Sheffield United: The biggest threat to promotion hopes is identified by the boss

Speaking as preparations for Friday’s crucial game against Nottingham Forest gather pace, Paul Heckingbottom warned any loss of focus could have devastating consequences for his team’s top-flight hopes.

United slipped to seventh in the table, one place outside of the play-off positions, when they were beaten by Millwall last weekend. Although Heckingbottom insisted they had not been “out-fought”, he did suggest a lack of care and attention had been partly to blame for a defeat which brought United’s nine match unbeaten run to an end.

“The little things, the small details that have been helping us to get the wins, they are so important,” Heckingbottom, the United manager, said. “If you don’t do them, or do them properly, then it makes things more difficult in what is already a really difficult league.

“I don’t think we’ve lacked, or ever will lack, the desire and the fight. I don’t believe my team has ever been out-fought or out-battled. Those small things, the things that lots of people often don’t notice, are what have been getting us the points and so we’ve really got to concentrate on doing those.”

Despite suffering a spate of injuries over the past month, with Charlie Goode’s suspension placing further pressure on United’s squad, Heckingbottom’s words suggest mental fatigue could become a bigger issue than physical tiredness.

With United set to contest their eighth match in a month when Forest make the journey to South Yorkshire, he added: “We’re just getting on with it, because that’s what we do. No excuses.”

MORE: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/how-mgw-proved-his-commitment-to-the-cause-3589888