Romelle Donovan calls getting harder to ignore as Sheffield United cameo v Derby County sends timely reminder
Romelle Donovan's second-half cameo against Derby County strengthened his case for a Sheffield United starting spot, with the Brentford loanee offering the creativity the Blades have lacked since the summer...
The Championship season is almost a quarter of the way through and Sheffield United’s campaign so far perhaps sums up Chris Wilder’s biggest challenge at Bramall Lane. The Blades have played 12 games: winning four, losing four and drawing the other four.
That haul could easily have been skewed one way or the other, especially in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Derby County that should have seen two more points added to their current tally of 16.
But United couldn’t find a way past Jacob Zetterstrom as they improved from a shocking first-half display that left Wilder considering changing as many as nine players at half-time.
That first 45 minutes was a huge disappointment, on the back of a positive week in terms of both performances and results against Lincoln City, Portsmouth and Bristol City.
Wilder is desperate for his side to discover the sort of consistency that he knows from experience can underpin a rise up the table, but they took a step backwards rather than forwards against the struggling Rams.
And the manager and a fanbase will be expecting United to carry on the momentum of a positive last half-hour when they face Wrexham next up. A Friday night under the Lane lights could help, rather than another flat lunchtime kick-off.
But United need to give their fans something to cling on to, as well, and there was plenty of that late in the day against Derby. Chiefly from Romelle Donovan, who now surely has to start against the Red Dragons after coming off the bench on Saturday and winning the man of the match award.
The Brentford loanee played like a man possessed, absolutely determined to show why he should be starting. Wilder’s justification for keeping him on the bench of late has been the good form of his other wingers.
Tahith Chong was again decent on Saturday - although he should have scored when Tyrese Campbell flashed across the face of goal and Chong couldn’t get across his marker - but Ben Brereton Diaz was poor on the other flank.
All things considered - and with the big usual caveat that we don’t see what goes on Monday to Friday in training - Donovan now surely has to start against the Welshmen? Even if that is alongside Chong rather than instead of him, as we saw on Saturday.
The lift he gives United is obvious, offering a bit of creativity that the Blades have so obviously lacked since the summer sales of Andre Brooks, Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare. The latter will make his Lane return on Friday and it’ll be fascinating to see the reception he gets from Unitedites.
The potential return of Femi Seriki to the starting line-up also can’t come soon enough, and that’s with no disrespect whatsoever intended to Hamza Choudhury. United just look a different side with Seriki streaking down the right.
The calls for Donovan to start were already beginning to grow. After his cameo on Saturday, and the way he helped ignite a flat Bramall Lane, they may now prove impossible to ignore.