Johnny Harris took the Blades to a highly respectable ninth position by the end of the 1965- 1966 campaign as they put on a great performance in the division and improved dramatically. The blades crashed out of the FA Cup in the forth round suffering a 3-0 defeat against Wolves in the competition.
The 1966-67 season was a mighty success for Harris and the Blades, they finished the season off in the top half of the table, 10th position. The pleasure of their campaign came in the domestic cup competitions as they were outstanding reaching the quarter finals of both the FA Cup and league cup, suffering defeats against Chelsea and Birmingham City respectively. Graham Shaw left the club towards the end of 1967 and the Blades fortunes declined after that despite the arrival of new player, Alan Hodgkinson. United endured an awful league campaign, during the 1967-1968 season as they finished the campaign off in a lowly 21st position. They reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup, suffering elimination against a great Leeds United side, losing 1-0.
The 1968-1969 campaign saw the arrival of new manager, Arthur Rowley at the club; however the club did not return the immediate return to the top flight that they hoped for as they finished the campaign off in ninth position. Johnny Harris returned to the club to manage the team on a second occasion. They finished their season off in an improved sixth place. They enjoyed a decent run in the league cup, reaching the forth round of the competition, suffering defeat against Leicester City.