on its own without worrying about what others are doing.

“I will take any advantage that comes my way but I don’t know the circumstances and I don’t really want to know them. I just concentrate on us.”

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Previews: Pages 2 & 3.