It’s an all-Yorkshire affair on Friday night as Sheffield United travel to face Hull City in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Blades head into the game, which is live on Sky Sports, on the back of consecutive 2-1 victories over Leeds United and Queens Park Rangers, closing the gap on the play-offs to just one point.
On the contrary, Hull are battling back-to-back relegations as they sit level on points with Burton Albion at the bottom end of the table, managing just one win in their last five.
Tom Carnduff takes a look at Friday’s game and why the Blades’ promotion push is firmly back on track.
Billy’s sharpened the Blades
A guaranteed goal-getter in the EFL, Billy Sharp has once again hit double figures for the campaign.
The Sheffield United captain is a regular starter for Chris Wilder’s men and his recent brace against Leeds United put him alongside Rickie Lambert and Wayne Rooney as the third player to score 200 goals in English league football this century.
Alongside the goals, he also provided the assist for John Lundstram’s strike in the midweek victory over QPR.
Billy Sharp is 13/2 with Sky Bet to open the scoring against Hull City on Friday night.
Whilst Clayton Donaldson is behind Sharp in the scoring charts, the fact that 82% of his shots have been on target shows he can also take chances that are presented to him as well.
He can be a handful for defenders and has stepped up in recent week whilst Leon Clarke is experiencing a goal drought.
Some captain’s lead by example and Sharp certainly falls into that category. You can also be sure that the 32-year-old will want a second Premier League spell, but this time with his boyhood club.
Clarke’s shown he can bounce back
He has 15 goals to his name this season, but Clarke has failed to find the net in his last six outings for the Blades.
The 33-year-old divided opinion when he joined the club from Bury in 2016 but has gone on to silence the doubters with 24 goals in two seasons at Bramall Lane.
Whilst his current run will concern fans, he has demonstrated the ability to bounce back on multiple occasions.
Five games passed before Clarke got his tally going for the season against bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday in September.
Leon Clarke is 15/2 with Sky Bet to score a brace on Friday.
His brace at Hillsborough was followed by another two goals in the win over Wolves, putting the Blades in a good position at the top end of the division.
Another run of five games followed before the forward would bounce back in spectacular fashion, scoring all four goals in the 4-1 victory over Hull City in November.
His form in League One led to him dropping out of the squad completely, but again, he came back with goals in five consecutive games to conclude Sheffield United’s remarkable campaign in England’s third tier.
Whilst the goals aren’t there at the moment, he’s bounced back before and you’d back him to do it again if the Blades are to continue their push back up the table.
Brooks is back
An incredibly exciting young footballer, David Brooks has smashed onto the scene for the Blades with a bang.
The 20-year-old featured in 22 games for Wilder’s men before a bout of glandular fever that left him hospitalised, with Chris Wilder making it clear that he wanted his recovery to be carefully managed.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the fact that he nearly joined Chesterfield on-loan in the summer was, quite frankly, bizarre given his performances in the Championship.
His start at Sheffield Wednesday highlighted how he could excel at first-team level. He grabbed an assist, and the plaudits, in the 4-2 win over the Owls.
Sheffield United are 6/4 to beat Hull City at the KCOM Stadium.
Blades defender Chris Basham has compared Brooks to Gareth Bale, and given his style of play, it’s not hard to see why those similarities are pointed out.
The youngster is comfortable on the ball, sees the opportunities for goal-scoring opportunities and seemingly glides past opponents with ease at times.
His return to first-team action will undoubtedly make Sheffield United a stronger outfit.