Sheffield United: ‘We answered a few questions about our character’ admits Chris Wilder as Blades bounce back from Aston Villa blow with back-to-back victories

Manager Chris Wilder believes his Sheffield United have answered questions about their character with two wins from two games after their Villa Park horror show.
Chris Wilder manager of Sheffield Utd: James Wilson/SportimageChris Wilder manager of Sheffield Utd: James Wilson/Sportimage
Chris Wilder manager of Sheffield Utd: James Wilson/Sportimage

United led 3-0 at Aston Villa thanks to Billy Sharp’s hat-trick, before three Villa goals in the last 13 minutes saw them return north with only a point and facing concerns about their mentality and confidence.

But Wilder's men responded with back-to-back victories over top-six rivals Middlesbrough and relegation-threatened Reading, the latter finishing 4-0 to the Blades, and the boss saluted their mentality ahead of Saturday’s mouthwatering clash with fellow promotion chasers West Bromwich Albion.

Chris Wilder manager of Sheffield Utd: James Wilson/SportimageChris Wilder manager of Sheffield Utd: James Wilson/Sportimage
Chris Wilder manager of Sheffield Utd: James Wilson/Sportimage

“It was quite a difficult week after Villa,” Wilder said.

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“A lot of peole watched the game live on Sky Sports and we played outstandingly well for 85 minutes before three individual errors cost us.

“I don’t care what the opposition manager [Dean Smith] says about the pressure was mounting, that's absolute nonsense.

“But there were questions of the group, ‘what’s the reaction going to be like?’

“We lost Jack O’Connell through injury and Chris Basham was suspended, and then George Baldock came off injured. But the reaction of everyone was fabulous and answered a lot of questions about the group and how they’d react.

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“We reacted the only way we can, on that big green bit outside, by the players going out and doing what they do best as we took another step forward."

 Wilder expects positive news on the injury front for O’Connell and Baldock ahead of the trip to the Midlands.