Sheffield United: ‘Support us, forget what the score is at our rivals’

Sheffield United have home advantage for their final game of the regular Championship season, against Fulham. It is a big advantage for a team who have only lost once at Bramall Lane since Heckingbottom took over as manager in November.

Victory will confirm the Blades’ play-off place, in fifth position. Anything less will leave them waiting on the results of games involving Luton Town, Middlesbrough and, if they lose, Millwall.

But because their fate is in their own hands, Heckingbottom wants supporters to ignore those matches and concentrate only on lifting their team.

Early kick-offs are notorious for lacking in intensity, something the Blades always have when they play at their best, but Sky television has decreed all the final-round matches should kick off at 12.30pm so it can host live coverage from Luton’s Kenilworth Road.

“If I could do a team talk to the fans I’d have them all in, I really would,” says Heckingbottom.

“The 12.30 kick-off is a big thing.

“We tried to do something different the last 12.30 kick-off in terms of putting things on the screen before and the fans were good.

“They can’t underestimate how important they are throughout the season, but especially tomorrow.

“What may be going off in other games, forget about it, support us, push on, because if we win it’s done, taken care of.

“Patience will always be key. Usually at our place I’ve been saying that because teams have been coming trying to make it difficult, Fulham are the best team and they’ve got nothing to prove so they can just come and express themselves.

“They probably won’t have that problem but we may have that patience tested with things going off in other games. That’s irrelevant, we’ve just got to approach our game right to the death. If we score right at the end, no problem, we’ve done enough.

“So long as they’re ready to go by 12.30, that’s all I’m bothered about. If they want a few more beers before 12.30, get them down your neck and at 12.30 be ready to go.

“I could say enjoy it, be loud, but they’ll be biting their nails, screaming, there’ll be tension.

“Every one of them would rather feel like that than middle of the road, nothing to play for, sitting in 12th, the champions are coming and we can’t do anything.

“We’ve got what we wanted, we’re playing for something, so it’s something we should celebrate and it’s important we have even more to play for.”

Luton host Reading, Middlesbrough are at Preston North End and Millwall are at already-promoted Bournemouth.

The Blades hope to have Morgan Gibbs-White and Conor Hourihane available, something Heckingbottom says might not have been the case with a shorter turnaround to the last game at Queens Park Rangers, played on a Friday evening for television.

Billy Sharp will not be involved, but has had sugar injections in an attempt to give him a chance of appearing in the play-offs if the club get there.

“We’ve got a couple of knocks, Conor and Morgan,” he says. “We’ll get them back on the grass today. George (Baldock) trained fully yesterday so we’ve got him back.

“I think (the extra time) has (helped). With Conor and Morgan if it had been a quick turnaround they would probably have been in doubt.

“That’s helped the preparation for a big game, and it’s getting everyone reset and ready to go. We’ve had a full week’s preparation. We would have liked to have had everyone on the grass to be going through everything but it’s seemed to settle down after how hectic it’s been from Christmas onwards.”

Asked if Sharp could feature in the play-offs were his team to make it, Heckingbottom replied: “It’s still too early. We’re doing all we can.

“He went for some sugar injections last week, a couple of days steady after that, and we’ll see how he reacts.

“We know he’s going to do all he can and we’ll do all we can in case we can extend the season. It’s better that than sitting about thinking about next season.”

Heckingbottom also revealed Jack Robinson is one of the players who has triggered an automatic contract extension, but he is keen for more clarity on a number of others whose deals are up in the summer.

“Progress has been made,” he said. “Some players have had their contract extension options taken up. Some have hit that marker (of appearances) and they’re renewing but there’s still more to come.

“Robbo’s hit his marker to be here next season but there’s more than that. There needs to be more thought in terms of the club going forward.”