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Sheffield United need cure for travel sickness
SHEFFIELD United manager Kevin Blackwell has warned his team to solve their problems away from home or risk blowing their chance of promotion.
But, despite insisting he remains confident they can qualify for the play-offs, Blackwell concedes that events since last year's appearance at Wembley means the South Yorkshire club could continue to prove vulnerable on their travels.
CRYSTAL PALACE 1 SHEFFIELD UNITED 0 - MATCH REPORT
United, who return to action at Peterborough tomorrow, suffered a shock defeat at Crystal Palace on Saturday and Blackwell said: "We're exceptionally strong at Bramall Lane so it's quite clear I've got a team which can play at home but struggles away.
"In the past our away form was especially strong - we broke all sorts of club records for it - but things have changed.
"Most of those lads have gone now.
"Any sports psychologist will tell you that camaraderie is a massive part of the game. We're still getting to know one another and it's when we leave our place that it shows.
"Half of these lads are still finding out about their colleagues and I'm still finding out about them."
Asked whether there was anything both he and his coaching staff could do the accelerate the process, Blackwell replied: "Things like that only happen with time.
"You can't just click your fingers and make something like that different. What we can do though is make sure that we start our away games on the front foot and not wait for the opposition to show what they've got. We do it at our place. Now we've got to be more assertive away. We need to have a bit more courage.."
Results elsewhere mean United head to London Road ninth in the Championship table - four points behind sixth placed Cardiff.
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
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