Sheffield United: ‘You’re inspirational,’ Blades fans are told

United have sold over 5,500 tickets for Saturday's visit to Deepdale, with their allocations for forthcoming games against Birmingham City and Hull City also selling-out.

With more than 30,000 fans descending upon Bramall Lane to watch last weekend's meeting with Bristol City, Wilder claims the backing his third-placed team will enjoy in Lancashire could prove crucial as it looks to bounce back from defeat by Lee Johnson's side.

"It's amazing, it really is," Wilder said. "If that doesn't pick the lads up, if that doesn't inspire them and get them going then I'm not sure what will.

"I can't stress enough how important they (the supporters) are to what we're trying to achieve. I know you get people saying stuff like that is just a soundbite but honestly it isn't. It really does help you try and get to another level."

United entered their fixture against City second in the table after beating Leeds before the international break. But with only seven matches remaining, they slipped two points behind Marcelo Bielsa's men when Andreas Weimann's hat-trick helped end their 10 game unbeaten run.

Despite describing that result as a "disappointment", Wilder added: "Nothing was ever going to be decided. It's still all to play for and there's going to be lots of twists and turns yet. There's plenty of points to play for and plenty of football ahead to go."