HECKY THUMP!
Shef special has boss drooling
By ROSS HEPPENSTALL at Bramall Lane
PAUL HECKINGBOTTOM struggled to find the superlatives for his side’s stunning display as Sheffield United marched into the play-offs – but he need not have bothered.
In destroying champions Fulham, the performance of Heckingbottom’s Blades said everything that needed saying about their desire to make an immediate Premier League return.
A first-half masterclass, courtesy of goals from Morgan Gibbs-white, Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge, put the result and United’s play-off place beyond doubt by the interval.
Enda Stevens added a fourth for good measure in the second half and Heckingbottom (right) said: “The main thing was getting there and we wanted to do it our way. When we started taking risks, we became a real force and it just reinforces what we’re about.”
The Blades face Nottingham Forest at home in the first leg of their play-off semifinal next Saturday before the return fixture at the City Ground on the Tuesday.
They have been unsuccessful in all their previous eight play-off campaigns but Heckingbottom said: “We know each other well and they will be two good games. We have belief going into the play-offs, but we haven’t won or achieved anything yet.”
A near-capacity 30,813 crowd saw Fulham, who thumped Luton 7-0 on
Monday to seal the title, pop the ball around with a swagger early on. Yet United soon took complete control, scoring in the 10th minute through Gibbs-white, who headed in Oliver Norwood’s right-wing cross. The Blades struck a second goal on 21 minutes when Berge quickly moved the ball to Gibbs-white and his neat pass found Ndiaye who was able to rifle home.
United struck again minutes later when Ndiaye reached the lefthand byline and cut the ball back for Berge to sweep home a low shot.
A fourth goal came just after the break when a delightful passing sequence saw Berge find Stevens, who fired home at the far post.
Fulham boss Marco Silva admitted: “It definitely wasn’t the way we wanted to finish the season.”