Warnock's QPR, the runaway npower Championship leaders, ran out 3-0 winners against a Sheffield United side now seven points adrift of safety.

Two Wayne Routledge goals either side of Alejandro Faurlin's strike mean, if results elsewhere are kind to them this week, Warnock could be celebrating the seventh promotion of his career at Barnsley in just eight days.

But Rangers' sixth win in seven games was tinged with disappointment at the plight of the club he supported as a boy and took into the top flight in 2006.

"I enjoy the way we play. We have scored some great goals and played some fabulous football," he said.

"But I don't enjoy seeing my old team in the situation they are in. You can see they are fighting for their lives. We were just better than them on the night.

"It's disappointing, they are a fantastic club, but you can't dwell on it. It's dog eat dog these days."

Routledge fired Rangers ahead on the half-hour when he volleyed in Heidar Helguson's cross.

They were two up seven minutes into the second half when Faurlin thumped a half-cleared corner into the net from the edge of the area.

And number three arrived in the 66th minute, Routledge finishing off a sweeping move involving Tommy Smith and Helguson with another neat finish.

Rangers are now nine points clear at the top and, crucially, 13 clear of Cardiff in third.

The finish line may be in sight but Warnock claims he is "too long in the tooth" to start celebrating just yet.

"You just have to keep going, we know it's in our hands but no-one will get carried away in our camp," he added.

By contrast, United are staring at life in League One next season.

Micky Adams is their fourth manager of the season - the sort of numbers Rangers used to get through not so long ago - but they have won just twice since he took charge 17 games ago.

They had their chances, with Daniel Bogdanovic having a shot cleared off the line and Stephen Quinn firing wide.

But one point from their last 11 matches on the road tells its own story and Adams said: "We have a soft underbelly away from home.

"We don't do the right things defensively and the three goals could have been avoided.

"We had half-chances, but you have to take them.

"We know the gap is there but we have to be positive and believe we can do it.

"We are reliant on other teams slipping up but we have to concentrate on the things we can affect."