No apologies from Chris Wilder as disjointed Sheffield United make priority clear after Cardiff City defeat

Chris Wilder offered no apologies for making wholesale changes to his Sheffield United side for this evening’s clash with Cardiff City, as they tumbled out of the FA Cup at the first stage following a disjointed display. The Blades made eight changes but none of Wilder’s fringe players really put their hands up to say they should be starting in the final 20 games in the race for the Premier League.

Jamal Baptiste, the full debutant centre-half, was the pick of the Blades players in a 1-0 defeat, Cardiff’s winner coming from Cian Ashford after a bad mistake from Rhys Norrington-Davies in possession. The Welsh international was later substituted after taking a whack in a tackle while senior players including Gus Hamer, Anel Ahmedhodzic and Callum O’Hare watched from the bench.

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Wilder’s approach was understandable, though, with a number of players already missing through injury and many of those who have filled in for them in recent weeks running on empty. “I had to [make changes],” Wilder said. “I'm not trying to deflect anything. I'm a bit disappointed that some of the younger players didn't take the opportunity, a couple did. I thought Baptiste and [Billy] Blacker were good.

“I thought a couple of senior players didn't take the opportunity to stick it on me as much as they could have done, through their performances. The goal was a poor goal and some of the decisions were disjointed. One resulted in the goal. Ball speed, not playing with the positivity they should have done and I'd sum it up by saying their fringe players were better than our fringe players and their youngsters were better than ours on the whole. And that was the game.

“You saw from the teamsheet and it's not an apology from me, I told everyone and we wanted to go through, but I could quite easily have gone Hamer and O'Hare and Anel on. In the back of my head, that risk is not one worth taking. Nine out injured and if I don't get the players back we're expecting back, and the players we're trying to get in for Norwich, where does that leave me?

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“It potentially leaves me in a worse position than we were in at Watford, and we know how hard that was. Our priority, unfortunately, is the Championship. It's a bit sad, in a way, the way it's going. But with nine out and risks to certain players it was needs must. Playing on a Thursday was sad, too. It didn't feel like an FA Cup third-round game that we've all been involved in. But I'd like to think people will cut us a little bit of slack from a selection point of view in terms of the decisions we made.

“I could have gambled but the gamble doesn't come off and we lose those players, then we're possibly in a worse situation. If people want to chuck stones at me for that, then I get it. But the last 20 games are all that matter now. We've put ourselves in a fabulous position, we've won more points than anyone else and we're getting players back. Not to play 95 minutes, so we're going to have to integrate them and monitor them. But hopefully the feeling we have going into the next game will be absolutely completely differently to the feeling tonight.”