BOSS Kevin Blackwell was delighted that his side showed a "competitive edge" as Sheffield United kicked off their European tour with a win in Hungary last night.
Two goals from Danny Webber and a third from Billy Sharp gave the Blades a 3-2 success over sister club Ferencvaros in Budapest.
Speaking in a joint post-match press conference with Hungarian counterpart Bobby Davison, the former Blades striker, Blackwell said: "My general opinion is, and Bobby will agree, you wouldn't normally pick such a tough game to start pre-season.
"I thought the competitive edge certainly showed at times because of the status of both football clubs.
"Our pride takes over and it was a very good game to watch."
The Blades chief was delighted to see Paddy Kenny and Webber return to action after knee injuries, while Lee Hendrie, who spent the end of last season on loan at Leicester City, played a full 90 minutes.
New loan signing Greg Halford was introduced as a substitute at half-time, while Sun Jihai will have to wait until the tour moves on to Belgium and Holland before making his debut.
Blackwell added: "It was a physical game. There was a good tempo and it was like an English-style game. It was a very good test.
"The fitness levels were very good and we are looking to take it to the next step.
"Pre-season is about learning and going out to experiment. As well as for fitness, these games are for trying people in different positions, different formations, and see how they cope because you cannot experiment when the league season starts."
The Blades leave Budapest tonight, heading for Belgium and Holland where Blackwell's side will face KVK Tienen on Wednesday and Helmond Sport on Saturday.
Blackwell remains confident of signing Wigan winger David Cotterill on a permanent basis. Blackwell said: "Cotts wants to be here and we would love to have him."
Ferencvaros 2 v Sheffield United 3: click here for match reportWhat do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORE Football headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesThe full article contains 380 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
