Chink of light amongst the gloom for Sheffield United - analysing key man's return out of position

It came in the shape of Jayden Bogle, although typically for United it arrived on the same evening they lost another defender in George Baldock. Things couldn't be that straightforward, can they? Injuries are part and parcel of the game, of course, but even the most partisan observers can surely concede that United have been dealt a remarkably bad hand of late.

Baldock made way with a side injury, meaning Bogle's return after almost eight months out may be especially timely.

He played 45 minutes for the Blades' U21s over the international break and shook off some more ring-rust with half an hour against Birmingham City here at Bramall Lane at the weekend.

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He did enough in that small cameo - a quick turn of pace or direction, a covering run going the other way - to highlight why he was such a miss at the back end of last season, especially when Baldock was consigned to the treatment room alongside him.

While United struggled on, and admirably so, with left-footed midfielder Ben Osborn and a left-footer in Ben Davies on the right at times, they look infinitely stronger with both Bogle and Baldock competing - and doubly so when Anel Ahmedhodzic returns from injury to compete with Chris Basham for the position one inside.

The forays forward here were few and far between initially as Bogle felt his way back into things and there was an understandable tendency early on to cut inside rather than take his man down the line, which brought Norwood and Doyle in the middle more into play.

It helped his reintegration into the fray that the first 10 minutes were essentially a training game, with United creating wave after wave of attack and QPR barely having time to draw breath after clearing before another red and white shirt was bearing down on them.

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But Bogle is not a man you can pin down for too long and the moment of magic almost arrived with a mazy run into the box, beating a man and jinking past another before the move was abruptly stopped by a defender.

Khadra filled in admirably out of position against City but was a wing-back in name only, being tasked to worry more about getting forward than back. It will have been music to the German's ears, considering he had just about made it back over the halfway line by the time Rhys Norrington-Davies deflected a good chance for Birmingham over the bar, but he placed a huge defensive burden on Norrington-Davies at left centre-half and the biggest beneficiary of Bogle's return was arguably the Welshman, who looked as if he had been unshackled here against QPR to get forward and look to make things happen.

The Bogle/Norrington-Davies partnership may be short-lived - so Heckingbottom and Co. will hope - but showed some encouraging signs here, with United looking more dangerous down the left than the right. A deep cross from Bogle, after cutting back on his right foot, could have brought the opener for Baldock on the right; a similar shift of weight then fooled his man and a well-struck effort forced Seny Dieng to punch uncertainly clear.

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A Bogle shot from similar distance moments later threatened the R's fans behind the goal, rather than Dieng standing in it, but the attacking intent was certainly clear. Then, his quick feet and knack of making things happen withstanding, came the biggest indication of Bogle's importance when Baldock made way with injury.

Bogle's overconfidence in a poor area presented Lyndon Dykes with a great chance to double the visitors' lead after Joe Willock's opener, but Foderingham denied the Scottish international and Bogle almost put the follow-up from Tyler Roberts into his own net. The perhaps predictable bout of cramp arrived 74 minutes in, after a mazy run forward, and his race was run three minutes later as James McAtee became the latest to take a ticket and try his hand at left wingback for the Blades.

Heckingbottom later conceded that he and his brains trust had considered switching to a back four, with the introduction of Kyron Gordon, but their hand was already forced by being 1-0 down and in a hallmark of his Bramall Lane reign so far, Heckingbottom and Co. decided to take the positive option of the young Manchester City loanee. It perhaps didn’t have the desired effect, with the benefit of hindsight, but United certainly won’t die wondering.

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During his time in charge at Bramall Lane, Heckingbottom has rarely had the luxury of both Bogle and Baldock at full tilt and, after watching Baldock limp off here, may not for some time.

But the youngster's return, as both a popular and talented member of Heckingbottom's squad, is a genuine boost for United's promotion attempts. “Dead on his feet”, in Heckingbottom’s words, as he made way, Bogle may have little choice but to go again this weekend when United travel to Stoke. For the last few months, getting back on the pitch will have been his number one focus.

His return may have been an inauspicious one, in terms of the result, but better times surely lay ahead. For Bogle and the Blades.