Blackwell enjoying race for top two

19 April 2009 15:43
The Blades face a tough trip to Turf Moor on Monday evening to take on a Burnley side who are also currently occupying a play-off spot. With Wolves already promoted to the Premier League following a 1-0 win over QPR, the Blades are vying with second-placed Birmingham for the second automatic spot. Birmingham's 1-0 success at Watford moved them four points clear of United but a win at Burnley would close the gap to one point with two games remaining. Blackwell told the club's website: "I enjoy this, I am not feeling any pressure "We all want to win every game and I kick every ball from the sidelines and become frustrated when it doesn't quite come off. "Saying that, when I first came here my job was to make sure we didn't go down and by the end of the season we had almost reached the play-offs. "If you want to know what pressure is think about Forest, Southampton and Norwich, for example, who could all go down and lose massive amounts of revenue. The position we are in is a nice pressure to have. "I know Sheffield United from my first spell here and I used that to my advantage when starting to turn things around. "If I could make one signing for the next three games it would be 'lady luck' because if she shines on us we could be looking forward to an early summer. "There will be plenty of twists and turns and it is all to play for." Blackwell has injury doubts over Matt Kilgallon and Sun Jihai, while Brian Howard is suspended. Kilgallon damaged knee ligaments in the recent win at Reading and missed Easter Monday's goalless draw with Nottingham Forest. But scan results this week have confirmed the injury is not as serious as first feared and he could return for the Blades' last two matches, while Jihai is struggling with an ankle problem. Leigh Bromby will continue to deputise for Kilgallon alongside skipper Chris Morgan at the heart of defence. Burnley boss Owen Coyle believes it is a blessing that his side do not play until on Monday. He told the club's official website: "Maybe it's a blessing the game is not until Monday as it gives one or two players a chance to get over their knocks." Teenage striker Jay Rodriguez started in both matches over Easter and is again on stand-by as Steve Thompson (ankle ligament damage) and Martin Paterson (hamstring) both continue their recovery from injury. Coyle has also admitted he could call upon youngsters, including Wes Fletcher, who has already been offered a year's professional contract. He added: "We believe he could be similar to Alex MacDonald or Rodriguez in years to come so if we need to dip into that we can."

Source: Team_Talk