Sheffield United look on course for promotion back to the Sky Bet Championship, as they currently sit top of the League One table.

Chris Wilder’s side have 64-points this season, just two short of what the amassed during the 2015/16 campaign, and have a five-point cushion over second placed Scunthorpe United, more importantly the Blades also have a seven point gap between themselves and Bolton Wanderers in third.

The Blades look a certainty for an automatic promotion spot in May, which would give them a first return to the Championship since 2011.

One player who has stood out this season for United has been club captain Billy Sharp, who has led from the front and helped Wilder’s side pick up important wins throughout the campaign.

Sharp has found the net 20 times this season, and recently scored an 87th minute winning goal to hep the Blades beat Peterborough United last weekend.

The Blades’ captain is currently enjoying his third spell with the club, having re-joined them in the summer of 2015 after a disappointing spell with Leeds United in the Championship, where Sharp failed to nail down a starting spot in difficult circumstances.

Sharp was a regular feature for United last season and scored 21-goals on his return to South Yorkshire, but the Blades failed to even make the Play-Offs in 2016, finishing 11th and nine-points adrift of sixth placed Barnsley.

This campaign Sharp seems set to better his goals tally from last season, and only a serious injury or dip in form is likely to prevent him from doing so.

Wilder was active in the January transfer market, looking to provide Sharp with help in attack, as the race for promotion gathers pace.

James Hanson was bought from Bradford City, and has linked up well with Sharp in his short time with the club. The pair both found themselves on the score sheet in the Blades’ victory over AFC Wimbledon.

Hanson is a player who is likely to bring out the best in Sharp, as they are completely different strikers. The former Bradford man is well over six-foot tall and a target man, whilst Sharp is a natural goal-poacher.

The signing of Hanson could prove vital if Wilder’s side are to return to the Championship, but his contribution will not overshadow that of Sharp, whose goals have put the Blades on the brink of promotion.

Sheffield United fans… How important has Billy Sharp’s contribution been this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!