Sheffield United ‘just had to keep ploughing away,’ says Chris Basham

Newcastle United pinched a 2-0 victory from South Yorkshire with a defensive mindset, and Aston Villa tried the same on Saturday, but this time the Blades came out on top 2-0.

John Fleck scored two second-half goals as the weight of pressure, if not chances, eventually told. It could have been tighter, but Jack Grealish hit the bar with a 78th-minute penalty.

“It was a really hard game and we’ll have to get used to it because Newcastle did it and Aston Villa did – just hoping for that one break, that one goal,” reflected centre-back Basham, whose back-heel allowed John Lundstram to lay on the crucial opening goal. “At home, the fans get frustrated, the gaffer gets angry and things like that.

“Teams are not just going to come out at us because they know what they’re going to be in for. We just had to keep ploughing away. We didn’t really create the great first-half opportunities that we did in the second half but it’s the Premier League, it’s going to be hard to break teams down.”

Fleck took the plaudits despite an early booking which will rule him out of Saturday’s trip to Brighton.

“That’s what the gaffer has been asking of him and John Lundstrum and they’ve been doing it brilliantly,” said Basham. “It’s nice to see them chipping in with goals and, hopefully, the back three can start soon. When I get the ball in crossing positions it helps me to know they’re making late runs.”