Sheffield United v QPR: Billy Sharp asked to lead promotion push from sidelines

Speak to those who know him well and Sheffield United’s talismanic club captain is much more than just a scorer of goals.

Like every good leader worth his salt, Sharp sets the example in plenty of other ways that may not always be obvious to those supporters who idolise him and view him as one of their own.

At the age of 36, Sharp still drives standards in training. Like all experienced captains, he also possesses a sixth sense of knowing when his team-mates will need encouragement or a kick up the backside.

A manager can only do so much, with it up to the captain to police the dressing room. It relies on a strong level of trust between the pair of them.

Paul Heckingbottom may have only been appointed as permanent manager less than four-and-a-half months ago, but the respect between him and Sharp is obvious to all and sundry.

The veteran striker will sit out a second successive game tonight due to a hamstring issue.

On another big night in the Blades’ season at Bramall Lane, Sharp will be performing another role, albeit not the one he would ideally have chosen.

On Saturday, Sharp went on Twitter and posted a picture of himself in a retro Blades jersey while at home to deliver a pre-match message of support to team-mates before the game at Stoke City.

Tonight, he will be in the dressing room as United seek to shrug off a bad day at the office by moving back into the top six.

Heckingbottom said: “I have been chatting to Bill about him and his role as club captain, and being selfless. He is in a bad position in terms of himself and feels like he cannot contribute.

“But he can; he can still be that personality and club captain and be around the players, saying the right things and behaving in the right way and trying to lead from the sidelines.

“I have spoken to a lot of players about leadership and behaving in the right way and not only challenging yourself, but others. Winning teams behave in a certain way and losing ones do – it is ‘everyone else’s fault’ and there’s always an excuse.

“If you are club captain, your standards should be high and you are a role model.

“We have seen Bill’s influence on the pitch and now it is in the dressing room.

“Whatever he has got to do to get fit is his priority, but we want him to be about.”

John Egan took the armband in the 1-0 loss at Stoke and will do so again this evening.

It said a fair bit about the defender that he fronted up for press duties ahead of tonight’s game just two days on from unluckily diverting a cross into his own net for the only goal of the game in the Potteries.

In truth, it would represent no surprise to his team-mates.

United now find themselves back at Bramall Lane and it has been fertile ground under Heckingbottom.

They have shown their mettle to such a degree that they are unbeaten in nine games under his watch at S2, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.

United’s number of shut-outs this season – 16 – is the joint best total in the Championship. Only West Brom have conceded fewer goals at home.

It just so happens that four of the Blades’ next five matches are in front of their own supporters, starting against a rival tonight.

Mettle will be tested in serious games that are likely to be tense, tight and possibly low-scoring. Few would expect the Blades to be found wanting defensively.

Egan said: “We have managed to keep a lot of clean sheets, which is really good. Wes (Foderingham) has come in and done brilliantly as well. It is a big team effort and the games can be really tight at this stage of the season, it is important to get on the right side of those tight games.

“The run-in is always different to the rest of the season and when it is April and after the last international break, you know you are playing for something.

“The atmosphere changes in training and in the games. It is exciting to have something to play for at this stage of the season.

“We’ve seven games left of a 46-game season to achieve what we want. The manager and his staff are leaving no stone unturned.”

When it comes to the secret of the Blades upturn under Heckingbottom, Egan is unequivocal as to why.

He added: “It is just going back to basics. We played a certain way over a number of years and we came away from that.

“The new manager came in and brought his ideas in. We upped our intensity and went back to the way we’ve done things in the past and I think that has helped and definitely improved us.”

Last six games: Sheffield United DWLDWL; QPR LLWLLL.

Referee: D Bond (Lancashire).

Last time: Sheffield United 1 QPR 0, January 12, 2021; Championship.