Halford makes final vow

Halford: Fitness race

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• Greg Halford
• Kyle Naughton

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Greg Halford has vowed to be fit for Sheffield United's trip to the Championship play-off final.

The 24-year-old, on loan at Bramall Lane from Sunderland, was the Blades' hero on Monday night as his solitary strike was enough to see off Preston in the semi-finals.

A 1-0 win saw Kevin Blackwell's men claim a 2-1 aggregate success and book a Wembley date against either Burnley or Reading.

Match-winner Halford was forced to hobble off towards the end of the clash with North End, but is adamant that he will be ready for United's next test.

"Just try and stop me," he told Sky Sports.

"This is what we have been hoping for all along. The minimum we were looking for at the start of the season was the play-offs, and we're in the final.

"It's going to be 50/50, but we're right in there with a chance.

"We always believe we could nick a goal. First half we dominated and the message at half-time was to keep going and plug away and we got that chance.

"To get us to go to Wembley is a dream."

Strong

Local lad Kyle Naughton, a livelong Sheffield United fan, was also delighted to have taken another step closer to the Premier League.

"We kept bombing on and going forward, but it felt like we were never going to score at one point," he said.

"But we have kept strong as a defence and that's all you can ask for.

"Growing up supporting Sheffield United and then playing for them, you can't ask for anymore."