Sheffield United could be reminded of what they missed out on in Championship fixture vs Hull City
Had events of the last few weeks worked out differently, Saturday’s clash between Sheffield United and Hull City could have been a massive game in the race to secure a Championship play-off place.
Instead, the Blades will welcome their Yorkshire counterparts to Bramall Lane with the mindset of trying to get to the end of the season as quickly as possible and getting started on what is set to be a big summer rebuild.
Easter Monday’s 1-0 defeat to Bristol City extended the Blades’ winless run to six matches, meaning they have now won just one of their last eight Championship matches. It is a run that has left them 15 points off the play-offs with just 15 points left to play for.
Hull, on the flip side, are in the thick of the battle, currently sitting fifth with a four-point buffer back to seventh-placed Wrexham. The Tigers have defied the odds this season, shaking off the tag as one of the favourites for relegation to push for a Championship exit via the other end of the table.
Operating under a fee restriction ban last summer, the Tigers, who appointed the unknown Sergej Jakirović as their head coach after sacking Rubén Sellés, were expected to be fighting an uphill struggle this season. However, they perfected their recruitment and assembled a squad that has often entertained both their supporters and Championship neutrals this season.
Former Blades John Lundstram and Oli McBurnie were among last summer’s additions, and the latter has been nothing short of outstanding. Playing a starring role in the Tigers’ unexpected push for a Premier League return, the Scot has scored 13 goals and registered seven assists in just 32 Championship appearances.
Reaching 20 direct goal contributions, only the Championship’s leading goalscorer, Žan Vipotnik, who has scored 20 league goals this term, has been directly involved in more goals in the division (22) than McBurnie.
He joined Hull in August on a free transfer, signing a three-year deal, after spending last season at Spanish club Las Palmas. Hull, issuing a press release to confirm McBurnie’s arrival at the MKM Stadium, said he was their “first-choice attacking target”. His form this season has made it easy to understand why.
In a parallel universe, however, McBurnie could have ended up back at Bramall Lane, a little over a year after his departure following five years at the club. As reported by The Star at the time, United expressed interest in re-signing the 29-year-old.
They eventually put an offer forward to try and bring the Scot back to S2, but the terms offered by Hull were much more lucrative, meaning they failed to replace Kieffer Moore, who departed for Wrexham, with an experienced Championship operator.
Had Chris Wilder been at the helm last summer, though, United would have almost certainly pushed harder to re-sign the striker.
“He should have a red and white shirt on, in my opinion, and he was available," Wilder said, speaking ahead of the Blades’ 1-0 defeat to Hull back in October. "There was always talk about Kieffer going, and I think everyone recognises the horses-for-courses nature of it. Different ways of playing and different forwards I've always gone with.
“There was always a chance that Kieffer would go in the summer, especially when the deal was made and became available. Obviously, I wasn’t here at the time, but speaking to Steve [Bettis], Kieffer wanted to go (to Wrexham), and the new manager didn’t feel he was part of the plan, so it was a good bit of business by Steve.
“Kieffer got an extended deal, and I think he got a couple more quid as well. I’m not being critical of him because he contributed to our 92 points last season, but I would have always been looking for a No.9, and Oli was available.”
At the time of Wilder making the aforementioned admission, United were in desperate need of a recognised centre-forward - a search that later ended when the decision was made to sign Patrick Bamford, who has scored ten goals in 24 appearances in league and cup since arriving at Bramall Lane in November.
Bamford has demonstrated the value of having an out-and-out No.9 at the top end of the pitch, cementing himself as Wilder’s chief striker. McBurnie, had he returned to Bramall Lane, would have no doubt held that title himself amid Wilder’s hint that he would have pushed even harder to bring him back to the club had he been in charge last summer.
There are no guarantees McBurnie would have delivered the same level of form at Bramall Lane as he has at the MKM Stadium, but he certainly would have made United’s attack a lot stronger.
Wilder will now be drawing up a plan to try and keep him quiet.