Sheffield United v Newcastle United: A Blades win would serve as the perfect tribute to Maddy Cusack, says Paul Heckingbottom

The passing of Maddy Cusack - Sheffield United’s longest-serving women's player and vice-captain - at the age of just 27 has devastated everyone at Bramall Lane.

Very occasionally, managers must speak on behalf of their club and address the wider football community following sombre events.

Friday was one of those days for Heckingbottom as Unitedites try to come to terms with such a shocking and premature loss.

Maddy was not just a footballer at Sheffield United, but part of the club fabric and well known and much loved by many. She also worked there as a marketing executive.

Heckingbottom posted a rare tweet on social media to pay his respects on Thursday.

It said: "Sad day. Maddy was one of our family. A big part of our club both on and off the pitch. Love and thoughts to Maddy’s family."

A leader as well as a manager in solemn times last this, Heckingbottom will be mindful that Maddy will be at the forefront of the thoughts of all Blades supporters when they converge upon Bramall Lane - the place Maddy loved - on Sunday afternoon.

Should United secure their first three points of the season, it will possess a special emotional feel which will not exclusively surround football.

On endeavouring to commemorate the memory of Maddy with a victory on the pitch, Heckingbottom said: "As much as we are preparing for a huge, huge game and wanting to get on with everything, it has affected a lot of people.

"Maddy has been close to so many people in the club and there are a lot of people suffering and feeling it, without a doubt. We look after everyone here, but first and foremost we are thinking of Maddy's family. And we send them our best.

“We want the game to be about Maddy as well by showing our respects as a football club.

“I think it’s only right that we do that, but to then get that perfect result for Maddy, we have to focus on the preparation and the game.

"A lot of people have found the last couple of days really tough and I’m sure Sunday will be as well.

"It will mean different things to different people and I think myself, the staff and the players have to try and deliver a performance that makes people feel proud because Maddy was a big part of what we did.

"I saw her a lot with the women’s team because my daughter played and during the week because she was a big part of what the media team did as well.

“Maddy sort of had two full-time roles here and was a big part of the club."

On plans to remember the life of Maddy, he continued: "There are plans and discussions going off now, we want to be very respectful to Maddy's family as well and make sure they are heavily involved and understand what we want to do.

"As much as we want to show our respect and thoughts and how we are feeling we want to make sure her family lead on it."

It has been an undeniably hard week for United and Heckingbottom, who also had to address another topic which puts football firmly into perspective on Friday.

The scourge of racism, which has seeped out like poison on social media with alarming regularity in recent times, saw Blades keeper Wes Foderingham subjected to abuse after the club's late defeat at Tottenham last weekend.

It has no place in football, but despite that repeated message, vile trolls continue to slip through the net to post their filth.

Heckingbottom continued: "I knew I'd get asked about that and when I speak to you guys (journalists), I don't want to say what I really want think about it.

"It is something that reflects really badly on football. It's not Spurs' problem, how can a game of football make someone speak like that.

"We've gone through the correct channels and we have had the police in to speak to him (Foderingham).

"It's not right, it's sad, the fact he says he is alright to deal with it shows how much of a problem it is."

It was a press conference when straight-forward football questions about matters on the pitch were conspicuous by their absence.

After last weekend's loss in the capital, some reports in the national media suggested that Chris Wilder could be set for a return to Bramall Lane to replace Heckingbottom.

They were given short shrift by the Blades chief.

He said: "You are asking the wrong person, you can ask me about a player, is he going to play, what's he going to do. But you can't ask me about me, you need to speak to other people about that.

"I have no reaction at all. The amount of things that get into the media that are rubbish, am I worried about it? No.

"Even if there is any truth in it, am I worried? No, because it is not going to affect me one little bit. You are asking the wrong person. You need to ask at board level about that.

"I have spoken to Steve (Bettis - CEO), he says it is nonsense and just 'carry on'. It is always there as a manager."