Tom Cannon impressed for Sheffield United against Blackburn Rovers two weeks ago, and Chris Wilder has revealed how a “gut feeling” could influence his team selection for tomorrow’s return to Ewood Park.

All sorts of factors come into the thinking of Chris Wilder and his Sheffield United staff when they pick a line-up for any given game. Form and fitness are obvious ones. Any specific tactical tweak can either rule a player out or bring them into consideration.

But sometimes there is room for that intangible feeling in the gut; one not always backed up by stats or data but the instinctive feeling that it’s the right call to make. And as United prepare to travel to Ewood Park tomorrow, there may be one swirling around Wilder’s mind.

Just two weeks ago, on that very patch of grass over the Pennines, Tom Cannon scored one and could have had a hat-trick on one of his most threatening displays in a United shirt since he came to the club.

It hasn’t quite transpired as the turning point that everyone involved hoped, but recent success against Blackburn Rovers on their own turf could earn him another chance as United look to follow up their League Cup success a fortnight earlier.

“Yeah, at times I have done that, yeah,” said Wilder, asked about whether that gut feel ever comes into its own. “There are times where we think that he fancies it and he's been a problem.

“Tom was good that night, but Ty [Campbell] was good without getting his goals that night as well.I thought both of them were excellent. I thought they caused problems for their back two on the night.

“I imagine there’ll be changes for this one but Tony [Mowbray] has had the same issue as us. Possibly even worse, with the availability that they’ve had. We are disappointed that we can't change those positions up, but we've still got some good players.

“I think it'll be, without stating the obvious, a 95-minute game. I think introduction of subs will be really important. I think the game will open up after 60 minutes, especially the amount of games that we are playing at the moment.

“That's four in 10 days. It's a really hectic schedule at the start of the season when players aren't up to speed as well and are working their way towards maximum output. So, yes, there are times when that can happen and we go gut-feeling ... but we've got to try and pick the right team and pick the right formation to get a result.”