Sheffield United: Chris Wilder reveals the message that inspired Blades to crucial Preston win as they go above Leeds United in race for Premier League
Chris Wilder, the Sheffield United manager, revealed the message he gave his side before their 1-0 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale this afternoon.
David McGoldrick’s 13th goal of the season settled the game and sent United back above Leeds, who lost to Birmingham, in the Championship table.
United are second in the table with six matches to go, but were dealt a blow on the eve of the game when Jack O’Connell was ruled out with injury.
But Everton loanee Kieran Dowell filled in at left wing-back with Enda Stevens again deputising at centre-half.
And Wilder said: “We lost Jack late on in the week, which was a blow because we thought he’d be ready but we wanted to keep the same shape,
”I told the players ‘be us and don’t change, do what you’ve done week in week out up and down the country, be the team and the players that have got you into this position and don’t change’.
“And they didn’t, Enda slipped a couple of times and let in Nmecha and he’s gone past Dowell a couple of times but we’re adventurous and ambitious in our approach.
”We’ve stuck a lad who plays No.10 at left wing-back because we wanted to go and play and attack the opposition.
“We had to recognise they could cause us a few problems which they did, but we wanted to take the game to them and we did that,
“Kieran put in a real shift and got booked early on so that’s why we changed it because we didn’t want him getting sent off. If he did, then we’d have been really up against it.”