Sheffield United have found another strength to boost Championship play-off push
Sheffield United reduced the gap on the play-off places to eight points with Tuesday night’s win over Oxford United.
After making light work of Birmingham City, Leicester City and Ipswich Town at Bramall Lane in recent weeks, Sheffield United fans would have been forgiven for turning up and automatically expecting another victory against Oxford United on Tuesday night.
Despite falling behind to Myles Peart-Harris’ early opener, United lived up to the pre-match expectations, coming from behind to secure a 3-1 win and get another three points on the board.
The Blades have now won each of their last four Championship home games, scoring three goals on each occasion, to keep their hopes of a top six finish alive. They are currently eight points behind sixth-placed Wrexham with 16 games to go.
As has been well-documented in recent weeks, United’s home form is shaping up to be their biggest strength in their quest to close the gap on the play-off places. The victory over Oxford marked a sixth win in their last seven home games, a run that has seen them amass 19 points from a possible 21.
On the flip side, United have not been as fruitful on the road in recent weeks, winning just one of their last six on their travels. The point they earned against Millwall at The Den on Saturday, though, would always be considered solid if they got the better of Oxford three days later.
Having won four points from their last two outings, United can now look ahead to next Monday night’s clash with title hopefuls Middlesbrough at Bramall Lane with a spring in their step. Their recent home record will no doubt give Chris Wilder’s men the belief they can get the better of Kim Hellberg’s side.
Unfortunately, Blades striker Patrick Bamford is set to miss the visit of his former club after being ruled out for up to three weeks through injury. He was a notable absentee when the team news was confirmed 75 minutes before kick-off on Tuesday night.
Speaking post-match, Blades boss Wilder said: “Losing Pat was huge for us, because it means with him we can go a little bit more direct. Which we would have liked to have done, but we lost Pat yesterday.
“That's a blow, and we're going to have to wait and see on that one. Wait and see where he is. But it might be a couple of weeks, two to three weeks. Which was a big blow to us.
“He took a knock in training, which is unfortunate and unlucky. But we train as we play, and it’s competitive.”
United are not reliant on Bamford
As big a blow as it for United to now be without the striker, who has had an unquestionable impact since joining the club back in November, the fortunate thing is that they have a cluster of players capable of scoring goals, meaning they are not solely reliant on Bamford doing the business at the top end of the pitch.
The win over Oxford saw Andre Brooks score for the third Championship game running, taking his tally of goals for the season to four, and Sydie Peck also notch his fourth of the season. There was also a first goal in United colours for Chiedozie Ogbene, who marked his first appearance since November by getting on the scoresheet.
In doing so, Ogbene became the 16th different goalscorer for United in the Championship this season, meaning their 43 goals have been shared around the squad. With so many chipping in and contributing to the Blades’ attacking output, that can only be viewed as another strength.
For context, only Hull City have had more different goalscorers (17) in the Championship this season, while only Middlesbrough and Portsmouth can match United’s tally of 16 different contributors.
What that highlights is that, although the disappointment of losing Bamford for a short period of time is a blow, United have different sources that can contribute inside the final third. Brooks, for instance, is going up through the gears right now, and Gustavo Hamer is showing signs of his old self in a creative sense, registering four assists in the last three games.
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With goals coming from beyond the strikers, United should be confident that their play-off push should not suddenly hit the buffers because of Bamford’s unavailability.
Of course, United, in terms of the way Bamford suits their system, will feel the impact of his absence, but it should not be a reason for them to lose belief. They have goalscorers within their ranks, and their number of goalscoring contributors this season highlights that.