Even so, only six appearances have come his way, but the midfield man is still loving life as a Blade.

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Sheffield United is Little's eighth club as a professional footballer, the Londoner learning his trade at Crystal Palace before being loaned out to Irish cub Derry City where he made his debut.

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It was across the Irish Sea that Little would first prove a hit, at next club Glentoran, but, after some 75 appearances for the Belfast side, it has been English football all the way since with spells at Burnley, Reading, Bolton, Portsmouth and now the Blades where the wide man has signed a one-year deal.

At 34, Little is approaching the twilight of his career but throughout the campaign he has remained a potential option for Kevin Blackwell, the 6ft 3in ace staying injury free during a period of crocks galore.

The experienced pro admits he is disappointed to have only bagged a handful of appearances but is in mellow mood and just delighted to be a Blade.

Little told Yorkshire Sport: "I've been all right. I played sort of the last three or four reserve games, but I feel pretty good.

"It's a bit disappointing I haven't had more of a run out – and I have been an unused sub the last four or five games – but there's nothing
you can do about it. It's one of those things.

"As long as you're ft and you're ready to go if you're needed then if you get on you've got to come on and try and do well and have an impact on the team.

"Of course, you would have hoped for a few more games but I got a couple of run outs about a month ago and I felt as if I played pretty well.

"I've been on the bench the last few games and I haven't managed to get on, but we have had a few things go wrong in games which hasn't helped.

"I feel like I haven't played enough, but I'm just looking forward to coming on again as I still feel that I have got a part to play.

"Of course I would have liked more time on the pitch, but there are a lot of players who would say that."

Turning his attentions to team matters, Little continued: "Life's good, but it's been a shame really the last couple of months.

"I think we started pretty well. Everything was going as we wanted really and at the start of the season we felt we had a shout of pushing for promotion, aiming for the top six. That was the way it was looking.

"But, all of a sudden, we couldn't seem to get a win and the last couple of months have been pretty tough for us.

"We went eight or nine games without a win but we finally got one against Peterborough so hopefully now we have had a bad run and we can have a good run, because we need to now.

"We need to start winning matches and getting back into contention because we've fallen a bit off the pace at the minute.

"We've had a lot of injuries and that hasn't helped things.

"At one stage we had nine or 10 out, but we're back practically to full strength now and we're only a couple down.

"We've had a few long term injuries that are coming back, the likes of Gary Naysmith and Derek Geary there, so we're pretty much up to full strength and that's what you need.

"You don't want injuries, you want a full strength side to pick from and we would like to think once we got everyone back fit that we will have a good chance of putting a good run together."

After experiencing life at seven other football clubs, Little unsurprisingly took little time to bed in at Bramall Lane following his signature in the summer after impressing as a free agent on trial.

The Wimbledon-born footballer has opted to experience Steel City life while living in a hote,l but feels comfortably settled at United, only wishing his side were operating at the other end of the table.

"I had no problems and I settled in straight away pre-season," said Little.

"I came straight in and got on with everyone really well. It's a lovely club with a good set of lads and I had no problems – it's just a shame things haven't gone as well as we would have hoped.

"I've been in the hotel and things and I've settled in well.
"Harps (James Harper) is up here as well and he was a good mate of mine at Reading, so he's up here, and we get on great with all the boys."

Hotel life also has its major perks, small wonder Little is in mellow mood as a Sheffield United player with little effort required while in his digs in Sheffield.

"It's fine, you get all your meals done for you and everything and you get a bit of lazy living!" he laughed.

"But I get out quite a lot as well.

"In terms of moving away that was probably the only sort of negative really, but that's football isn't it?

"It's not too much though and, as I've not got long left in my career, I wanted to give it a go and have one last push at promotion.

"I felt that Sheffield United offered a good chance to do that."
According to the bookmakers, United's chance appears to have been and gone, United now as big as 10-1 to gain promotion in any fashion.

Little admits the last two months have hardly gone to plan but the journeyman remains hopeful a dream December can transform his latest club's fortunes.

"When I signed I thought we had a good chance of pushing for the top six and that's the way it was looking after the first eight or nine games," said Little.

"But, all of a sudden, it turned against us.

"It's been a poor couple of months for us but, hopefully, these next couple of months will be a lot better and we can start winning games and getting back in that top six again.

"It's always important coming up to Christmas, you want to be in there, and do well in those five or six games coming into Christmas.

"You don't want to go into the New Year giving yourself too much to do.

"Things can get pretty tough after Christmas and we need a big push now.

"We've finally got the monkey off our back, we have finally got a win against Peterborough, and we want to try and kick on but it's not going to be easy.

"We have got some tough away games coming up and it's everything to play for, but we have had a win now and we would like to think that, as a side, we can kick on."

If required, Little is certainly waiting in the wings to do his bit.