Sheffield United must make an obvious improvement to deliver on Chris Wilder demand next season
Sheffield United will be hoping to put an underwhelming season behind them next term.
If Sheffield United are to improve on this season’s 13th-placed finish next term, their record at Bramall Lane is just one of a number of things that has to be better.
After picking up 49 points on home soil in 2024/25, winning 15 of their 23 home games, they amassed just 31 points at Bramall Lane this season, winning only nine of their 23 S2 league outings.
Finishing 15th in the home table, United conceded 33 goals at Bramall Lane this term, meaning only Leicester City (34), Hull City (34), QPR (37), Wrexham (37) and Sheffield Wednesday (44) conceded more goals in the Championship on home soil.
On the flip side, United scored 38 goals in the league at Bramall Lane, only being outscored on home soil this season by Birmingham City (39), QPR (40), Wrexham (41), Ipswich Town (43) and Coventry City (51). Thirty-seven of United’s 38 Championship home goals this season were plundered after Chris Wilder returned to the club in September - and only Coventry scored more goals at home after that juncture (43).
United lost each of their first four home games this season, being beaten by Bristol City (1-4), Millwall (0-1), Charlton Athletic (0-1) and Southampton (1-2). Following the slender defeat to the Saints, which saw Sydie Peck have a late equaliser controversially ruled out, United were left wondering where their first home win of the campaign would come from.
Eventually, they got the better of Watford, winning 1-0, to get off the mark in S2 at the fifth time of asking. It was a juncture that Wilder wanted United to kick on from, highlighting the importance of Bramall Lane becoming a fortress.
“This is our home and we want to make it as difficult as possible for teams to come and play,” Wilder said. “We have to play in a certain way, and I saw signs against Southampton.
“As I said, a few things went against us that night, but they kept going right to the end."
The win over Watford marked the first of seven wins in ten home games for the Blades, marking a significant upturn in results. They scored 22 goals in that period, conceding seven, offering signs they were turning Bramall Lane back into the fortress Wilder demands it to be.
Portsmouth (3-0), Stoke City (4-0) and Birmingham City (3-0) were all swept aside by a minimum of three goals prior to Christmas before Leicester City (3-1), Ipswich Town (3-1) and Oxford United (3-0) conceded three goals apiece on the other side of the festive period.
However, the Blades’ home form took a nosedive towards the end of the campaign after they managed just one win in their last seven outings at Bramall Lane, coming from behind to beat Hull City 2-1 on April 11.
Back-to-back home defeats to Blackburn Rovers (1-3) and Preston North End (2-3) in their final two home games marked a disappointing finish to their season’s work at Bramall Lane, meaning only six teams won fewer points than Wilder’s troops on home soil this term.
If United are to climb the Championship ladder next season - an aspiration they hope will be boosted through a productive summer transfer window - they must, as obvious as it sounds, improve their success rate on home soil after failing to win 14 of their 23 Championship home games this term.
A solid home record is so often the backbone of any promotion push, and promotion is a target United will almost certainly be setting themselves next season with an expanded play-off system being introduced, meaning the top eight will each be in with a shot at securing promotion to the Premier League.
Having had the ninth-best record in the division overall since Wilder returned to Bramall Lane just over a month into the season, ironing out a few issues, coupled with a strong transfer window, should give United the confidence and belief they need to launch a promotion push next season.