BILLY SHARP believes Sheffield United’s FA Cup run has given them the confidence to return to the Premier League.
The Blades take on Manchester City at Wembley in the semi-final on Saturday needing only a maximum of three points from their final four Championship games to seal automatic promotion.
Despite being the ripe old age of 37, Sharp has still clocked 40 appearances in all competitions this season — and played the whole 90 minutes as United dumped Tottenham from the competition in the last 16.
They have also overcome Millwall at The Den, Wrexham at home after a replay, which Sharp scored in, and Blackburn in a quarter-final thriller at Bramall Lane.
Sharp told SunSport: “Cup competitions can be a distraction but, this one, this year, has helped us.
“It has also given us belief and momentum because we’ve won games in the cup after we’ve failed to win the previous match in the league. So it’s got us back on track.
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“Cup nights under the lights at Bramall Lane are special and ones that’ll be remembered more than some of the league games.
“It’s a day out that we’ve got to embrace and enjoy, we’ve got to go there, have belief and give a good account of ourselves, and who knows, cause an upset.”
Out of the three possible opponents they could have faced, the Blades have clearly drawn the toughest.
Pep Guardiola’s men are chasing a Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup treble, which no English team has managed since Manchester United 24 years ago.
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And Sharp knows the only way the Blades are going to cause one of the greatest Wembley shocks is to break the game into stages — and try to be in with a shout late in the game.
But the wily veteran has been in the game long enough to know anything is possible. Just ask Wigan, who not only beat City in the 2013 FA Cup final but knocked them out again a year later as a Championship team.
Sharp said: “Everyone dreams of winning the FA Cup but we’ve got to get past Manchester City. It’s going to be like a cup final for us — we’ve got to raise our game, but this is what football is about.
“Hopefully it’ll be our day and, who knows, if we can get to the final then it would be an unbelievable day.
“We’ve got a big task on our hands, so we’re taking one step at a time.
“We’ll just try to stay in the game and give ourselves something to play for in the last half an hour.
“It’ll be a special day regardless though.”
He is right. For a Championship team to be on the same table with three Premier League clubs, all currently occupying European spots, is a great achievement.
And Sharp added: “The FA Cup is the biggest cup competition in England with a lot of history, and rewards that make memories for a lifetime.
“We’re massive underdogs but we have belief we can go there, put on a good performance, and hopefully cause a shock.
“We’re going to have to be at the top of our game, and City will have to be below par, but it can happen in football. We have to believe and enjoy the day because they don’t come around often.
“If we can manage the occasion, and give our fans a good day out, then I’m sure the whole club and the supporters will be happy.”
But there is no doubting that the priority this season has been returning to the Premier League at the second attempt — after the agony of being edged out in a penalty shootout at Bramall Lane by Nottingham Forest in last season’s play-off semi-finals.
It was a hard one to take for the Blades and Sharp, in particular, who had to sit out the end of the season after getting crocked.
There has been no doubt that the Blades have been the second best side in the Championship after Burnley.
At one stage, they were coasting with the league leaders to automatic promotion but a few slip-ups and the relentless form of Middlesbrough and Luton made it squeaky bum time.
But they have come up with the answers in the last week by beating Cardiff and Bristol City at Bramall Lane to put them on the brink.
Sharp said: “That’s down to showing mental strength in games. We’ve got a squad where we can fill two teams, and everyone who comes into the starting eleven has done their bit.
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“Even in the cup competitions we’ve managed to change the team around and get through the rounds – we’ve got a great cup tie in the semi-final at Wembley to come – but the main priority is to get promotion into the Premier League, which we’re confident we can do, we just need to keep grinding out the results.”
BILLY SHARP was speaking to SunSport courtesy of EFL sponsors Sky Bet,
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
