United go into Saturday's fixture with Bristol City at the Lane with just one point to show from their last four games, but Sam Ellis insists that the team will not lack conviction that they can get back on the winning trail.

An improved showing at Preston in the second-half in midweek showed the assistant manager all he needs to know about their self-belief:

"The run has been a concern because things like that can affect confidence and attitude and you don't want that to turn into one point from the next four games as well.

"But we are confident that we can turn it around. Derby's results lately showed just what a hard won point ours was against them, and we were unlucky at Preston so we are certainly not on a downer.

"If fortune favours the brave we will get back to winning ways very soon because our players are brave in every way.

"They are full of character and deserve the highest praise for staying as high as we are in the division after putting up with injuries, new faces, new partnerships, last minute withdrawals and everything else that has happened to us this season.

"Defensively we have suffered the worst, all along the backline and in the last three weeks alone we have lost at various times Bunn, Walker, Kilgallon and Morgan. Take four of Chelsea's or Manchester United's first-choice back five out and they would struggle for cohesion too.

"Players have different habits in the way they play and when new ones are thrown together uncertainty is difficult to avoid.

"I am not making excuses, we have to get on with it but it isn't easy. The manager, players and I would really like our supporters to understand that and to try and be patient if mistakes creep in."

With both the Blades and Bristol City needing a win to stabilise after poor runs of results, Ellis has no doubt that his own players will set out with the right approach:
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"We expect to win, as we do when we approach any game obviously. City seem to have had a bad time of it of late and will be wanting to get at us for what happened at Ashton Gate in November so we won't be taking anything for granted.

"I really don't know how they got back into that game from two goals down because we controlled most of the game.

"But they have a blend of big lads like Sno and McCombe and speedy lightweights up top in Maynard and Haynes and present an all-round challenge to us.

"I imagine that because of their recent patchy run they will especially look towards set-pieces to get some reward because that is where they might think they."