It's do or die on Sunday for Sheffield United as they attempt to do their bit to secure the most unlikely of play-off spots.

A win is essential and then the Blades must rely on results from around the country to give Kevin Blackwell the ultimate reward for a tremendous recovery. With Southampton almost certainly relegation victims should United prevail, he knows just what to expect:

"Everything in football will be encapsulated in our game this weekend, the excitement, the tension, the highs and lows. Although I won't be looking at it from the same viewpoint as Southampton, from ours these are the games you should be looking to play in.

"I don't expect anything but a hard game, although I do have expectations of our players to do what they have shown what they are capable of."

With so much at stake there is no surprise that the south coast locals will back their team to the hilt:

"I believe there will be a full house, 32,000 or so, including 3,500 of our own fans so the atmosphere will be electric, so bring it on. Southampton are fighting for survival, despite being a Premiership side so recently.

"It's amazing that one of the likes of Wednesday, Southampton, Leicester or Coventry could go down - big clubs - and who would have thought it possible that any of them could slip into League One? That is the sort of stuff that makes British football so exciting and uncertain.

"The pressure isn't really on us because the teams in contention above us all have a better chance. At least we know that we have to send out a team that has to win, nothing else will do, so we are in a no-lose situation.

"Our rivals can all nick the two places which is a problem for us, but we'll do what we have to do and if the results go like last week's then we will be in.

"I have been asked if we will be having people at the other games to keep us updated on the situation but we won't be - I'm sure the crowd will let us know, but in any event our minds should only be on what we do."

The significance of a United win for Sheffield Wednesday does not escape the United boss:

"I know that I would probably be flavour of the month with the other half of the city if we won and did them a favour, but it would be a by-product of us having to win first and foremost for ourselves. This, for us, is about Sheffield United trying to win the game and seeing where it leaves us."