Sheffield United: The big news that went unnoticed at Swansea ahead of Preston North End clash
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Rather than laud the return of his captain and most clinical finisher, possibly against Preston North End this weekend, manager Paul Heckingbottom buried the news in an answer to a question about Sheffield United’s performance at Swansea City.
Preparing for the trip to Deepdale on top of the Championship table, thanks to Reda Khadra’s added time winner in south Wales, Heckingbottom’s squad has excelled rather than simply coped in Sharp’s absence. But being able to call upon the services of a player who, despite turning 37 early next year remains one of the division’s finest centre-forwards, is viewed as a cause for celebration behind the scenes at Bramall Lane.
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“We’ve got Bill back fit now and Jebbo on the bench,” Heckingbottom told The Star, towards the end of his post-match interviews at the Swansea.com Stadium. “Options, beforehand and during the games on the bench, are going to be very important. I want the cavalry back.”
Sharp is among a number of senior players ruled-out by fitness issues in recent weeks, with the likes of Ben Osborn, Enda Stevens, Jack Robinson and Ciaran Clark unavailable for selection on Tuesday night. Although it sounds as if Sharp could have been taken some part in the contest, it appears Heckingbottom and his assistants Jack Lester and Stuart McCall, most probably after consulting Bramall Lane’s physiotherapy department, chose to omit him from their thinking in order to prepare for the trip to Deepdale. Despite drawing six of their 11 outings since August, Preston have conceded only five goals - two of which came during a Carabao Cup defeat to top-flight outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Khadra and Rhian Brewster, who provided the assist for the German at City, were both introduced during the closing stages of the meeting with Russell Martin’s side. The contest appeared destined to end in stalemate until Brewster overpowered former United defender Kyle Naughton and centred for his team mate to fire home.
Sharp’s availability brings even greater firepower to a squad which has scored more goals this term than all but one of the other 24 clubs in the competition and, crucially, improves Heckingbottom’s tactical flexibility too. Having become the most prolific marksman on England’s professional pyramid this century not so long ago, Sharp is not only a predator in and around the penalty box but also a master at holding the ball up and creating opportunities for others. That could prove crucial if United’s fine form of late continues, with Martin’s men choosing to try and smother attackers such as Iliman Ndiaye and Oli McBurnie.
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Hide Ad“Swansea looked to get on the front foot themselves but they also denied us space to begin with and they did it pretty well,” Heckingbottom conceded. “We were a little bit too content to work in front of them to begin with, and that’s something we looked to change. We took a little bit of a different approach as things went on and, as you can see, it eventually worked.”