Why Paul Heckingbottom thinks Sheffield United can go on FA Cup holiday without having to worry

The Blades signed off league football for eight days with a 1-0 win over Bristol City which left Middlesbrough and Luton Town with a gap to close in the two matches before United return to the competition, at home to West Bromwich Albion on April 26.

By going eight points ahead of the chasers, they guaranteed they will still be second when they return, with two games in hand. More than that, with Boro at Kenilworth Road on Monday, one or both of their rivals will have dropped points by then.

It means the Blades can enjoy Saturday's Wembley FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City for what it is.

"We've done all we can in the league so we can forget about it now, it's irrelevant what happens elsewhere now so we can just focus on a big game and a big occasion and try and enjoy the game," said manager Heckingbottom, whose side have four league matches left.

Wembley should now be a mental break for his players.

"That's how we've approached all the (FA Cup) games," he commented.

"It's a different competition in its own right and we've tried to attack it that way. This will be no different.

"We've done what we can in the league and we'll park it, forget about it and focus on one of the best teams in the world now.

"We're going to enjoy that challenge.

"If we achieve what we want to achieve, that's the level we're going to be playing against so why not test ourselves right now?

"We're not silly, we need to play at our absolute best and City are going to have to have an off day but stranger things have happened and we just have to prepare properly, attack the game as best we can and enjoy the occasion whatever happens."

The Blades will be without two of their best players recently, in midfielders James McAtee and Tommy Doyle.

The pair are ineligible because they are on loan from Manchester City. It shows the perils of relying on borrowed players but with so much money and talent concentrated on the Premier League, second-tier squads will struggle to succeed without good use of the loan market.

"We've (permanently) signed one player in three windows and got rid of a lot so that's what we've been working with. We've had to make every penny count so there was no way we could have bought Macca, Ciaran (Clark), Reda (Khadra)," said Heckingbottom.

"It's not just about the money, we have to put ourselves in a position, which I think we do well on the grass, to show we're a good place to come and that's what we have to do.

"I want the loans to come in and affect the XI and be different and it is a good opportunity."