Sheffield United star's surprising take on their last result against Luton Town

Thirty three matches later and now seven clear of third placed Middlesbrough with 11 league games of the season remaining, Paul Heckingbottom’s side are preparing to renew their rivalry with the team from Bedfordshire who have once again defied expectations by forcing themselves into the top six.

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Baldock, now recovered from the injury which interrupted his campaign, is not surprised by either United’s position in the table or Town’s progress since their previous clash either.

“We talk on the bus after every game of course,” he said. “At Luton, we didn’t play great but I remember telling the lads that, later on, we’d look back on that as being a really great point. What’s happened since then, I think we’ve been proved right.”

“The manager told us we’d look back on it in the same way too,” the United defender added. “Because they’re a really good team and they always make life difficult for you.”

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with Rob Edwards’ side, Heckingbottom told The Star he always suspected Town would challenge again after joining United in the play-offs last term. The respect the 45-year-old has for the visitors is shared by Baldock, who insisted his colleagues are bracing themselves for a challenging afternoon.

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“Luton are always difficult,” he said. “They are high-energy and like to get the ball forward. We will make sure no stone is left unturned with regards to what we want to do and what we’ll be facing.”

After losing to Blackburn Rovers last weekend, United returned to winning ways by beating Reading on Tuesday night. That result strengthened their grip on the division’s second automatic promotion berth, reducing Middlesbrough’s margin for error in the process.

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A veteran of United’s climb into the Premier League four years ago, Baldock was among six members of the squad Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder took up on show at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

“It’s easy when you are winning but those of us with the experience, we know it’s mostly down to your actions,” Baldock said. “It’s how you behave and conduct yourself on a consistent basis, that’s what sets the example. There’s never any panic because we have a lot of experience at different levels.”

That knowledge, combined with the youthful energy provided by the likes of Tommy Doyle, Daniel Jebbison and Iliman Ndiaye, helped United hold their nerve in Berkshire after the recent defeats to Rovers, Millwall and Middlesbrough.

“The experience means there’s never any panic,” Baldock said. “The last promotion we got, we were the chasers and I told a few of the younger lads after the Middlesbrough game, don’t get worried about it because there are always going to be ups and downs. We’ve chased before, we’ve led before and everyone in this division goes through blips. It’s how you bounce back that counts.”