Sheffield United manager tells promotion rivals Middlesbrough and Luton: 'Now you can feel the pressure'

Speaking after watching his team record a 1-0 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road, Heckingbottom insisted the story of United’s campaign so far means they are “comfortable” being second in the Championship table with eight matches remaining.

James McAtee’s second-half strike saw the visitors move six points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough, who suffered a shock defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town. Luton, in fourth, are now behind Michael Carrick’s men on goal difference alone after beating Watford earlier in the day.

MORE: A narrow but, in the grand scheme of things, huge win

Surveying the state of play at the top end of the division, Heckingbottom said: “Everytime we win, whatever Middlesbrough, Luton or anyone else does, it makes their margins for error even slighter because there’s another game gone. I want them to feel that pressure. We are lucky. We have been in this position all season so we feel comfortable in it. We’ve got players who have done this before.”

MORE: This end of season award is already sorted

Six members of the squad Heckingbottom selected for the trip to Norfolk have achieved promotion in United colours before and, with his team also preparing for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City later this month, the 45-year-old added: “We’ve got lads who have done this before. We’ve been in big games already in the cup and so we know what they feel like. We are used to them. This is a strange period of the season right now, and I want them (Middlesbrough and Luton) to start feeling the pressure now.”

United hit the woodwork either side of McAtee’s finish, which Norwich’s David Wagner felt should have been disallowed for an offside “during the build up, not at the final pass or the shot itself.” But the German conceded that United deserved to prevail, given their greater quality in possession and attacking prowess.

“I really liked our mentality,” said Heckingbottom. “I enjoyed how we went about things and the attitude the boys showed out there.