STEVE Cotterill has tipped Sheffield United and Reading to gain promotion to the Premiership next season.

The Burnley manager was speaking after seeing his side beaten 3-0 by bogey side United, who inflicted a seventh straight Bramall Lane victory over the Clarets.

And Cotterill feels that if the Blades can stay hot on the heels of runaway leaders Reading over the Christmas and New Year period, the rest of the Championship will be unable to bridge the growing gap.

"I think Reading and Sheffield United will go up," insisted Cotterill. "They have a gallop on everyone else and I think they have the momentum.

"If those two teams have a good Christmas, I think they will be out of sight and if they are, then good luck to them because they will deserve it."

Burnley matched the Blades in the opening quarter of Saturday's clash before Neil Shipperley opened the scoring with a scorching shot on the turn.

Strike partner Danny Webber added a second before the break and although Burnley enjoyed plenty of second half possession, they were unable to grab a lifeline and Shipperley wrapped up the points with his second goal of the game nine minutes from time.

"For the first 20 minutes, I thought it might be a top six or seven clash, but we didn't maintain it the first 20 minutes and that probably contributed to our downfall.

"They got a stranglehold of the game and I have to be honest, I think they were the better team," admitted Cotterill.

"I try to give honest opinions every week and they were better than us."

He added: "I thought they had a leader in Shipperley. He was outstanding and I thought he was head and shoulders above everybody else on the pitch.

"Everything went through him and I think that is the best forward's performance against us this season.

"To be fair he had 10 good team mates out there alongside him, whereas I thought we maybe had three players and that is not enough to win you a football match."

Cotterill, who opted not to name the three players in question, added: "Players are sometimes below par."