Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell is ready to give Justin Haber the chance to stake his claim for the no.1 jersey at Bramall Lane after regular goalkeeper Paddy Kenny was suspended for doping earlier this week.

Haber is in his second season at Sheffield United but yet to make his first appearance for the Championship outfit even though he was a regular in the reserves side in 2008/09.

The news that Kenny was facing a long spell on the sidelines after testing positive for a banned substance has increased speculation that Blackwell would enter the market to swoop for a new keeper.

However, speaking to the media during a news conference organised to promote tomorrow's friendly against Floriana at the Hibs Ground, the Sheffield United manager said that he is ready to give Haber the chance to prove his worth.

"Justin has settled down nicely at Sheffield United and made significant progress at our club," Blackwell said.

"Now, Justin and Ian Bennett have a challenge on their hands to try and convince us that they deserve to be the team's regular keeper in Kenny's absence. So, it's now up to them to show their true mettle."

The match against Floriana, which starts at 7.30 p.m., will be the first of a series of warm-ups for the Blades. Blackwell is looking forward to the match against the team that launched Haber's career.

"Justin has often talked about his experiences in Malta and we felt it was a good opportunity for us to play a friendly against the club that nurtured him in his youth days," Blackwell said.

"It's a great pleasure for us to spend part of our pre-season here. Malta has a special affinity to our club. I hope that many fans will come to the stadium to watch this match which should be of great interest."

Last season Sheffield United, who are sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority, just missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing to Burnley in the play-off final.

Midfielder Gary Naysmith said that upset has only instilled further determination on the players to reach their objective next time round.

"Losing the play-off final was hard to swallow but we've become more determined to gain promotion via one of the two top places," Naysmith said.

"Having teams like Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the Championship increases competition. But we are only focusing on ourselves and the Premier League objective."

New Floriana coach Roddy Collins, the Irishman who took charge of the Greens last week, said the match against the Blades will be a useful experience for his players.

"It's always a great occasion for a club like ours to play one of the most traditional teams in the English game and we are looking forward to it.

"I have only been in Malta a few days but I'm delighted to have accepted the job. So far, I have only had a couple of training sessions with the players so it's still early days to give any judgment on the team's potential.

"They told me there were several reports on the internet dealing with new players who could join Floriana but so far there is nothing concrete. I'm the one who is taking decisions on new signings and so far we have made none.

"In the next few weeks I will take stock of what is needed and then we will enter the market but it's still early to talk about transfers."