David Cotterill described the Blades 1-0 success at Pride Park as 'very professional' and says solid defensive foundations along with a single minded approach go a long way to explaining the unbeaten start to the campaign.

Cotterill, who has netted twice from the bench already this season, is full of praise for his team-mates and believes anybody who beats the Blades this season will have had to fight tooth and nail:

"It was a very professional performance at Derby and although we could have won by a lot more we will take one-nil wins all season.

"Since the Gaffer and Sam have come in we have always had the mentality that if we get beaten our opponents will have had to work extremely hard.

"The back four and Bunny have been rock solid, so hopefully that can continue. Defensively there isn't much that gets past us and that has been the case for a while.

"When we take the lead we just keep going and maintain our concentration, the key is getting clean sheets."

Looking at how the Championship is shaping up, the Welsh winger isn't surprised to see the main protagonists setting an early blistering pace, and feels Blackwell can take plenty of credit for ensuring there was no play-off final hangover.

Cotterill, though, is expecting Tuesday night's clash against Coventry City to thoroughly test the Blades, as he looks to add to his goal tally given the opportunity:

"This isn't a pretty league at times and you have to be prepared to scrap and grind out results, although it is no surprise to see who is already in the top six.

"The lads have responded well to last season and the Gaffer has brought in several new faces. We are confident of going one better this time around."

"We are looking to continue our unbeaten run for as long as possible but Coventry are always difficult to beat on their own patch.

"Personally I am glad to be contributing from the bench, but when I get a chance I know I have to take it. I have got two goals and one of those was from open play, so hopefully more should be on the way."