Sheffield United legend Billy Sharp has given his reaction to his FA Cup performance for Rushden & Diamonds on Saturday.

Rushden manager Elliot Sandy had selected the former Blade to start against Burton Albion at the weekend, and to most people’s surprise, the 40-year-old played the full 90 minutes.

Sharp, who’d announced his retirement last month, was on the hunt for his 300th career goal, but sadly didn’t reach the landmark.

The Diamonds ended up losing 4-0 to Burton Albion on the day; a scoreline that flattered the home side after two controversial goals. The first goal saw the ball possibly go out of play, and the third may not have even crossed the line at all after the ball looped over the goalkeeper’s head from his own save.

Speaking to AFCRDTV he said: “We’ve got to give credit to them. They were professional about what they did. They put a strong team out, and they wore us down a little bit first half.

“Obviously, we knew they were going to have possession of the ball, but I think the second goal, you know, it killed us a little bit because we're going in at 1-0 at half time. It still gives us a lot of belief to try and get something out of the game. But we thought the ball was out [of play] for the first one and maybe offside as well.

“The lads can be proud to get this far and to give this to the fans today; it was a great day out for them. And some of the lads have never played in the first round proper. So, it's a proud day.

“We might not have got the result, I might not have got the goal, but I really enjoyed this week.”

Sharp’s biggest scoring opportunity came in the 92nd minute, after he’d been played through on goal, but the shot went just wide of the post.

“I'm quite proud to finish the game; 90 minutes as a 40-year-old. But I had the chance at the end there, and I got hit the target. I'm disappointed with that one.

“When I picked up the ball, my calves were screaming at me. And I think what I needed to do was shift it one more to give me a better angle.”

“It should have been on TV, as we all know, which would have added pressure to Burton,” he added.