Sheffield Utd 1 Port Vale 0: Players, rather than the board, who have not delivered '“ Kevin McCabe

Eighteen-year-old midfield player Louis Reed has been tipped for a bright future in the game, and his performance in United’s engine room on Saturday will have enhanced his growing reputation.

It may have been Billy Sharp – a player 12 years his senior – who netted the all-important 50th-minute winner, but Reed excelled in midfield as manager Nigel Adkins switched to a three-man defence and 3-5-2 formation.

Having not won previously at Bramall Lane in 2016 – and after a surprise defeat to Bury in midweek – United should have been on their way by half-time.

Che Adams was thwarted by Vale goalkeeper Chris Neal – recalled from a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers – and twice United had the ball in the net only to be denied by the referee’s whistle.

Dean Hammond, who also had a header cleared off the line, was judged to have fouled Neal, then Sharp was flagged offside.

The winning goal was the result of neat movement, Adams feeding Hammond, who saw his cross find its way to Sharp.

The striker turned and smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

The front pairing of Sharp and Adams were dangerous and Reed believes they can be instrumental in United reaching the play-offs.

“Che had a couple of chances which normally he would have been putting away,” said Reed. “It’s not gone his way, but I still thought he was brilliant.

“Sharpy is on fire and so as long as we keep feeding them, I am sure the goals will keep coming.”

Vale enjoyed plenty of possession after Sharp’s goal, but goalkeeper George Long was untroubled.

Reed said: “We had some good passages of play, but, to be fair to Port Vale, they had quite a lot of the ball, especially when we went 1-0 up.

“It was just a case of keeping solid at the back, not sitting back, and making sure we didn’t concede a goal.

“Bury we know wasn’t good enough, and (Saturday) was the perfect stage to put things right. We did that.

“We have been talking how important it is to put a run of results together, and our main priority is getting as high up that league table as we can.

“All the staff and players are on the same wavelength, everyone knows where we need to be going.

“I think we can deliver even more than we did (on Saturday).

“We are making chances and on another day we could have put three or four away and come in half-time 4-0 up. That’s what we have to keep working towards and, hopefully, it will come in the next few games.”

Before the game, Blades’ joint-owner McCabe defended the club’s ambitions, revealed his family had ploughed £90m into United, while fellow owner Prince Abdullah had contributed a further £15m since he purchased a 50 per cent stake in 2013.

This season alone, the joint owners have invested £8m, paying £1.8m for a new DESSO pitch at Bramall Lane and upgrading pitches at their Shirecliffe training centre and Academy.

McCabe said United’s current league position was “unacceptable” and added “costly recruitments” had not delivered on the pitch. He said: “Rest assured, our position is not a result of lack of effort, investment or ambition from the owners – my family’s investment over the years amounts to around £90m and Prince Abdullah has, in a short space of time, contributed a further £15m.

“In this season alone, the joint owners have, in total, put in £8m of money.

“On the playing front, the number of new recruits brought on board in the last three or four seasons alone exceeded over 40 new players joining the Blades, surely demonstrating our commitment to succeed.

“Whatever the reasons at the moment, the various costly recruitments have not as yet brought us the success we crave,” he added.

Sheffield United: Long, Brayford, Basham, McEveley, Edgar, Woolford, Reed, Flynn (Coutts 82), Hammond (Cuvelier 66), Adams (Done 80), Sharp. Unused substitutes: Howard, Campbell-Ryce, Calvert-Lewin, McGahey.

Port Vale: Neal, Purkiss, Dickinson, McGivern, Duffy, Kennedy, Foley, Moore (Kelly 62), Leitch Smith (Dodds 75), Robinson (Hooper 57), Grant. Unused substitutes: Streete, O’Connor, Brown, Boot.

Referee: B Toner (Sussex).

Man of the match: Louis Reed.