Paul Heckingbottom playing down Sheffield United’s Premier League promotion chances

Blades manager Paul Heckingbottom appears to be wise to that notion.

When asked if his in-form side – who have won seven out of nine Championship matches under his watch to move within a point of the play-offs – are a serious promotion contender, his answer was instant and if it was well-rehearsed, it was undeniably clever.

Heckingbottom, whose side had just beaten a team in their vicinity in West Brom, said: “Serious is Fulham who are running away with it.

“With the rest, you look at the league and it is crazy. If I say I am serious, then there’s probably another 14 managers saying they are as well.”

Fourteen is not such a throwaway figure as it seems either.

While Fulham look clear title favourites and Bournemouth, Blackburn Rovers and QPR currently look best placed to battle it out for the other automatic promotion position, below them it is chaos. All bets are off.

Just eight points – something akin to a bad Championship week if you lose three games in a row – separate 14th-placed Blackpool and Huddersfield Town, in fifth.

One point also currently splits just five clubs from the Blades in tenth up to the team occupying the final play-off spot in Nottingham Forest.

Heckingbottom, whose side have games in hand on all sides around them, continued: “We’ve fought hard to get where we are, but cannot get past tenth. But what we have done with the wins is put us a point behind the play-offs with our games in hand.

“But it does not necessarily mean anything and our run-in is more difficult than others. That is when our squad comes in and the league can look totally different. If we can carry on the form, we will be fine.”

United’s run-in may look hazardous, but it is also rich in opportunity. More especially on home soil where 11 of their last 18 matches will be staged.

Heckingbottom’s side host rivals Blackburn, Forest, Middlesbrough and QPR before season’s end, as well as Fulham and Bournemouth. It won’t be lost upon the Blades chief that his side also welcome five of the bottom eight as well.

He may not view United as ‘serious’ contenders just yet, but his reference to the remaining fixtures being a ‘great opportunity’ is also quite revealing.

Heckingbottom, waiting for an update regarding David McGoldrick, who picked up an injury against Albion, continued: “We have a great opportunity and have earned that right. We have another team in the play-off positions (on Saturday in Huddersfield) who have played a few more games.

“These are great games, we want to be here. If we’d have sat here talking about this two or three months ago, we’d have all snapped each other’s hands off to be in this position.

“Six of those (sides) sat at the top still have to play here (at Bramall Lane) and will see that as opportunity to get points off us. The fact that there are so many teams involved in it means it doesn’t mean too much yet.

“We can only look after us and keep winning games. If we do, people will all of a sudden start talking about us.”

The chatter among Unitedites does not just surround an emerging pitch for promotion – and potentially rewinding the clock to a thrilling run-in during 2018-19 – but something just as significant.

It centres around a team reconnecting with supporters after a tough past 18 months. Heckingbottom’s side are again playing the ‘Sheffield United way’ – front-foot, aggressive football which characterised them under Chris Wilder. Supporters and players all on the same page again.

It is something that a successful part of the Wilder years in George Baldock is noticing.

Baldock, who excelled on his first league appearance since early November due to a combination of illness and injury, said: “Since the manager has come in, I think you can see our identity is slowly coming back. Especially in the last few weeks. It is a pleasure to play under and I think now we are beginning to show the real Sheffield United, which is good.

“We know in this division – no matter who we play – that if we’re at it like we have been recently, then we can beat anyone. It is really pleasing and positive. There is a real connection there and I think it is coming back now.

“We were under par before Hecky came in and weren’t playing the typical Sheffield United way, which is fast, ferocious, ‘in-your-face’ football. We have brought it back and need to keep pushing up the league.”

On his first-team return in an unorthodox position on the left-hand side of defence, he added: “I was unlucky with an illness which set me back quite a lot and I came back and got an injury – probably due to the illness – and Jayden Bogle has come in and done absolutely fantastic and that’s football.

“I had to do that when I first came to the club with Kieron Freeman; it is what breeds a successful football club when you have competition and really good players at this level.

“Jayden has taken his chance and I’ve had to be patient. I will be a better player for this experience and we are all in it together and we want to get Sheffield United promoted.

“It will take a team effort, like me on the left filling in.”