Sheffield United’s promotion bid continued to stutter as they were second best in an entertaining 0-0 draw at Blackpool.

The Blades remain on the fringes of the Championship play-off places, sitting one point off the top six, but have now won just once in five matches.

Blackpool, meanwhile, will take plenty of positives from their performance even though their run of three straight victories came to an end.

Neil Critchley’s 100th game in charge of the Seasiders did not get off to the most encouraging of starts on a bitterly cold evening on the Fylde coast.

It was the Blades who looked by far the more threatening, with skipper Billy Sharp firing inches wide after latching on to Iliman Ndiaye’s smart through-ball.

Minutes later the visitors went close again, with Norwegian Sander Berge this time finding space in the box before lashing a shot disappointingly high and wide.

The Blades had clearly been ordered to produce a positive early response on the back of the weekend’s thumping at Coventry.

Oliver Norwood was next to go for goal, with his dipping effort forcing Blackpool goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw into an alert stop.

Blackpool finally gained a foothold, and their first opportunity came midway through the first period when Gary Madine rose highest to head Callum Connolly’s cross just over the top.

At the other end Connolly was soon called upon to produce a superb block to keep out Rhys Norrington-Davies’ well-struck shot.

The woodwork saved the Blades in the 39th minute when Josh Bowler’s curling 20-yard strike crashed against the crossbar after he had played a neat one-two with Madine.

The hosts created the first chance of the second half when James Husband headed the ball back into the path of Connolly, only for the defender to flick a close-range effort into the side-netting.

It was Blackpool who were getting on top as the hour mark approached, with the dangerous Bowler looking most capable of prising out an opening.

He clipped in a curling shot which had to be expertly palmed away by the outstretched arm of Wes Foderingham.

Bowler then teed up CJ Hamilton, though he ought to have done better when he blazed wildly over from 12 yards.

The Blades were struggling to build any real momentum, though they thought they had scored in the 74th minute, only for Norwood’s deflected strike to be ruled out by a linesman’s flag.

Any late Blades winner would have been mightily harsh on a determined Blackpool, however.