Sheffield United: The invitation Paul Heckingbottom refused to accept following win at Fulham
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United stretched their unbeaten run to five matches when Iliman Ndiaye’s early strike at Craven Cottage delivered a fourth straight victory; three of which have come since Heckingbottom’s appointment four weeks ago.
The result saw United move to within touching distance of the play-off positions ahead of the visit to Preston North End on Boxing Day. But asked if the outcome of a contest which saw defender Jack Robinson also impress would catch the attention of the division’s leading teams, Heckingbottom replied: “I’m not interested in ‘statements’. I’m not bothered about them to be honest. What I am interested in is performances and even more so results. Those are what are important.”
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Hide AdUnited will begin their preparations for the trip to Lancashire 11th in the table, with clashes against Hull City and Middlesbrough - where Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder is now in charge - also on the festive agenda.
“There’s things we can do better,” Heckingbottom added. “We can be a lot better with the ball, that’s for sure. But obviously I’m pleased with how the lads are doing. Really pleased in fact because that was a brilliant result. But statements? No, I don’t look at it like that because we’ve got to keep improving and driving things forward. That has to be the aim. Nothing else because there’s a lot of football to be played yet.”