How events seven years ago suggest Sheffield United could be on course to win their battle for Premier League survival

Okay, so maybe Nigel Clough benefited from the ‘new guy at the helm’ effect. Caretaker Chris Morgan, aided and abetted by the hugely knowledgeable Mick Wadsworth, had also steadied the ship a little. But reaching the semi-finals, not to mention seventh in the League One table, was still an amazing achievement. Particularly when you consider the state United were in when he took charge only six months earlier. David Weir, the former England international’s immediate predecessor, was a genuine guy with some impressive ideas and plenty to offer. But, taking charge of a club for the very first time, he perhaps betrayed his lack of experience by building a team around Kevin McDonald and then allowing someone in the boardroom to sanction the midfielder’s departure after putting up only a perfunctory fight when Wolverhampton Wanderers came calling. The proverbial rug was pulled from under poor Davie’s feet and, by the time he departed only 13 games and a single win later, fourth tier football appeared to beckon. Yet, five matches after a titanic tussle with Hull City at Wembley, United had finished only a place outside the play-offs. It was, by any measure, a quite remarkable turnaround.

Chris Wilder had cause to remember that run earlier this month, as his squad prepared to make its bow in this term’s competition against Bristol Rovers last weekend. Still employed by Northampton Town at the time, Wilder, a lifelong United supporter, was in the crowd when Clough’s troops gave City a God Almighty scare beneath the iconic arch; eventually succumbing 5-3 despite leading at half-time.

“I was having a few Guinesses and, by the time we came back in, we were losing,” he reflected. “To be honest, it was such a good day and such a sunny one too that I don’t think any of us remember too much after the break. But the boys back then did brilliant.”

After a period of almost unprecedented success at Bramall Lane, Wilder finds himself in a similar position to the one Clough inherited right now. Admittedly, as he quite rightly reminded when the comparison was put to him, victories in the Premier League are far harder to come by than ones over, say, Crawley Town, Crewe Alexandra and Gillingham. United, even if they are able to begin piecing together a prolonged sequence of positive results, are unlikely to challenge for European qualification as they did last term. But after securing their first victory of the campaign at the Memorial Stadium and then following it up with another one over Newcastle on Tuesday evening, there are obvious parallels. Could another run in the knockout tournament prove the catalyst for another climb up the table and maybe, just maybe, prolong United’s stay at the highest level of the English game?

Their performance during Sunday’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, rather than the result, should provide a few clues. Although beating Jose Mourinho’s men will be a tough ask - after all, the Portuguese has players of the calibre of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura at his disposal - carrying the conviction and sense of purpose on display when Steve Bruce’s team was put the sword into that fixture would lend further weight to the theory that United have rediscovered their mojo.

“We used what we did on Saturday and took it into our next game,” Wilder said. “Now, the key for us is to try and take that forward.”

After masterminding two promotions following his appointment in 2016, Wilder has long suspected that confidence, or a lack of it to be exact, was responsible for United’s slide towards the foot of the division; losing 15 and drawing two of their outings before dispatching opponents reduced to 10 men when Ryan Fraser was dismissed just before half-time. On the evidence of four days which began with a 3-2 triumph over Rovers and ended with Billy Sharp’s penalty ending United’s six month wait for a victory, that hunch appears correct. Although it does not excuse the careless defending and profligacy in front of goal which, at the beginning of the season, was responsible for eroding it in the first place, United inevitably became more passive and compliant as their self-belief drained away. In a sense, Rovers’ stubborn resistance during the third round tie accelerated the recovery process. Had United simply breezed through, rather than being forced to show great character themselves, it is doubtful they would have taken the same heart from the result.

That boost, which translated into an aggressive, more assertive and ultimately profitable showing against Newcastle, was clearly felt on the bench too; providing Wilder and his coaching staff to make a series of increasingly attack-minded changes in response to Fraser’s red card. Wilder has always been prepared to gamble but the sight of United gathering momentum encouraged him to introduce both Rhian Brewster and of course Sharp; now recovered from the bout of Covid-19 which ruled him out of action over the New Year period. Those substitutions reflected the dynamic of the contest, instead of being attempts to change it.

Speaking ahead of the clash with Spurs, Wilder acknowledged United still have a mountain to climb if they are to claw back the nine gap separating them from safety. Crucially, however, they now have something tangible to build on rather than simply hope.

“We can’t let this opportunity go by,” Wilder said. “We’ve got to try and grab it and keep on going.”

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