The Blades will be eager to stake maximum points at Huish Park tonight! Should they win and Rochdale and Fleetwood Town fail to win their games against Swindon Town and MK Dons then the S2 club will almost be guaranteed a play-off place and be handed the chance to fight for a Wembley showcase final (again!). It would leave Rochdale (with a game in hand) the only club outside the top 6 who can mathematically overtake the Red and White Wizards.
United extended their record to just one defeat in 6 matches after coming from two goals behind at Oldham Athletic to draw 2-2 and you have to go back all the way to 7 February since they last lost away from home.
Sheffield United produced a second-half comeback to salvage a 2-2 draw at Oldham. Nigel Clough's play-off chasers were behind to a double from Dominic Poleon but goals from Jason Holt and Jamie Murphy extended their unbeaten away run to eight games. United wasted the first real chance as Ryan Flynn picked out Marc McNulty, whose shot was blocked by the feet of goalkeeper Joel Coleman Oldham took the lead after 22 minutes when Poleon seized on hesitation in the visiting defence and charged into the box before driving his 12-yard shot into the far corner of the net.
Poleon's second goal, in the 43rd minute, was an absolute stunner as he turned 35 yards out and unleashed a thunderbolt of a strike past United keeper Mark Howard. Poleon almost got his hat-trick goal after the break but United pulled one back in the 56th minute when Oldham failed to clear a Paul Coutts cross and Holt swept the ball home from eight yards. The Blades bagged a controversial leveller after 73 minutes when referee Richard Clark over-ruled his assistant to give them a corner and, following a goalmouth scramble, Murphy forced home from close range. Clough's side pushed for a winner and nearly got it but Michael Doyle saw his 20-yard shot come back off a post.
Striker Michael Higdon isn't expected to travel with the squad despite fit. He has recently returned to training and should feature for the U21's at Birmingham City on Wednesday to gain proper match fitness. 20 goal striker Matt Done (groin) and Steven Davies sat on the bench in the draw at Boundary Park but should be included tonight. Meanwhile the fitness of Jamie Murphy and Terry Kennedy will be assessed and may be rested with the visit of Yorkshire rivals Bradford City this Saturday looming.
On tonight's match Blades boss Nigel Clough told BBC Radio Sheffield; "We want to finish as high as we can but the priority is to finish in the top six. I think this is an incredibly dangerous game for us. They've got a new manager and they have got nothing to lose and will want to impress him to show they are worth keeping next season."
Yeovil Town have seen the unfortunate record of two successive relegations in a row bestowed upon them but must fulfil the remainder of their fixtures and hope that under the new leadership of former Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle boss Paul Sturrock can bounce back at the first attempt.
They drew their last fixture 1-1 with Nott's County. A victory may have given them a little hope but the Glovers haven't won a match since 7 March when they beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 and including that win over the Latics have conjured 3 wins since the New Year.
Yeovil's relegation to League Two was confirmed with a 1-1 draw at home to fellow strugglers Nott’s County in Paul Sturrock's first game in charge. The first goal of Sturrock's tenure came courtesy of a Nott’s player after just 10 minutes when Haydn Hollis headed Sam Foley's free-kick past his own goalkeeper. It didn't get much better for the visitors in the first half and Roy Carroll was twice called into action to keep the score line down, first getting low to stop Stephen Kingsley's strike in the 35th minute before superbly matching Gozie Ugwu's goal-bound header two minutes later.
County's efforts were limited and only brought a save from Artur Krysiak when substitute Graham Burke let rip from distance. James Hayter could have doubled Yeovil's lead in the 71st minute when he crashed his strike against the crossbar when played in by Joel Grant. The Magpies pulled level with 12 minutes to go. Substitute Jamal Campbell-Ryce had looked lively since his introduction, and it was his cross that picked out the head of Gary Thompson who firmly nodded past Krysiak to salvage a point and keep their fight for survival alive.
Yeovil expect to be without captain Joe Edwards (ankle) when they host the Blades tonight - he has been absent for a month through injury and joins the list along with Adam Morgan, Simon Gillett and Kevin Dawson. Meanwhile on loan Cardiff City defender Ben Nugent has been left out in recent weeks as the Glovers juggle their six loan men. Though, changes may be rung in as the Glovers prepare for life in League Two next season.
Blades-Mad Prediction: Yeovil Town 0 Sheffield United 2