Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock praised his team's "professional performance" after they beat Walsall 1-0 at the Bescot Stadium to stay in touch with the First Division play-offs.

He said: "We were up for it today, and the lads were up for it. You could see it in their eyes.

"Stuart McCall is 40 and he was still making runs in the 86th minute.

"After this result Ipswich (the Blades' next opponents at Bramall Lane) will be a bit twitchy now."

He added: It has done the world of good for our confidence and I was happy about keeping a clean sheet."

The Blades beat Walsall with a 48th-minute penalty awarded for a trip by Ian Roper on Jack Lester.

Lester picked himself up to blast the spot-kick high into the net, handing Walsall their fourth successive defeat and dumping them in the relegation zone.

But Saddlers' caretaker manager Paul Merson claimed it should never have been awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg.

"Ian got the ball, although he should not have gone for it." he said."

Warnock added: "I told the lads before the game it was probably the most difficult time to play Walsall in the whole season. The crowd were fired up and we had to weather the storm early on."

There has been speculation that Warnock's assistant, David Kelly, a former Walsall player, might land the vacant manager's job at Bescot following the sacking of Colin Lee.

Asked about the situation Warnock replied: "It's a compliment that he is being mentioned and he loves the club, I know that. We shall have to see if anyone asks, but he will make a manager."

Meanwhile Merson is hoping to keep the job full-time despite losing the two games in which he has been in charge.

He added that whatever happened he would still want to play for Walsall next season, even if they were in the Second Division.

He said: "I can't ask more of the lads. We had two clear-cut chances and I don't see what Sheffield did, apart from the penalty. We deserved something out of the game, definitely."

Neither side created much in a tight first half, but after Sheffield took the lead with the penalty Walsall piled on the pressure and were a shade unlucky not to get a point.

Teenage striker Matt Fryatt, who has just been called up for the England Under-18 team, connected with a fierce volley from Merson's free-kick in the 68th minute, but Paddy Kenny made an instinctive save, pushing the ball over the bar.

Then, in the 71st minute, Lee Bradbury, shot wide when put through by Merson and with 10 minutes left Fryatt just failed to reach a knockdown from Bradbury and then Neil Emblen nearly equalised with a diving header from Fryatt's cross.