Sheffield United key man fires Sunderland, Leeds United promotion warning after "best in league" verdict

Sheffield United’s return to Championship action this season could hardly have gone much better, with the Blades going clear at the top of the summit after Tuesday night’s comfortable 3-0 win over Oxford United. Friday night’s home clash against fellow promotion-chasers Sunderland will be another good test of their credentials but United will take heart from the feeling that they still have some gears to go through in the race for the Premier League.

They won’t have many more routine evenings than against Oxford as the gulf in class between the two sides shone through but it was a game that United’s players still had to approach in the right way, and their mentality was spot on. But for Jamie Cumming in the visitors’ goal, the Blades’ margin of victory could have been even greater and it is hugely encouraging that Chris Wilder’s side are getting stronger as the season goes on.

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“It’s quite a new group, with a lot of new faces, but there's a real bond,” said forward Callum O’Hare, who scored his first Blades goal against Des Buckingham’s side. “Everyone has just connected pretty quickly, and when you're winning it obviously helps. When we play here [at Bramall Lane], it kind of feels like a fortress.

“So when you come here, you’re excited and you’re ready to go. And we’ve got to keep it going. It was good [to score]. Obviously we’ve been getting the results but personally, I want to score more. And now I’ve got one, I can just kick on now and just hopefully keep scoring.”

United go into the Sunderland game on the back of seven straight victories on home soil, without even conceding a goal. That form has underpinned their promotion bid - although they have picked up some impressive results on the road as well - and fully justified their tag as, at the time of writing ahead of Leeds’ Wednesday night clash with Luton Town, the best side in the division.

Asked if they feel that as well, O’Hare admitted: “I think in house we do, yeah. I’m not sure what everyone else thinks but we know how good we can be, and I would still say there’s a lot more to come from everyone as well. Obviously we’re playing well and we’re getting results, but there’s definitely more to come from us. So hopefully we can kick on and then put some more runs together.

“I think we’re six unbeaten, with five wins and one draw, so we’ve just got to keep putting results together and grind them out. We’ve got a top team, a top coaching staff and manager, and then the fans drive us on. So you can’t really have much more, and it’s obviously working when we play here. So hopefully we can keep it going.”