Chris Wilder labelled his side’s 2-0 win over Stoke a “proper away performance” as they got back to winning ways.
The Blades had seen their automatic promotion hopes ended after losing four of their previous five, including their last three matches away from Bramall Lane.
An improved showing saw Sam McCallum, making just his eighth start of the campaign, score late in the first half before Andre Brooks came off the bench to double the winning margin.
Wilder said: “Our away record has been pretty good all season apart from the last few outings. You have to show a lot of qualities and good character on the road in this division and we’ve done that all season.
“We had to do that tonight, we understood the challenge, playing the opposition and what they were fighting for, but we were fighting for something as well.
“There’s no better way to get ready for the play-offs than winning games of football and we talked about it before – we needed a clean sheet, we needed a proper away performance and I believe we produced that.
“We wanted to build some momentum, we wanted to get back to winning ways, we had to do a lot of balancing because there’s key players that needed to come out of the team and important minutes into those that needed it tonight. It’s been an ideal night for us.
“I don’t think anybody should take lightly the challenges we’ve had this season and what we’ve achieved. We’ve not been good enough over the last week but we understand the challenges we’ve had and still over two points per game after 45 games.”
Stoke manager Mark Robins bemoaned his side’s lack of quality despite claiming his players gave everything against the promotion-chasing Blades.
The Potters are still yet to confirm their safety mathematically as they travel to fellow strugglers Derby on the final day of the season.
Robins said: “If people have given 100 per cent that’s all you can ask, and that’s what they did.
“They gave me everything they had and we just came up short with that lack of quality, that extra quality that they’ve got.
“We end up in good positions and then we put crosses in that hit their first man, it’s so frustrating at times, we get good chances and the goalkeeper makes a save where you can lift it over them. Those are the things I find frustrating, and I think everyone else watching.
“At times I think we found it really easy to get through them, ran past them, got into good positions, then it’s just that final little bit of quality, that little bit of calmness.
“We ended up with (Bae) Jun-ho in the first half that could and should have scored. We had Lewis Baker cut inside and nearly drew one back into the far post, and then in the second half Ali Al Hamadi’s chance and we had little bits and pieces, those are the things that cost us.”
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