It's easy to forget Sheffield United sourced promotion-winning striker from Aston Villa | OneFootball

Scott Hogan had the briefest of spells at Bramall Lane, as the Blades got back to the top flight in 2019

Sometimes a promotion-cashing club just needs that little extra to get them over the finishing line in the second-half of the season, with January recruits so often making the difference for those near the top of the table.

You only have to look at Kieffer Moore’s influence at Ipswich Town from January onwards in the last campaign to see how much of an impact a mid-season arrival can make, with seven goals in 18 games helping the Tractor Boys reach the promised land.

The striker now plies his trade for Sheffield United, and the Blades are a side who have looked to the transfer window in the past to help them get over the line in search of Premier League promotion, with Scott Hogan being drafted in from Aston Villa in the 18/19 campaign.

The frontman - who is currently doing the business for MK Dons in the fourth tier - had the briefest of stints at Bramall Lane, but still celebrated promotion with the Yorkshire side, before returning to Villa Park after the job had been completed.

Scott Hogan’s brief stint as a Sheffield United player

Having found the back of the net for the likes of Brentford and Villa in the second tier in the past, the Blades were keen to get Hogan involved for the latter part of the 18/19 campaign, with Chris Wilder looking to add to his forward line for the remainder of the season.

While the likes of Billy Sharp and David McGoldrick were doing the business in the final third, there can never be too many faces to call upon when you need a goal, with Hogan signing on the last day of January to add to the firepower already in the Bramall Lane dressing room.

The aforementioned duo were the top dogs around the red half of the Steel City at the time, with the Irishman playing just four times in his first two months at the club, with routine victories over Reading, Rotherham and Brentford, followed by a 3-2 defeat to Bristol City.

While defeat to the Robins will have dented United’s promotion chances at the time, Hogan got himself off the mark for his temporary employers after being brought on at the interval, before two late goals swung the game in the visitors’ favour.

While he may not always be a regular on the scoresheet, you always know what you are going to get with Hogan, with his full-bodied performances earning praise in Yorkshire, with the battle for the top two hotting up week by week.

That sort of industry was exactly what that Blades team prided itself on, with Wilder building a side that would run through brick walls to claim all three points; something they did with regularity as they continued to build momentum.

Scott Hogan steals the show as Sheffield United seal promotion

While most of his spell at Bramall Lane may be forgettable, Hogan stole centre stage on the biggest day of them all during the 18/19 season, with the visit of Ipswich Town being the day they could secure promotion back to the top flight for the first time in 12 years.

The Bramall Lane faithful had been through the ringer in the time in between, with a six-season stint in League One being their nadir of recent years, before pride in the badge was restored through the stoic management of Wilder and his players.

With Leeds United continuing to breathe down their necks, United knew a victory would see them earn promotion ahead of their Yorkshire neighbours, with the tension palpable as the penultimate game of the season got underway.

But just after the midway mark in the first-half, Hogan made sure those in the Kop could breathe a little easier, as he got the slightest of touches to Jack O’Connell’s centre to deflect the ball into the net, and send the red half of Sheffield into delirium.

O’Connell himself got the second to all but seal promotion for the Blades, who watched on the following day as Leeds failed to overcome Aston Villa, which sealed their passageway back to the Premier League.

Having played a big part in that penultimate fixture, Hogan would head back to the Midlands shortly after the celebrations ceased. His stay in the Steel City was short and sweet: job done, all the best, thanks for the memories.