Sheffield United: One year on, Paul Heckingbottom identifies his greatest achievement at Bramall Lane

Unveiled a year ago today, Heckingbottom has won more than half of his matches since being handed the reins and steered the club into the Championship play-off semi-finals last term.

After entering the World Cup break ranked second, United are on course to mount a serious challenge for promotion during the second half of the campaign which resumes when Huddersfield Town visit Bramall Lane next month.

Despite averaging nearly two points per game at the helm, Heckingbottom identified his greatest achievement so far as restoring harmony behind the scenes following a series of spats between the board of directors and his most predecessors. And that, the former Barnsley, Leeds and Hibernian chief admitted, would not be possible without the support of those around him - including his trusted lieutenants Jack Lester and Stuart McCall.

“From a personal point of view, getting everyone pulling in the same direction all the time has been the best thing,” Heckingbottom said. “It’s me who sits in front of you guys (the media) but there’s not a cat in hell's chance that you can ever be successful on your own. It’s all about teamwork. And that means everyone, right from top to bottom and all the way through, has got to be working together.”

Heckingbottom will oversee his 49th league match with United when Town travel to South Yorkshire on December 10th, before reaching another important milestone at Wigan Athletic nine days later.

Despite being engulfed by an injury crisis which saw a dozen senior players miss their victory over Cardiff City, which briefly saw them overtake leaders Burnley, United are preparing for their meeting with Mark Fotheringham’s side having won all but one of their last five outings.

“It’s the people who make a team what it is,” Heckingbottom said. “The way they work and the attitude they’ve got. I’m glad that we’ve been able to build a no excuses culture here, because there’s always one of those if you want one. And again, that only happens when everyone is on exactly the same page. It’s just not possible if they’re not.”