Sheffield United will be hoping to build on the positive momentum generated by their first home league win of the season at the weekend when they travel to Blackburn Rovers tomorrow night. The Blades moved off the bottom of the table after beating Watford and if results go their way, could be out of the bottom three by midweek.
Boss Chris Wilder’s ambitions remain greater than simply survival but even journeys of a thousand miles begin with a single step and the hope is that that step was taken at the weekend. After this the Blades are on the road again on Friday, at Paul Heckingbottom’s Preston North End, and Wilder will again be tempted to shuffle his pack to keep his players fresh.
With that in mind, and with confirmation that Gus Hamer will miss at least both of those games after suffering a knee ligament injury, we tasked our man to select the side that Wilder could send out at Ewood Park - has he got it just about right or is there anything you’d do differently?
1. Michael Cooper
A virtual spectator on Saturday apart from one routine save and he'll be hoping for a similar 90 minutes at Ewood Park | Ed Sykes/Getty Images
2. Chiedozie Ogbene
He was in and out of the game against Watford but gives absolutely everything and at the minute looks to be the man in possession of that right wing-back shirt, over the other obvious option in Femi Seriki | Kate McShane/Getty Images
3. Japhet Tanganga
The new Blades skipper has been a model of consistency since coming to Bramall Lane from Millwall and was again calmness personified at the weekend | Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
4. Mark McGuinness
A player who's really impressed me since coming in from Luton and has made that position his own in the middle of the back three, heading everything that comes his way and some bits that don't as well. Composed on the ball too and can ping it, Norwood-style | Sportimage