'Strap yourself in' says Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder ahead of Bristol City clash
Chris Wilder has told Blades fans to ‘strap themselves in’ ahead of United’s trip to Bristol
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has given his assessment of Bristol City’s season so far ahead of United’s clash against the Robins on Saturday afternoon at Ashton Gate.
United go into the weekend’s game coming off the back of a narrow 3-2 defeat to Portsmouth on Wednesday night.
Referee Oliver Langford stole the headlines after his controversial decision to send off Hamza Choudhury for a second yellow card offence, with Wilder questioning ‘where he was supposed to go’ at the full-time whistle.
City currently sit 12th in the Championship table on 14 points, just two points better off than the Blades who find themselves in 15th after 10 games played.
Ahead of United’s trip to Ashton Gate, Wilder said, “They've (Bristol City) lost a couple of home games and it's going to be a roller-coaster ride for not just Sheffield United but for, I would say, three quarters of the clubs that are trying to get into the top eight and trying to extend their season, and we're one of those clubs.
“I should imagine Bristol City would be one of those clubs as well,” he added. “New manager, new ideas, had some good results, had some not so good results.”
The Robins did the double over Wilder’s men last season, with the most recent being a 1-0 defeat at Ashton Gate last April.
“It’s always a difficult place to go,” Wilder said. “We've had a mixed bag of results there last season, first half not so good, second half really good, should’ve come away with a result. Play-off game, obviously, is fresh in the memory.
“We've had some good memories there, so we need to recreate that; we can't beat ourselves up too much [about Portsmouth].”
“Strap yourself in, it's a roller-coaster ride; the players have to get on with it,” he added. “This is not a divided group; it's a group that gives everything. It has a different feel to the group that I had last year.
“We're all on the same page where I didn't believe we were last year. It's a long, old season; we just need to keep grinding away so we can get a result.”