Chris Wilder's Leeds United, Burnley message as Sheffield United given next target after automatic dream dies
Chris Wilder's Leeds United, Burnley message after "hurt" Sheffield United see automatic promotion dream die
Chris Wilder has challenged his Sheffield United players to end their regular season on a winning note after the “bittersweet” feeling of officially missing out on automatic promotion with defeat at Burnley. The Blades had to win at Turf Moor to keep their faint top-two hopes alive but two goals from skipper Josh Brownhill, either side of Tom Cannon’s equaliser, secured the Clarets’ Premier League place.
The result also means that Leeds United will be playing top-flight football again next season while the Blades will have to navigate the lottery of the play-offs if they are to join them. A disastrous week which saw United lose at both Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle, and at home to Millwall in between, proved their undoing, a body blow from which they were unable to recover.
“It was bittersweet, really,” said Wilder when asked to sum up his emotions on a day when rival bosses Daniel Farke and Scott Parker sealed promotion. “When we put our heads on the pillow tonight, we are all hurting a little bit.
"Congratulations to Daniel and his Leeds United team, and Scott and everyone connected with Burnley. For two teams above us to have the ability to hit 100 points is just incredible and insane really.
"For us, losing to a team at the bottom of the form table and at home to Millwall, which was a little bit of a smash and grab, and then lose to the bottom team - although Coventry have lost there tonight, and Middlesbrough potentially should have drawn - is how the Championship is.
“To pick up no points in that week of football handed the initiative over to Burnley and Leeds United. And congratulations to them for taking advantage of that situation. The season went to the 44th game and we had a right go, and created some good chances.
“The goals have killed us, we conceded two poor goals - we have to do better on the clearance and the penalty hands the initiative back to them. They haven’t had to work hard for their goals and maybe it’s rose-tinted glasses but I thought we deserved something against a team with an amazing record.
“We’ve finished third and we’ve taken it deep. It’s an insane season and there will be some big games now. The home game [in the play-offs] at Bramall Lane will be off the scale. We’ve got to dust ourselves down and go again, and we will do that. We want to go and get 90-odd points, that’s the target."