A crowd of 30,050 packed into Bramall Lane to see promotion secured after two seasons in the Championship.

"We celebrate every win, and I think that's why we've got 26 of them," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"From 43 games, that's tremendous, so we'll celebrate. We set out a long time ago to achieve this, with a group of players who I already knew, the majority I knew.

"We've been written off, people saying the squad's too old, he'll need this or that. No. We've been promoted. They deserve all the credit in the world."

Since taking over from Slavisa Jokanovic in November 2021 with the Blades eight points off the play-offs, Heckingbottom has turned United around.

He guided the men from the Steel City to the play-offs last season, losing to Nottingham Forest on penalties.

Despite losing the services of loan stars such as then-Wolves forward Morgan Gibbs-White, Heckingbottom brought in Anel Ahmedhodzic on a permanent deal, and loaned in Manchester City's Tommy Doyle and James McAtee to great impact, as the Blades further improved on last season's form to bring promotion.

All that has been done whilst maintaining a run to the FA Cup semi-finals, and with the distractions of issues such as training facilities.

The win over the Baggies was Heckingbottom's 46th from 80 matches in charge, with only 19 defeats in that time.

"That, from a personal point of view, gives me satisfaction, regardless of changes in each window or what's being going off," Heckingbottom said.

"The fact we've been able to keep that focus, it's massive credit to the players who we've been pushing, we've had lots of conversations around making sure they understand that - if we want an excuse they can have one, but we haven't.

"Also massive credit and congratulations to the staff because they see a bit more than the players and protect them from things that are going off.

"And the final two are (first-team coach) Jack [Lester] and (assistant manager) Macca [Stuart McCall] for me, because they know almost as much as me and have been able to manage me and help me through.

"We've done well, there's no getting away from it. It's the toughest league, the margins are so fine and we find a way to win."

Heckingbottom's initial appointment was not universally well-received, but the results have been telling.

He won promotion to the Championship during his time at Barnsley, but a move to Leeds did not yield the same success and he was dismissed after only four months in charge.

An initial bout of success at Hibernian in Scotland also soured, leading to the 45-year-old's exit, but his time with the Blades has been an upward trajectory since the start.

"There's never a doubt in my mind about what I do," Heckingbottom said.

"I don't try hard and manage a narrative around me out of this. If anyone asks me about me, I just say, just ask people I've worked with - staff or players.

"They'll know I give them my best, what my expectations are. Working with players in football is the easy bit for me, it's everything though that comes around it.

"I take the biggest satisfaction from managing all those other bits, whether it's protecting the players from it, being able to direct and influence key decisions to help us get this, this moment."