Goalscorer Dean Marney described it as criminal while boss Brian Laws was clearly frustrated with our inability to see out a game in which we were comfortable at 2-0 up.

Even after Sheffield United had pulled themselves back from the brink, Jay Rodriguez’s last-minute goal should have been enough for us to grab our first away win in goodness knows how long.

Defensive lapses cost us a number of times last season but I really thought we’d turned a corner this term.

Those frailties were evident again at Bramall Lane on Saturday but I’m sure Laws will have delivered a rocket to the lads after the game because he knows as well as the rest of us that it is a game we should have won.

I said it after the draws at Crystal Palace and Millwall and I’ll say it again, a point away at Sheffield United is a good point.

But such is the measure of how high expectations are, not only in the stands but among the lads themselves, we come away feeling like we have been beaten.

Goals from Marney and a very well taken penalty from Chris Eagles – who is looking as good as he ever has in a Burnley shirt - should have given the Clarets an inbreachable lead.

But, as the old saying goes, teams are at their most vulnerable when they have just scored and that proved to be the case.

Tyrone Mears, who won the penalty for the Clarets, seemed to get his feet stuck just two minutes later and United, rather undeservedly, were able to capitalise and halve the deficit.

To let the Blades back into the game so close to full time was disappointing.

Just when it looked like we may have to settle for a point - and with the home side doing much of the pressing by that point - Jay popped up with what looked like a certain winner.

But as we saw at Boro a few weeks ago, the inability to defend a lead in stoppage time came back to the fore and the equaliser duly came to dampened the spirits of the travelling Clarets who had put their Yorkshire counterparts to shame for much of the 90 minutes.

It was a kick in the nether regions but somewhat self-administered unfortunately.

A point isn’t the end of the world but it has seen us slip out of the play-off places and that will be the most disappointing aspect for the lads.

We have two home games in a week now and Laws will be expecting his players to deliver a maximum return.

No team should be feared when we play at home and while Barnsley tomorrow night and Reading on Saturday will come to the Turf and make life difficult for us, we should be seeing off teams of their ilk, especially if we are to realise our goal of a return to the top flight.

That elusive away win is just around the corner I am sure, but a return to home comforts is something to be welcomed.