Sheffield United stars are fighting for their futures - they have four auditions left
The 2025/26 season will always be remembered as a failure for Sheffield United, but there is still time for them to finish strongly and sign off on a positive note.
Sheffield United’s clash with Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon is going to do little to whet the appetite of either set of supporters.
United, currently 17th in the Championship table, will travel to Hertfordshire having won just one of their last seven matches while the Hornets, who are currently 12th, three points ahead of the Blades, are winless in four. ‘Dead rubber’ and ‘on the beach’ spring to mind at this point.
Although the mathematics say Watford can still sneak into the play-offs and United can still be relegated, the reality is neither of them are going anywhere and will both be playing in the Championship again next season.
However, that is not to say both Watford and the Blades will approach this game with the intention of knocking the ball around with no purpose for 90 minutes. Both will want to get three points on the board in their respective quests to try and finish the season as strongly as possible.
Blades boss Chris Wilder is determined to finish the season as strongly as possible ahead of signing of for what he is hoping will be a transformative summer, while Watford boss Ed Still, who was appointed as recently as February, wants his team to “buck the trend” of finishing poorly in recent seasons.
The Hornets, who have one just one of their last seven outings, have finished each of the last few campaigns on a sour note, failing to win any of their last five games last term, losing four.
"I'm not going to go into too much of an analysis of that, but there are patterns and trends that are there and it's something that needs to change," Still told BBC Radio Three Counties.
"These are times in the season when you need to stand up, compete and put everything on the pitch to match your ambitions and all the talk and everything you say and I say.”
For a time, a top six finish looked achievable for the Hornets, who were beaten 1-0 at Bramall Lane back in October, but their season has since fizzled out. United’s campaign has also lacked signs of life in recent weeks, highlighted by their tally of two wins from their last nine games, but their season has developed from the other end of the table.
United, prior to Wilder’s return, were hurtling towards relegation, losing each of their first five matches under former boss Rubén Sellés. Wilder’s return did not trigger the new manager bounce United were hoping for, losing six of his first nine matches back in charge after he answered the hierarchy’s SOS call, but he gradually steered the Blades away from trouble.
After falling short in last season’s Championship play-off final at the hands of Sunderland, every United supporter left Wembley expecting and demanding another promotion push this season. However, due to the events of last summer, those ambitions were quickly extinguished.
Now, with just four games to go, all United can focus on is finishing as high up the ladder as possible. Despite currently finding themselves 17th in the table, they are only three points shy of the top half of the table.
Finishing in the top half, based on how the season started, would be a success. It would not be one to be celebrated, but it would highlight the improvements that have been made since Wilder returned.
The Blades boss has made no secret of his desire to rip up his squad come the summer, but the current focus is on the last four matches and finishing as strongly as possible. With numerous members of Wilder’s squad playing for their futures, either at Bramall Lane or elsewhere, they need to make their mark and treat the final sprint to the finish line as an audition period.
If they make their mark and impress, it should translate into positive results for the Blades. Given Watford’s current downward trajectory, there should be nothing to fear heading to Hertfordshire this weekend.
A positive result would mark a win-win for everyone from a red and white persuasion.