Paul Heckingbottom out to regain Sheffield United's defensive composure after set-back in Premier League promotion bid

After seeing their lead to third-placed Middlesbrough cut to seven points at Bramall Lane on Wednesday, the Blades were beaten 3-2 at Millwall in a dramatic encounter in London on Saturday.

Boro wasted no time pouncing on another set of dropped points as they were 3-1 home victors over QPR to reduce the difference to second place to four points, although Heckingbottom’s men do have the luxury of a game in hand.

United – one of the best defensive sides in the division – were off the pace at the back as Tom Bradshaw scored a hat-trick for the hosts, with the Blades pulling themselves level twice.

Tommy Doyle’s first-half free-kick made it 1-1 before James McAtee showed some great footwork and composure from Jayden Bogle’s cut-back before finishing into the roof of the net for 2-2.

However, the Lions would not be denied and they found a winner in the 88th minute when Bradshaw completed his hat-trick into an empty net from Voglsammer’s terrific low ball across. Sheffield United next play Watford at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon and Heckingbottom insists there is no need to change the approach that has made his side serious contenders for automatic promotion.

“You certainly get what you deserve and we started like the team who played Wednesday night, who travelled and stood in our beds for an early kick-off,” he reflected.

“But the biggest disappointment, the most frustrating thing, is it’s difficult to stop that and turn it round, and we did that. We did it at half-time, we did it in the second half, so we were the team, I felt, at 1-1 we quietened the crowd, they were turning when we were on top, so it’s disappointing to give the goals away we did.

“We’ve given Millwall the game there. We’d shown everything we say we’re about – the character, the determination, the drive – but we maybe lost that little bit of composure as well.”

He continued: "We are preparing for another game straightaway which is the good thing about this league. We never change our approach or how we are.

"We bother about what we want to do and how we want to do it - what we do well and what we need to be better at. That doesn't change if we have won but we still follow the same process. Nothing changes in our approach.

"We need to look at what we need to be better at and make sure it doesn't happen again. This week is a good week for it because after this week we have all the midweek games again coming thick and fast where it is difficult to get on the grass and test the lads. This will be a good week for us now."

With 14 games remaining, the Blades remain in pole position to secure the second promotion place behind Burnley. The Clarets are 11 points clear at the top of the Championship after winning 1-0 at Luton Town. Heckingbottom was keen to stress that what Vincent Kompany’s side are doing is rare, with their promotion rivals having lost just two of their 32 league outings.

"The abnormal thing is what Burnley are doing. If you look at the points over the season, we are doing great,” he said.

"If you look at our position we are doing great but you always want to do better and we push for that."

Iliam Ndiaye was only used from the bench as the Blades made a handful of changes to the side that lost to Middlesbrough but Heckingbottom said that the absence of the Senegal international from the starting line-up was over a fitness concern and not a tactical choice.

He said: "The changes were to freshen up, Iliman has not been training.

"He was still a doubt until today. The medical team were confident this morning that he had taken a knock because we were unsure if it was a thigh strain or a knock.

"He couldn’t remember taking any contact but it presented like he’d taken a knock rather than any strain.

"It had settled down this morning and we were confident he was available.”

Millwall: Long, McNamara, Wallace, Cooper, Burke (Leonard 72), Bradshaw (Malone 89), Flemming (Evans 90), Cresswell, Shackleton (Honeyman 72), Voglsammer (Watmore 89), Saville. Unused substitutes: Bialkowski, Esse.

Sheffield United: Foderingham, Basham (McAtee 77), Berge, McBurnie, Egan, Lowe, Norwood, Robinson, Bogle, Doyle (Osborn 55), Jebbison (Ndiaye 63). Unused substitutes: Davies, Fleck, Ahmedhodžić, Clark.

Referee: S Martin (Staffordshire).