Where Sheffield United rank in the Championship's best attendances this season | OneFootball

Bramall Lane has been a fortress for the Blades this season, but are they flying high in the average Championship attendance table too?

Sheffield United have made Bramall Lane a fortress this season, as Chris Wilder looks to mastermind an instant return to the Premier League for the Blades.

Only sitting behind second place Burnley on goal difference heading into their 31st game of the season against Portsmouth this weekend, Sheffield United are firmly in what appears to be a four-horse race for the two automatic promotion spots.

Leeds United and Sunderland make up the other two runners, in what could be a photo finish for a place in the Premier League. Key to any successful season is a club's home form, and the Blades haven't been charitable to their visitors so far this term.

10 wins, two draws and two defeats in 14 Bramall Lane outings heading into the weekend has seen the walls of their historic ground rarely breached, with just eight goals conceded in that timeframe.

The Blades supporters have undoubtedly been playing their part too, creating hostile atmospheres for opposition sides to play in. But, have they been turning up in enough numbers to rank them at the top of the attendance table this season too?

Using data from Transfermarkt, Football League World investigates.

Where Sheffield United's Bramall Lane attendance figures rank among the rest of the Championship this season

Starting from the bottom of the Championship and working our way up, let's take a look at how the table looks from an average attendance figure standpoint so far this season - per Transfermarkt.

In the relegation zone we find Oxford United at the foot of the table with an average Kassam Stadium crowd of 11,307, with the other two places made up by Luton Town's 11,455 and Millwall's 15,027.

Making up the bottom half of the table, we have: QPR in 21st with 15,344. 20th Swansea City - 15,397. 19th Blackburn Rovers - 16,450. Plymouth Argyle are in 18th with 16,518. 17th Preston North End - 16,755, and Cardiff City are 16th with 18,981.

Sitting in the mid-table spots, we find Watford in 15th with 19,407. 14th is Burnley - 19,892. Portsmouth are in 13th with 20,202. 12th are Hull City with 21,204, and finally Bristol City are in 11th with an average of 22,099 spectators inside Ashton Gate on a matchday.

Entering the top 10, we start with Stoke City at 22,864. Ninth are West Bromwich Albion with 24,955. Eighth is where you'll find Middlesbrough at 25,389. Seventh is Sheffield Wednesday with 25,852, and sixth are Norwich City with 26,325.

Making up the top five are Coventry City in fifth with 27,241. Fourth are Sheffield United with 28,038. In third are Derby County with 29,083. Second are Leeds United at 36,181. Leaving Sunderland top of the Championship's average attendance table with a whopping average of 38,546 fans inside the Stadium of Light on matchdays.

Sheffield United must maintain strong Bramall Lane form ahead of some huge matches in the coming weeks

Their fourth place position in the Championship's average attendance table shows that the Bramall Lane faithful have been out in force once again this season, and Wilder's team are going to need them over the coming weeks.

A plethora of promotion-chasing sides will make the visit to Sheffield United's stomping ground in the near future, starting with Michael Carrick's play-off chasing Middlesbrough on Wednesday 12 February.

Following their visit to the Steel City will be fierce Yorkshire rivals Leeds United on Monday 24 February, in what is set to be a heavyweight clash that could have huge ramifications on the automatic promotion race.

With home games against Bristol City, Coventry City and Blackburn all still to come before the season is done, Bramall Lane will play host to some huge fixtures that look set to help define the play-off picture.

A massive couple of months lie ahead for the Blades, as their supporters will give everything they've got to help push them over the Premier League promotion line.