Things are looking good in the red and white half of Sheffield, with Neil Warmock's side climbing to fifth in the Championship table on the back of an impressive 17 points from their last eight league matches. With the Bramall Lane outfit enjoying such a rich vein of form of late, it was probably no surprise when United beat Aston Villa 3-1 in last week's FA Cup third round tie. The man who emerged as the hero in that match was Andy Liddell, a Yorkshireman through and through, and it was his brace that helped the Blades cut their Premiership opponents down to size. Givemefootball's Mark Shail is the man armed with the questions.
Q:YOU MUST HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED WITH LAST WEEK'S WIN AGAINST VILLA?
A:Yes, it was a great day and we played really well. Overall I think we were the best team and thoroughly deserved to go through to the next round.
Q:AND TWO GOALS FOR YOU, HOW DID THAT FEEL?
A:It was nice, although there was a bit of controversy about the first one, which I admit was about three yards offside. The linesman made a mistake, but I didn't know that at the time and you have to play to the whistle. David O'Leary was upset that the goal was allowed to stand, and rightly so, but he did also concede that over the 90 minutes we were the better side Their goalkeeper probably should have saved my second one, but I was still delighted to see it go in.
Q:LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ROUND, YOU NOW TRAVEL TO WEST HAM?
A:It wasn't a fantastic draw for us, we would have preferred to take on one of the Premiership sides, preferably at home. But we have to remain positive and take heart from the fact that we've already beaten them at their place once this season.
Q:WHAT DO YOU PUT UNITED'S IMPRESSIVE RECENT FORM DOWN TO?
A:The strength of our team is that we all work tremendously hard for each other, there are no real stars, or household names, and we are all treated the same. Our away form has been outstanding all season and, if we can improve our results at home, there is no reason why we can't challenge for an automatic promotion spot. I think Wigan and Ipswich are the two best sides in this division, but they are not running away with it like I thought they might and there are a number of clubs that will think they are now in with a chance.
Q:WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED TO LEAVE WIGAN IN THE SUMMER AFTER SIX YEARS AT THE JJB?
A:The reason I left was because they offered me a one-year contract and I felt I deserved a longer deal - it was as simple as that. There was no animosity and I left on very good terms. In fact Paul Jewell actually spoke to Neil Warnock in the summer and gave me a good reference - and I will be forever grateful to him for that.
Q:ARE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE WIGAN DOING SO WELL?
A:No not at all, as far as I was concerned it was always on the cards because of the high standards the manager expects from his players. They lost a couple of players in the summer, but have made some shrewd signings of their own and when you have the luxury of spending £3 million on your two first-choice strikers there is every chance that you will be up there challenging for promotion.
Q:HOW PLEASED WERE YOU WHEN UNITED CAME IN FOR YOU?
A:It was a dream come true for me. I'm a Yorkshire lad, still living in Leeds, so it was ideal. This is a massive club, with great support, and we will be doing our best to get them back where they belong - in the Premiership.
