Preston and not the play-offs are Doyle’s destination

The memories of their play-off final defeat to Huddersfield Town at Wembley last May still haunt the Bramall Lane club after they were pipped to automatic promotion by city rivals Wednesday.

The Terriers won 8-7 on penalties to join the Owls in the Championship, and Blades manager Danny Wilson was forced to rebuild his team over the summer after losing stars like Matt Lowton, Stephen Quinn and Nick Montgomery.

Midfielder Doyle is one of just five players still at Bramall Lane who started at Wembley 11 months ago. With just seven games remaining – in the space of 21 days – Doyle is adamant the Blades can jump from their current fourth place to take an automatic promotion spot.

Bournemouth currently occupy second place behind leaders Doncaster, but United have three games in hand on the Cherries, who are four points better off.

“There’s a lot of personnel gone from last season – (there are) probably three or four of us left who played in that game,” he said. “But I think we are well aware, speaking to supporters, they don’t want to go down that route again, and neither do we as players.

“All season we have been competing for a top-two spot and nothing has changed. We don’t want to be in the play-offs, and now it’s in our hands. It’s up to us to go grab promotion.”

United travel to Walsall tomorrow, with trips to Portsmouth and Crewe also to come, and home games against Crawley, Swindon, Brentford and Preston.

Doyle, though, is looking no further than the Preston game on April 27, when he hopes the champagne corks will be popped to celebrate automatic promotion.

“I don’t even want to speak about the play-offs,” said the 31-year-old former Coventry and Leeds United midfielder. “After the Preston game at the end of the season, I just want to be able to have a drink and chill out. I haven’t had one in a long time.

“It would be nice to look to that game; hopefully we have been promoted and we can have a drink with the team-mates.

“We just have to stay focused on catching the teams in front of us, and we have an opportunity to do that with the games in hand.

“Walsall is a massive game. They are flying, and have picked up some very good results.”

Wilson will wait until tomorrow morning before deciding on the fitness of defender Matt Hill and striker Dave Kitson.

But right-back Tony McMahon is definitely out, as he starts a two-match suspension for totting up 10 yellow cards, meaning a possible recall for former Saddlers defender Darryl Westlake against his old club.