Billy Sharp drops double Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield United promotion claim | OneFootball

The striker could get the joy of seeing two clubs that are close to his heart go up at the end of the season.

Billy Sharp has said that he is hopeful that both Doncaster Rovers and his former side Sheffield United will win promotion from their respective leagues this season.

In terms of pure name value, there weren't many bigger acquisitions in League Two this summer than Sharp. The 38-year-old former Blades striker went back to Rovers, one of the first clubs he played for in his career, to try and help them achieve what they couldn't quite do last season and win promotion.

Between February and the end of the last campaign, Donny were unstoppable. Grant McCann had his side in such good form that they only lost one game during that stretch, taking themselves from 22nd in the league to 5th in 18 games.

Unfortunately for them, after looking impressive in the first of their play-off semi-final matches against Crewe Alexandra, they weren't able to finish the job off at home in the second leg and were beaten on penalties.

Billy Sharp's double promotion hopes for Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield United

That lack of oomph at the Eco-Power Stadium has been a bit of an issue for Donny this season too. If it gets resolved, Sharp thinks that it could well lead him and his teammates to League One, and he's hoping that another of his former teams, the Blades, find similar success this season.

When asked about the chances of both Doncaster and United going up this season, by BBC Sport South Yorkshire & Derbyshire, Sharp replied: "Yeah, we're ticking over. You know, the gaffer expects us to be a little bit higher than we are, but we've just not quite got going at home yet.

"So, if we can just turn those draws into wins, then we'll climb the table and hopefully get promoted, as well as Sheffield United."

Sharp played 377 games for the Blades, scoring 129 goals, and is probably most famous for wearing their red and white stripes both in the Premier League and the Championship.

After being relegated from England's top division, Chris Wilder's side are looking to bounce straight back up from the division that the 38-year-old played in last season for Hull City to the promised land.

They're making a good go of it so far. A summer reset of the squad, and the prospect of an American takeover, has given the Blades new life. They sit level on points (31) with league leaders Sunderland after 15 games, having beaten their bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday just before the start of the international break; a result that Sharp would have loved.

While the Steel City side rest and recuperate ahead of their first match back against Coventry City, Donny are preparing to face Salford City on Saturday.

Promotions for Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield United are very much on the cards

Both sides have played 15 games this season; United are on 31 points, Rovers are on 27. Wilder's side are level on points with the league leaders, McCann's men are only three points off the pace.

So, the Blades have the edge when it comes to points. However, they struggled in their one game so far against a team (Leeds United) that are also expected to challenge for promotion in the Championship. Donny, on the other hand, have beaten first-placed Port Vale, Gillingham and Bradford City, so the edge goes to them on that.

Whatever way you look at it, these two teams are both good enough to win promotion this season. It'd be a fever dream for Sharp if it were to go down like that.