Sheffield United star's cheeky dig at rival team as The Blades try and seal automatic promotion
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Speaking ahead of the meeting with Albion, who are battling to secure a place in the end of season play-offs, the experienced midfielder explained why his team mates will refuse to afford the occasion special significance despite knowing a win would see them make sure of a place on the top-flight next term.
Second in the table and four points ahead of their nearest challengers Luton Town, who have two fixtures remaining on their 2022/23 schedule after beating Middlesbrough on Monday, United were beaten on home soil by Michael Carrick’s fourth-placed squad two months ago. That result prompted many observers to speculate that the visitors from Teesside were destined to finish as runners-up behind leaders Burnley.
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As he surveyed the state of play in the Championship now, Norwood suggested that feeling was shared by many of those under Carrick’s command too, saying: “One team beat us in February and though they’d been promoted in February, judging by the amount of noise they were making in the tunnel, which is interesting. It’s not about getting too high or too low. It’s all about keeping a cool head and focusing on the next job. That’s all we’ve ever done. If we win a game, we just get on with trying to do the same again. If we lose, then we look at the reasons why, try to learn from it, and then just park it. That’s what you’ve got to do. That’s all you can do.”
MORE: How Norwood prepares
Aged 32 and a former Northern Ireland international who represented his country at the Euro 2016 tournament in France, Norwood is one of the most experienced performers at Heckingbottom’s disposal and hugely influential both on the pitch and in the dressing room. If United do go up this term, it will be his second promotion in United colours since arriving at Bramall Lane in 2018 and the fourth of his career having also achieved the feat with Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion. Norwood, who has made no secret of the fact he wants to remain in South Yorkshire when his contract expires this summer, has also appeared in two FA Cup semi-finals. The most recent of those came when United faced Manchester City at Wembley last weekend.
“The noise a team (Boro) was making in the tunnel probably lit the fire under us,” Norwood said. “The mentality has always been the same here, lose a game, pick the bones out of it, park it, It’s a marathon. It’s such a difficult league, But you can’t underestimate having a group of players who know what it takes either.”
“Everyone has contributed to put ourselves in this position,” he added. “It’s not just the lads who are in the starting eleven or coming on right now. You won’t do anything unless everyone is pulling in the same direction and wants the same thing.
“Now we have to go out there and try and finish the job. Because there is a job to do.”