Sheffield United face managerless West Brom in a key match at both ends of the Championship table

Sheffield United kept their fading hopes of a top six finish alive by securing a well-deserved 2-0 victory in the capital against Queens Park Rangers.

Callum O’Hare opened the scoring after 13 minutes before a second 20 minutes later from Tyrese Campbell helped confirm the Blades’ returning to winning ways after a narrow 2-1 loss to Coventry City just three days earlier.

Chris Wilder’s side remain nine points away from the play-offs, meaning they’ll need to be almost faultless in the final run-in as they look to climb at least another seven places in the table between now and the end of the campaign.

“It’s one game at a time and that’s our aim. It’s not over until it’s over, and we will keep fighting until the end,” explained midfielder Sydie Peck after the win as the Bramall Lane outfit continue to try and overcome a nine point deficit.

Next up for Sheffield United is a home clash against managerless West Brom, who recently parted ways with Eric Ramsay after an ill-fated nine match stint in charge at the Hawthorns.

Who is the referee for Sheffield United vs West Brom?

The EFL have confirmed that Dean Whitestone will be the referee for this weekend’s showdown between Sheffield United and strugglers West Brom.

Dean Whitestone refereed his first Football League game in 2005 and boasts over two decades of experience as an official, overseeing a combined total of well over 500 matches in the process.

Whitestone has overseen 15 Championship matches this season and has handed out 48 yellow cards, equating to an average of around 3.2 per game. He’s also produced two red cards this season, with the most recent going to Birmingham City loanee Jhon Solís during a 3-0 away defeat at Millwall.

The experienced referee is yet to take charge of a Blades match this season but has taken charge of eight Sheffield United matches over the course of his career, with the Bramall Lane outfit winning seven of those matches and drawing one.

Andrew Fox and David Harrison will act as the assistant referees for this weekend’s contest in S2, while Stephen Martin will be pitchside as the game’s fourth official.

United last faced the Baggies on 12 December at the Hawthorns, falling to a 2-0 defeat after Aune Heggebo and Karlan Grant.

It was a result which halted the team’s six-match unbeaten run at the time, with Wilder describing the performance as “Limp, lacklustre and everything I hate in a player and as a team,” in an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield.

United have gradually climbed the table since that defeat and have shown signs of getting closer to the levels they were producing consistently over the course of last season.

Meanwhile, the Baggies have sacked two different managers since that defeat and have only picked up seven points in the 14 matches which have followed.