Sheffield United rewinding the clock to the delight of Chris Morgan

Second-placed United – three points clear of Yorkshire rivals Leeds United with a vastly superior goal difference – will be virtually assured of a place in the top-flight next season if they beat relegated Ipswich at Bramall Lane on Saturday, ending a 12-year absence from the big time.

Morgan wore the armband when the Blades ended their own identical period of exile from the Premier League in 2006 under a lifelong ‘Blade’ and Sheffield-born manager in Neil Warnock.

Now as then, another avowed Unitedite and Sheffielder in Chris Wilder is presiding over what has all the makings of being another special season in the club’s history.

The 51-year-old stands on the threshold of greatness and joining an elite bracket of Bramall Lane managers to take the club to the top-flight, the esteemed ranks including the likes of John Harris and Dave Bassett.

Morgan has praised Wilder for successfully rewinding the clock to previous golden times in the club’s history by staying true to the core values which have proved so fundamental in their earlier successes.

Morgan, who played 274 times for the Blades and had a 12-and-a-half year association with the club – later serving as a coach and caretaker manager – said: “From me being at that football club as long as I was, I can now see that Chris has put the pride back in Sheffield United.

“It is an up-and-at-it attacking style and a ‘never-say-die’ approach and a team who never know when they are beaten.

“It has also been a good attacking style which brings plenty of goals.

“For me, that will always be the ‘Sheffield United way’ and is the biggest thing that Chris has brought back into the club.”

On the correlation between the Blades line-up who were promoted in 2005-06 and the current side, the former centre-back added: “I think there are similarities.

“Certainly different styles in approach from Neil’s team which went up to the way Chris has done it, but you will never lose that Sheffield United ‘desire’.

“In many ways, I think Chris has done a similar job to Neil, but a bit quicker.

“He has had to build a squad and a team, not only to get out of League One, but carry on that momentum and to be where they have been over the past two seasons is an absolute credit.”

Afforded the privilege of being the on-pitch leader when the Blades booked a return to the top-table of English football in the Easter of 2006, Morgan admits that he will be particularly thrilled for the latest United captain likely to be bestowed with that honour in Billy Sharp.

A similarly talismanic figure, Sharp, 33, has led by example on and off the pitch and contributed 23 goals to the Blades’ promotion charge and earned the respect of his peers in the process.

On the impact of Sharp, seeking to crown his career by reaching the Premier League with his hometown club, Morgan added: “I am chuffed for them all and just want to see them get it over the line, particularly for Sharpy.

“He has had an unbelievable season, goal-scoring wise. But as a captain and a Blade, he will be desperate to see it through and get that promotion.

“Then, he will be a proud man once that job is done – not looking too far ahead.

“If they can see that through, he will be the proudest man in Sheffield.”

It also promises to be a fateful weekend for Morgan’s other former club, Barnsley, who can take a major step towards securing a return to the Championship with a home victory over Blackpool at Oakwell on Saturday.

Morgan admits to being impressed by the renaissance at his home-town club under the stewardship of head coach Daniel Stendel and believes that the German has similarly forged an identity and togetherness at the club in what is promising to be another special campaign.

Morgan, who made over 200 appearances for the Reds before making the move to United in 2003, added: “Both teams have done great and are playing really good, entertaining football and scoring goals. Fair play to both of them.

“I have seen a lot of both teams. Me and my dad went to watch Barnsley against Hull in pre-season and they were excellent on the day and were organised, fit and looked to have a style.

“We walked out afterwards and said: ‘They will not be far away.’

“I have been impressed by Barnsley.

“When his (Stendel’s) assistant (Andreas Winkler) left to join Huddersfield, he was the one with the better English who did a lot of the communication on the training ground through the manager – and there were a few eyebrows raised when he left.

“But Dale Tonge has stepped up from the academy and it just shows what they think of him and they have just carried on. Good luck to them and I hope they see it through.”