 Friday, 5th Nov 2010 15:00 Town boss Roy Keane will wait until Saturday morning before making a decision on whether skipper David Norris is fit enough to face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The midfielder is suffering with the ankle injury which he sustained in last week’s 2-0 victory over Millwall, while winger Andros Townsend is OK despite picking up a knock in a practice match earlier in the week. Keane says Norris will be given every opportunity to make it: “David Norris is struggling with his ankle but we’re leaving that as a last minute decision. We’ll look at how the players have trained this week before picking the team. “We’ve had a week’s training since last Saturday, that’s a long time ago and some players have trained really well. We’ll weigh that up before we finalise the team.” Norris was involved in training on Thursday and in Friday’s light session and appears likely to retain his place in the centre of the midfield. Keane says Townsend should be fine despite his minor injury: “Andros got a bang on his knee in a practice game on Tuesday, a really good game. He got a knock and he didn’t really do anything yesterday but he trained today and he was OK.” The Blues boss says it’s never easy going to Sheffield, whoever you’re playing: “It’s always tough when you go to Sheffield, whether it’s Sheffield United or Wednesday you always get a hard game. We had that last year. “People may say they’re struggling but if you lose two or three games, like we did last week, you’re still probably only two or three points away from the play-offs. That’s the madness of the Championship. “We know that we have to play well. We’ve shown that when we’re off, we’re off. We’re looking forward to a tough game. They’ve some good players, lads with Premier League experience and they brought Andy Reid in last week. “Their fans will get right behind them if they start well, so we’re expecting a very, very tough game, but we’re looking forward to it. We’ve trained well this week, but we know we’re judged on what we do on a Saturday afternoon.” Keane appears unlikely to make too many changes to the side which beat Millwall a week ago unless Norris is unfit. Jake Livermore is the former Plymouth man’s most likely replacement. Márton Fülöp will continue in goal with Tommy Smith and Tom Eastman in the full-back roles and Gareth McAuley and Damien Delaney in the centre. Keane will probably stick with the four-man midfield used in the last two games with Grant Leadbitter in the central role alongside Norris or whoever replaces him if he’s not fit. Jack Colback is likely to be on the left with Carlos Edwards on the right. Tamás Priskin and Jason Scotland have been forging a promising strike partnership in recent weeks with the Trinidadian playing behind the Hungarian. Connor Wickham and Ronan Murray are likely to be involved at some stage from the bench. Darren O’Dea remains on the sidelines after his knee operation but could be involved in the reserves next week if a friendly is arranged, along with Alan Quinn and Luciano Civelli. Colin Healy is out for around a week with a hamstring problem suffered in training. Sheffield United boss Gary Speed says he’s confident that his players are capable of climbing the table from their current position of 18th, six points behind the Blues: "Of course, our place in the table concerns me and I want us to be winning regularly and climbing upwards, but there a lot of games still to go and I have genuine faith in the ability and attitude of the players we have to turn the corner. "There is always pressure in soccer management, wherever you are, and although I recognise that we have to do better, I am not feeling it in a way that is counter-productive. "I know that all managers have periods in their career when things don't go right and there is a lot of emotion and pressure to cope with, so you have to be prepared for them. “But I feel OK and am confident that I can find the answers and help the lads to better things." The ex-Wales international says Town will be stiff opposition: "They have a wealth of strikers and some decent wide men in Carlos Edwards and Andros Townsend. They have also got people like David Norris, coming from midfield, who is a good player, so the threat will come from everywhere. "It is going to be a tough game but if we work hard and show the right attitude then maybe luck will start going our way." The Blades will be without skipper Chris Morgan due to a knee ligament injury, but defender Stephen Jordan is back after a hamstring knock and midfielder Nick Montgomery is available again after an achilles problem. Speed was after a loanee to replace Morgan but has been unable to sign anyone in time for Saturday’s game. Town have had the better of the Blades over the years, winning 21 times (20 in the league), drawing 24 (21) and losing 19 (17) of the meetings between the sides. In last season’s corresponding fixture in September 2009, a last-gasp Chris Morgan goal denied Town a deserved first win of the season as Sheffield United came from two behind to draw 3-3. The Blades had gone ahead through a controversial Darius Henderson goal but the Blues struck back through Jon Walters, Grant Leadbitter and Gareth McAuley, before Henderson pulled one back and Morgan equalised at the death. Sheffield United were at Portman Road on the final day of last season when they defeated 10-man Town 3-0. The Blades were two goals up through Mark Yeates and Ched Evans when debutant Tom Eastman was harshly dismissed for a second bookable offence, Richard Cresswell adding the third soon after. Alan Quinn was previously a Sheffield United player, alongside his brother Stephen, who is still a Blade, while Lee Martin — who is currently on loan with Charlton - spent time on loan at Bramall Lane in 2008. Former Town keeper Richard Wright joined Sheffield United last month having been released by the Blues in the summer but is yet to make a first team appearance. Midfielder Ryan France spent time on trial with the Blues in 2003 when an Alfreton Town player, appearing for Town’s reserves. Blades loan players Andy Reid and Nyron Nosworthy both played for Roy Keane during his time as Sunderland boss. Saturday’s referee is Graham Salisbury from Lancashire, who has shown 36 yellow and two red cards in 11 games so far this season. Salisbury’s most recent Town match was the 2-1 defeat at Watford in March when he booked Hornets’ midfielder John Eustace for a wild lunge on former Blues skipper Jon Walters, a challenge which other refs may well have viewed as a red card offence. Squad from: Fülöp, Murphy, Eastman, Peters, Smith, Kennedy, O’Connor, McAuley, Delaney, Brown, Norris, Leadbitter, Livermore, Hyam, Colback, Townsend, Edwards, Lambe, Priskin, Scotland, Wickham and Murray.
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