Sheffield United signed off a frustrating home season in typically frustrating fashion as they lost 3-2 at home to Preston North End at Bramall Lane. Here’s how we rated United’s players...

Sheffield United signed off a frustrating home season in typically frustrating fashion as they lost 3-2 at home to Paul Heckingbottom’s Preston North End at Bramall Lane. United were 2-0 down at the break after allowing centre-half Liam Lindsay two virtually free headers from corners in the first half.

They reduced the deficit from the penalty spot, through Gus Hamer, before falling 3-1 behind when Lewis Dobbin raced away and looked to have made the points safe for North End.

But Patrick Bamford set up a nervy finish by making it 3-2, although United couldn’t find one more moment to give their fans something to cheer despite two golden chances for sub Ki-Jana Hoever, from a combined distance of about a yard out.

Here’s how we rated the Blades on the day...

Adam Davies 5

A similar story to midweek for the United goalkeeper who was left exposed once again by those in front of him for Preston’s first two goals, virtually free headers from corners, before he excelled to prevent Dobbin making it three in the second half.

It came after good centre-forward play from former Blade Jebbison, and some more generous defending from United, before he turned inside Tanganga and fed Dobbin, who looked for all the world like he would score. But Davies did superbly to get across and block the effort, even if he couldn’t prevent Dobbin eventually getting on the scoresheet after he raced free and rounded the United goalkeeper

Femi Seriki 5

Back in the side after missing out through illness in midweek and so obviously misses the partnership and link-up he has with Brooks down the right, as he did not look half as effective trying to combine with Chong and even on the occasions he did get free early on, he couldn’t find the quality of delivery to pick out anyone in the middle.

Saw a half-appeal for a penalty waved away when he went down under the half-challenge of Lindsay, who saw what was coming ahead of time and sensibly pulled his foot away before Seriki went down after driving into the North End box, before eventually getting one with 20 to go when Vukcevic bundled him over and Hamer did the rest from the spot

Japhet Tanganga 4

United’s skipper and big-money signing is set to be a part of things moving forward but is one of a few who needs to buck his ideas up after a dramatic fall-off from the composed centre-half we observed when he came in.

He has regressed a great deal in the last few months and one small moment here rather summed up where he’s at at the moment as he looked to control a ball, with no Preston player within about 30 yards of him, and ended up instead putting it out of play.

He gives off the appearance from this vantage point of a man whose head is completely scrambled but he is also the captain and most storied member of a back-line that has given away so many avoidable goals of late - including today - and has to take his share of the blame for that as a result

Mark McGuinness 4

He’s one of many players there are doubts over next season and showed why here, as he was outjumped so easily by Lindsay as he helped himself to a second goal from a second corner to put Preston in complete control.

He was perhaps a touch lucky to be out there at all, after being dragged in midweek, and probably wouldn’t have been had Bindon not got injured after replacing him against Blackburn.

But he did get his partner Tanganga out of trouble with a good intervention to prevent Jebbison scoring after Dobbin ran off the back of the United skipper, who then gave his McGuinness a volley in the secod half when Jebbison was allowed to run down the middle of the United defence and almost set up Dobbin for a third

Leo Hjelde 4

A first start for the Sunderland loan man out at left-back in place of Burrows, and one of many making their final appearance in United colours at Bramall Lane.

He at least offered United more defensive protection than Burrows would but that came at the expense of any attacking ambition and this was a solid yet unspectacular display down the left which ended at the break when he was replaced by Burrows

Sydie Peck 5

Recalled in the middle of the park and had one of United’s few chances of the first 30 minutes when he shifted a bit of space for himself on the outside and looked to curl home, but planted it the wrong side of Iversen’s left-hand post.

He was seen absolutely tearing a strip off Chong for not making the run he wanted him to to get on the end of one pass, although he’d have had to have moved at the speed of sound to have done so. Showed great composure late on to set up a chance for Bamford with a cross/shot that may have snuck in had the striker not touched it wide

Oliver Arblaster 5

Also returned to the starting XI as boss Wilder turned to youth, after going with experience in midweek against Blackburn, and there was a nervy moment early on when he was caught with a sore-looking one from Thompson and had to have lengthy treatment.

He eventually got up and carried on but there were a couple of moments when he still looked half a yard off the pace, and understandably so given his situation. One moment saw the ball fall to him on the edge of the box and you feel a fully-fit Arblaster would have made something of it, but instead he miscontrolled and the chance went begging

Tahith Chong 4

Another player potentially tasting Bramall Lane for the last time in United colours down the right and to be fair he at least got more involved than he did in midweek, when he was hooked at the break, but that was a low bar to clear.

He at least made it past half-time this time around and should have put United ahead not long after the restart when he was picked out beautifully by Hamer at the back post, in acres of space. He could have taken a touch and scored, he could have squared it to Bamford. He could probably, in the time he had, have nipped up the Kop steps and sampled a leftover balti pie.

But instead he did none of those things - the first two anyway - as he limped a sidefooted effort miles wide of goal, but also miles away from the onrushing Bamford in the middle as well. There were some ironic cheers from the crowd as he made way for Ings soon after, which tell the story of both his afternoon and his United career as a whole

Callum O’Hare 5

Finished a typically industrious display with an assist as he fired in a cross which Bamford turned home for 3-2 in the closing stages of the game, and could have dragged United level not long after they initially went behind.

O’Hare had a half-glimpse of goal down the left channel, but he got just too much on his lobbed effort and watched it fly over Iversen’s goal rather than nestle into the back of it

Gus Hamer 6

Not for the first time he looked the most likely to help United get back into this game from their 2-0 deficit and should have done so when he found Chong with a lovely floated pass but could only watch as his teammate failed to take advantage.

So in the end it was down to Hamer to drag them back into the game from the penalty spot, after Seriki had ghosted inside his man down the right and attracted just enough contact from Vukcevic to win the penalty he’s been close to getting all season.

Hamer then set up a good chance for Burrows late on with a wonderfully weighted sliderule pass but Iversen parried away the cross and if this is to be the last these Unitedites see of him at Bramall Lane, then it’s fitting he signed off with a goal

Patrick Bamford 6

They say a striker is only as good as his service and on that front it was a desperately disappointing afternoon for Bamford, as he was left chasing shadows for most of this game and working off scraps, to be generous.

But there were also moments and when Hamer and sub Burrows combined down the left to get the cross away, Bamford’s left foot found only thin air rather than the ball and the chance went begging.

But when the big moment eventually came he made no mistake with another goal to get the Blades back into it at 3-2, finishing nicely past Iversen in front of the Kop from O’Hare’s driven cross, and could have earned a draw late on but placed wide from Peck’s cross/shot

Subs: Danny Ings, Harrison Burrows, Joe Rothwell