Sheffield United make changes to avoid weather disruption ahead of Luton Town's visit

With pitches at the Randox Health Academy unusable because of the snow, Paul Heckingbottom told his squad to report for duty later than usual tomorrow ahead of what will be a light, tactically based session.

Although the information coaching staff plan to impart will not change, including details of how to break what Heckingbottom described as the visitors’ “man to man” pressing game, the way in which it is relayed might as United attempt to avoid causing unnecessary damage to the complex’s playing surfaces.

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“The weather means we’ve changed things around a little bit,” Heckingbottom said. “We’re still coming in but we’ve told the lads to do that a little later because of the roads and travel, things like that.”

“It’s not too bad here at the moment,” the United manager added. “But I do know that we’re due more (snow) later on and overnight tomorrow. So we’ve just moved things around a bit.”

Second placed United moved seven points clear of Middlesbrough in third when they beat Reading on Tuesday night, with the journey time back from Berkshire also influencing the programme Heckingbottom and his assistants Stuart McCall and Jack Lester have prepared.

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“We didn’t get back until the early hours on Wednesday,” he said earlier this afternoon. “Obviously they had the rest of that day to themselves and we’ve been doing some light stuff today, the same as tomorrow.

“Going Tuesday to Saturday is easier than Wednesday to Saturday, as we’ve been forced to do a few times lately. But there’s still things you need to be mindful of.”

Town, who held United to a draw at Kenilworth Road earlier this term, are fifth and boast the third best away record in the Championship. Only leaders Burnley and Blackburn Rovers, who beat them at Ewood Park last weekend, are stronger than United on home soil.

“We’ll still be going through all the things we would usually do,” said Heckingbotto, who has now completed his touchline ban. “That won’t change.”