Ex-Middlesbrough and Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour believes Sheffield United would find it a lot harder to get promoted via the playoffs if they do lose out on second place.

Heading into the fixtures on Good Friday, the Blades are six points above Boro, with a game in hand. However, if Paul Heckingbottom’s side do suffer a late-season collapse and cede their automatic promotion spot, Parlour says the Yorkshire club will find it difficult to recover:

“I wouldn’t like to be second place and then dropping into the play-offs via someone leapfrogging you into the final automatic promotion spot, so it would be worse for Sheffield United to drop into the play-offs than Middlesbrough.”

Following the victory against Norwich last time out, and Middlesbrough’s shock defeat to Huddersfield, United should be more confident than ever that they won’t be caught.

Of course, with eight games to go, there can be no room for complacency and they will want to avoid a potential banana skin when they take on bottom-of-the-table Wigan this Friday. The Latics’ confidence would have been boosted after their win over QPR last time out so they cannot be taken lightly.