Nigel Pearson delivers Sheffield United promotion warning after Bristol City win

The Blades moved eight points clear of third-placed Luton, who play on Wednesday evening, with a 1-0 victory over Pearson’s City at Bramall Lane last night.

James McAtee’s goal proved the difference between the two sides and Pearson said of United: “They have got experience in terms of being in the Premier League and want to get back there. They’ve got experience in that regard and they weren’t at their best tonight. But still found a way of winning the game. So fair play to them. They’ll know themselves that getting back to the Premier League, they’ll need to make adjustments to the squad to enable them to be competitive.

“We’ve seen how many teams are involved in a relegation battle in the Premier League. This remains a difficult league to get out of upwards so any team who get promotion absolutely deserve it and have shown enough consistency, not necessarily in performance but in results over a long and arduous season.

“Whoever gets results, it’s not luck or coincidence, because they have something that allows them to get results. Tonight we were in the ascendancy and couldn’t drive that into a winning position.

“Sheffield United have a streetwise look to them. Even in times when the side hasn’t been as good as the fans would like. They’ve always had that culture which suggests they’re very much in the same boat.”