Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says it's "Game On" in the battle for Premier League survival ahead of crunch clash with West Brom

United will enter the game at the bottom of the table, four points behind Sam Allardyce’s 19th place side, after being narrowly beaten by leaders Manchester City last weekend.

Despite being encouraged by the visitors’ display at the Etihad Stadium, which also earned them the respect of Pep Guardiola, Wilder acknowledged United must translate performance into positive results during a run of matches which also sees them face Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and fellow strugglers Fulham later this month.

“Now it is ‘game on’ for us,” Wilder said, insisting the outcome of Saturday’s contest was “never going to define” United’s season. “It’s game on if we want to achieve something out of this season.

“We have to bring good performances and good results. That’s the challenge for us now, from here on in.”

Despite returning to South Yorkshire 10 points adrift of safety, Wilder remains convinced that United can still claw themselves out of the relegation zone after praising both their attitude and application in recent weeks, Having lost 15 of their first 18 outings since finishing ninth in the table last term, United returned to the North-West having won four out of five in all competitions; including a deserved 2-1 victory over City’s neighbours and arch-rivals Manchester United.

“The manager here, Pep, was scratching his head telling me he can’t understand the position we are in,” Wilder said. I don’t want us to go out through the back door. I don’t want us to just turn it in. This is such a tough place to come, with the levels they raise the game to, and they are bang in form to boot. But we were still able to make it tight and uncomfortable for them.”

“We have to make it tight and uncomfortable for the team above us now,” Wilder, whose side succumbed to Gabriel Jesus’ ninth minute strike, continued. “I can see us winning games from here on in.

“I can’t tell you how many. But I can see us winning games and I think the players believe that too.”

Although United’s lack of progress in the transfer market will be source of concern - after initially being told he had been granted permission to make two loan signing, Wilder now concedes there are unlikely to be any new arrivals ahead of tonight’s deadline - his confidence in his squad’s ability to at least give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding relegation has been strengthened of late.

“We had to try and build on that win (at Manchester United) and it was important we took something out of this one, whatever that was. Ideally it would have been a result, but I still think we got something out if it.”

“We can’t get away from our position in the league,” Wilder added. “But the feeling in that changing room is possibly the best it’s been all season. That’s not saying it was ever a broken changing room, because it wasn’t. But it’s got a great feeling about it now.”

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