Sheffield United v Barnsley: Manager reaction as Blades go back into play-offs with derby-day win

12.30 kick-offs can be strange, stadiums can be flat and we looked like a side that played on Wednesday night. We needed to inject an aggressive mentality and make the game we wanted it to be. A good quick free-kick, delighted Sander got his goal and we didn’t look back from then.

“I’m delighted in the end.

“It’s been a long slog for a long period of time and with the effort the lads have put in, and the things niggling at me, like teams cancelling on us and the injuries, I think it’s right we sign off with victory.

“The players need a lot of credit. We’ve had players putting themselves forward to be on the bench when not fit. Playing out of position, playing every week.

“There’s always been a big moment, be it a goal from Bill or a bit of magic from Morgan or a big save from Wes. It’s fitting we sign off with a win and get ready for the last six games.”

“It’s his hamstring. He has felt something. Me sitting here now, I am anxious and I am worried about it. The positive for me is Billy knows his body. He knows not to carry on when he feels something muscular. There will be a scan later in the week and we’ll take it from there.”

We were playing at a level that meant we weren’t happy to draw here, and we said that at half-time. We were playing well enough to win. And sometimes you can only see the win and when you concede the goal you don’t know how to react. Conceding the goal shouldn’t have stopped us playing well. That was the part we didn’t achieve.

With the help of the home crowd their players gained confidence and ours lost confidence. That changed the game to a game we didn’t want, of course.

Until the goal we played good, in the first half we were the better team if you ask me. We created chances and were the same team in the second half, still pushing them down. But it wasn’t until the free-kick and they took the lead, which isn’t good enough for us, that things changed.

and the Blades are up to fourth after a 2-0 win over Barnsley - it wasn’t pretty at times but it was effective as United keep another clean sheet and the only real worry now is over Sharp’s fitness after he went off. We’ll hear from Paul Heckingbottom on that in his press conference and bring you what he said as soon as we can

to meet a cross from the Barnsley right and it flicks the bar, I think, on its way over - he’s been a danger all game

sees Fleck come on for Gibbs-White

and it’s Gibbs-White who gets it, getting on the end of McBurnie’s pass and going round Collins before finding the back of the net - what a finish and what a player, his ninth of the season and it’s 2-0 to the Blades