Bramall Lane beckons and points there are overdue

That second place could so easily have been first place but two points from three games in a week during November allowed almost unstoppable Reading to get above them and they now sit four points ahead of the Sheffield club.

Things could have been far different too with the home club’s personnel, just last week manager Neil Warnock looked all set to join Portsmouth after his club gave him permission to speak to Milan Mandaric.

Warnock isn’t the most popular of people in the game and I’m sure not many would have sympathised with him having to cope with the Portsmouth chairman, but in the end he chose not, for now, to leave the club he supports.

This is a return fixture, we lost to them in the very first home game of the season back in August. It was 2-1 and just about a fair result although they were allowed a very dubious goal and we did come close to an equaliser after Ade Akinbiyi had pulled one back to give us a chance.

With transfer windows and what have you, Warnock hasn’t been able to bring in another five or six strikers since our last meeting, in fact he’s actually lost two with Andy Gray moving to Sunderland and Billy Sharp signing for Scunthorpe whilst securing the services of Vincent Pericard, on loan from Portsmouth.

The only other transfer activity has seen one defender signed and one sold. David Unsworth was brought in from Portsmouth and a week later Jon Harley was on his way out, signing for us in a deal just a few days before the transfer window closed.

Sheffield United have lost three times in the league this season but all those have been away from Bramall Lane, at home they have dropped points only twice , drawing two of their last four games.

Click HERE to see all Sheffield United’s results this season.

It is going to be a difficult game but we might just snatch our first point there for almost 22 years.

There is some good news for Warnock with the return of Chris Morgan who has sat out the last three games suspended after being sent off in the home draw with bottom club Millwall. He is expected to go straight back into the team.

Striker Vincent Pericard is on his way back to Portsmouth, having been recalled by new boss Harry Redknapp, but he will be in the squad tomorrow for the last time before heading back south.

Paul Shaw came through a reserve game but the former loan Claret is not expected to be involved and there’s a chance that both Nick Montgomery, a Burnley target over the summer, and Neil Shipperley could be ruled out with injury.

Montgomery has been involved with the Scotland Futures squad this week and has returned with a groin problem and Shipperley picked up an injury in last weekend’s Sheffield derby.

We can expect the Blades line up to be something like: Paddy Kenny, Leigh Bromby, Craig Short, Chris Morgan, David Unsworth, Paul Ifill, Phil Jagielka, Nick Montgomery, Alan Quinn, Danny Webber, Steven Kabba. Subs from: Alan Wright, Derek Geary, Rob Kozluk, Keith Gillespie, Michael Tonge, Vincent Pericard, Neil Shipperley.

Click HERE to see the full Sheffield United squad.

It is a case of one in and one out for Steve Cotterill with his full backs. Michael Duff returns to the squad after serving a one match suspension but Jon Harley misses out on a chance to play against his former club following his fifth yellow card of the season last week at Southampton.

The Clarets are also boosted by the return of Nathan Dyer who was ruled out last week with his club Southampton not allowing him to play, and he will very much be back in contention for a starting place.

There’s no news on John McGreal but hopefully he will be back, but with Keith Lowe on his way back to Wolves next week it could be that we wait until the Watford game. That would just mean Duff returning for Harley in the back four, albeit with something of a reshuffle.

We could line up: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Keith Lowe, Frank Sinclair, Graham Branch, Nathan Dyer, John Spicer, Micah Hyde, James O’Connor, Garreth O’Connor, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs from: Lee Grant, Duane Courtney, Chris McCann, Danny Karbassiyoon, Wade Elliott, Gifton Noel-Williams.

Not surprisingly we are reporting on a defeat but for half an hour a Sheffield United win looked very unlikely as we dominated the game. But a slip from Brian Jensen allowed Alan Quinn to score and Andy Gray doubled the lead just after half time.

There was no way back for the Clarets even though Ade Akinbiyi pulled one back with six minutes to go. It was his first Burnley goal and came from a cross from substitute Ian Moore who was playing his last game for the Clarets.

The teams were,

Sheffield United: Paddy Kenny, Rob Kozluk, Leigh Bromby, Phil Jagielka, Jon Harley, Andy Liddell (Simon Francis 90), Nick Montgomery, Alan Quinn (Paul Thirlwell 82), Michael Tonge, Andy Gray, Steve Kabba (David Johnson 85). Subs not used: Paul Shaw, Jonathan Forte.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Gary Cahill, Frank Sinclair, Mo Camara, John Oster (Ian Moore 75), Micah Hyde, Lee Roche, Graham Branch (Jean-Louis Valois 51), Dean Bowditch, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs not used: Danny Coyne, Paul Scott, Joel Pilkington.