"Not stupid..." - Chris Wilder reacts to huge Gus Hamer blow as Sheffield United robbed of key man at crucial period
"Not stupid..." - Chris Wilder's verdict on huge Gus Hamer blow as Sheffield United robbed of key man at crucial period
Sheffield United dropped what could have been two vital points in the race for the play-offs against West Bromwich Albion this afternoon - and their frustration was compounded with what was virtually the last action of the 1-1 draw. The Blades were on course for another home win when George Campbell turned in Gus Hamer’s cross in the second half.
But the Albion centre-half redeemed himself with a brilliant strike from long range into the bottom corner, even if there was a sense that United could have done a little more to prevent him wandering into a position where he could let fly.
Earlier United had more than enough opportunities to put the game to bed, but it was a familiar feeling as their profligacy in front of goal came back to haunt them. And there was worse to come in the dying minutes when Hamer was penalised for a foul.
He gestured angrily towards referee Dean Whitestone, who looked to have warned him early on about dissent and this time flashed the yellow card. That was Hamer’s 10th in the league this season, his 11th overall, and now triggers a two-match suspension.
"Not stupid..." - Chris Wilder's verdict on huge Gus Hamer blow as Sheffield United robbed of key man at crucial period
United will now be without Hamer for a double-header of away trips, to Norwich City on Wednesday night and Birmingham City at the weekend, at a time when they need all their key players fit and firing to give them any chance of rescuing something from this season.
Asked if that Hamer incident just added to the frustration of the day, boss Chris Wilder admitted: “Yeah, it is. It's a lot of things that frustrate you when they don't go as well as you want it to go.
“It's a disappointing moment because he's an experienced player as well. It's a poor decision [from the referee] but still, he [Hamer] should understand. He understands it. He's had enough notice. I'm not stupid. He knew the situation.
“He knew that he had to get through two games [without a booking, to reach the 37-game cut-off point] and we're missing for two games. There it is. If you make poor decisions with the ball, make poor decisions out of possession, then you're going to get punished.
“I've got no issue with the referee if he's been booked for dissent, and he knows he's in that situation. He misses two games now, and we've got to deal with that.”