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Blades fear factor
SHEFFIELD United will use the fear of failure to drive them towards victory in Sunday's Steel City derby, manager Kevin Blackwell has revealed.
Blackwell and his players head for Hillsborough knowing that a win will not only see them record their fourth straight win in the Championship but also avenge last season's defeat at the home of their arch-rivals.
With United's coaching staff making no attempt to disguise their determination to put Brian Laws' side to the sword, arriving back at Bramall Lane with nothing to show for their efforts is unthinkable for a team desperate to regain its Premier League status.
And, as he prepares to put his powers of motivation to the test, Blackwell, who has overseen a dramatic rise in United's fortunes since taking charge earlier this year, admitted they will channel that nervous energy to inspire another whole-hearted and committed display.
He told The Star: "Can you enjoy them (derbies)?
"Well, you can if you win but I don't think it's impossible to enjoy yourself beforehand because you know exactly what is at stake and what's coming if you lose.
"Brian will be exactly the same. "We all know how important this is for the supporters and that's going to be at the front of our minds."
n United reserves beat Port Vale 3-1 at the Bright Finance Stadium last night. Nicky Law's scoring exploits continued when, after hitting the target four times against Lincoln, he netted for the fifth time in just two matches during a keenly-contested first-half. S-Latef and Keith Quinn were both on target for United before the visitors claimed a consolation.
Keith Gillespie completed 90 minutes of Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying win over San Marino as did David Carney during Australia's 4-0 rout of Qatar. David Cotterill was an unused substitute for Wales in Germany while Justin Haber featured for Malta as they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Hungary.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
