James Shield: Sheffield United show the mettle and the majesty to win promotion

Second in the Championship table and five points clear of third placed Luton Town, with a game in hand on Rob Edwards’ side, Paul Heckingbottom’s men enter Tuesday’s match against Bristol City knowing that another victory would leave them on the brink of securing the competition’s remaining automatic promotion berth behind runaway leaders Burnley.

The Star’s James Shield identifies five things the meeting with Cardiff revealed about a United squad which also faces Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

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They have the right mindset: Make no mistake about it, Sabri Lamouchi’s team performed much better than its position in the table would suggest. Above the relegation zone on goal difference alone, they made the hosts work hard for their result. Much harder than the 4-1 scoreline would suggest.

After falling behind to Sory Kaba’s penalty, United could have panicked. Instead they remained focused, patient and clinical with James McAtee, Jack Robinson, Iliman Ndiaye and substitute Ciaran Clark all netting in response.

Everyone knows United have quality. They wouldn’t be in such a lofty position if they didn’t. Crucially, they also possess the necessary psychological strength to see the job through.

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United are also durable too: With Wes Foderingham suspended, the loss of Anel Ahmedhodzic and Chris Basham just before kick-off forced United to reorganise their defence with three wing-backs starting in their rearguard. Inevitably the lines of communication between them were a little fuzzy to begin with, which led to a few nervous moments at the back. But they improved as the afternoon wore on, which turned out to be vitally important given the pressure Cardiff applied during several periods of the game.

That was impressive and, given the congested nature of their fixture schedule, hugely encouraging for Heckingbottom who could be forced to make similar readjustments during the closing stages of the campaign.

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Adam Davies was a shrewd acquisition: A Wales international and two-time promotion winner with Barnsley, the 30-year-old acquitted himself well against Cardiff. He nearly got a touch on Kaba’s spot-kick and made a superb save to deny Joe Ralls moments before the interval, with the contest still delicately poised at 1-1.

Foderingham will almost certainly return against Pep Guardiola’s star-studded outfit, after completing his two match ban. But United are fortunate to have a goalkeeper of Davies’ calibre in reserve.

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Duo will be a big miss at Wembley: McAtee’s equaliser was expertly crafted and finished. Tommy Doyle provided the assist for Robinson’s header, and drove United on whenever Cardiff threatened to take charge.

Both on loan from Manchester City, neither are able to feature against their parent club this weekend. An already tough job has just got even tougher.

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Old-timers are still crucial: Despite the youthful exuberance of Doyle and McAtee, the likes of Oli Norwood, John Fleck and Billy Sharp still have key roles to perform for United. Being able to call upon such experienced and knowledgeable professionals at a pivotal moment of the contest must be so comforting for Heckingbottom and the rest of his team.

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