Manager Chris Wilder urged his players to keep calm and carry on after Sheffield United edged closer towards the Premier League with a 3-0 victory at Hull.
With two Sky Bet Championship games remaining, Wilder’s men remain in control of their own destiny.
And they showed at the KCOM Stadium that their attitude is as nerveless as it is committed in reaching the top flight for the first time since 2007.
Wilder said: “We’ve not taken any short-cuts and we needed a big weekend.
“Our preparation was good. To win games at the top end of the Championship you’ve got to tick a lot of boxes, and we ticked a lot of boxes.
“The position speaks for itself – 85 points with two games to go.
“We’ve just to get our heads down and recover well. We’re in (training) tomorrow and we’ve just got to make sure we prepare in the right way.
“We need to focus and make sure we take the opportunity on Saturday (at home to Ipswich).
“We are playing at a decent standard. We are in good nick.”
Hull were admittedly generous hosts, but the impressive visitors still needed to start well against a team who had not lost at home since November.
But once David McGoldrick headed home after just 10 minutes, the game was only heading in one direction.
McGoldrick scored a second with a lovely curling finish from outside the penalty box on 22 minutes, while Enda Stevens made it 3-0 with a good header three minutes before the break.
And though the second half was largely uneventful, the match was already over as a contest.
Wilder said: “This was never going to be a straightforward game.
“We had to be bang at it and make sure we were very organised and prepared for what Hull City was going to chuck at us.
“We were positive in our approach and we’ve played well in all departments.
“We contained their best players and 3-0 is enough.
“We’re delighted to come away with a win – and a big win.”
Hull head coach Nigel Adkins criticised his side’s defensive frailties in a chaotic first half.
But Adkins was keen not to overly chastise his players following a season in which they emerged improbable play-off contenders.
Those ambitions were flattened by a defeat at West Brom on Good Friday, but Adkins said: “The lads have been magnificent all season.
“We were tipped to get relegated, but the players have given us everything.
“We started brightly enough, but this was maybe a game too far.
“We had a lot of possession, but we gave some poor goals away.
“We’ve got another couple of games to go and we’ve got to do what’s right for the season, with next season in mind.
“Credit to the players because they’ve taken the season up to the end.”
Adkins now expects Sheffield United to gain automatic promotion at the expense of Leeds United.
He added: “I’ve been really impressed with them – Chris has done a great job.
“I’m sure Leeds will have something to say about that, but they’ll probably get in the top two.”
