Boss backs Billy to find his punch

The Sheffield United striker, whose return from Scunthorpe was the club’s most popular transfer of an eventful summer, has yet to lay a glove on Championship defenders but his manager is convinced the decisive blows will come.

“There are no problems with Billy,” Robson insisted.

“He’s putting the work in and contributing plenty but at the moment the chances aren’t falling for him.

“They’re falling for other people instead.

“But he’s creating a lot for them and that’s good to see.

“Obviously he’ll want to get off the mark, and that will happen, I’ve got no doubt about that at all from what I’ve seen, because if he keeps working like he has been then eventually they (the chances) will start falling for him.

“That’s football.”

Sharp, who rose to prominence with a remarkable ratio of a goal every 1.7 games at Glanford Park, was instrumental in bringing top level football to North Lincolnshire.

He is a vastly improved player to the one who left Bramall Lane in August 2005 but, as he prepares to return to the ground where he blossomed, he has yet to open his account for the new term.

Sharp, like his teammates, has clearly been constrained by a burning desire to please the new manager during the first five matches of the season and Tuesday’s appearance at MK Dons - which came courtesy of Danny Webber’s inury - should have represented an opportunity to break hs goal duck.

Instead, it turned out to be an evening of frustration for the 21-year-old as he failed to trouble the scoresheet before being withdrawn 22 minutes from time.

Sharp’s cult-hero status among the home support should not make him immune from criticism - against West Bromwich Albion last weekend, he was caught offside too many times for either his or Robson’s liking - but United’s fox in the box clearly possesses all the attributes required to achieve the two objectives he cherishes the most: Leading the club he loves to promotion and establishing himself as a proven Premiership goalscorer.

“I thought Billy made some excellent runs,” Robson said after watching United reach the Carling Cup third round.

“He’s linked up with the other strikers well and I’m pleased with him.”

Given the intense spotlight he is under, it is easy to forget that Sharp is still on a learning curve and that all-important first effort will lift a huge weight from his shoulders and inject greater fluency into his play.

Competition is fierce among a collection of forwards which Robson believes would walk into most starting 11s at this level.

The former England captain is a hard task master who demands high standards from himself and all those around him, but Sharp has reason to feel encouraged.

The pat on the back he received from Robson as he made his way to the stadium:mk’s dug-outs spoke volumes.