Gustavo Hamer has already been given his Sheffield United challenge ahead of Wrexham return
Saturday’s clash with Wrexham at Bramall Lane will mark the return of Sheffield United orchestrator Gustavo Hamer.
After picking up his tenth Championship yellow card of the season in the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion at Bramall Lane almost a fortnight ago, the 28-year-old was punished with a two-match suspension.
English Football League rules state that any player who amasses ten yellow cards within their team’s opening 37 league games must serve a two-match ban. Hamer earned his tenth caution of the campaign in the Blades’ 36th league game of the season, ruling him out of their recent trips to Norwich City and Birmingham City respectively.
Having had a fortnight’s rest, the former Coventry City man is highly likely to return to the starting XI for Saturday’s showdown with Wrexham, marking United’s last outing before the final international break of the season.
United will head into the clash with Phil Parkinson’s men, who failed to capitalise on the chance to tighten their grip on the final play-off spot on Tuesday evening, losing 3-1 to Watford at Vicarage Road, ten points behind them and the final play-off berth with eight games remaining.
To overcome a ten-point deficit and gatecrash the play-offs will require United to go on an extraordinary run between now and the finish line. They are currently 15th in the standings and their last three results have done little to inspire confidence that a top six push is still achievable.
To make United’s quest even harder, five of their last eight games are against top half teams, and they have won just 12 points from a possible 57 against sides who currently reside in that half of the table.
However, until the top six becomes a mathematically impossible destination to reach, United should not give up. And having a player of Hamer’s quality within their ranks is one of the biggest reasons.
Although, just like many of his teammates, he has lacked consistency this season, he remains United’s best player. He has the ability to make something happen in the blink of an eye, offering United their best hope of winning any game.
His tally of ten assists, racked up via a recent burst prior to his suspension, means he has created more goals than any other player in the Championship this season. That has to count for something.
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It is why, with eight games remaining, United need Hamer to be at his sparkling best if they are to stand any chance of storming their way through the crowd and sneaking their way into the top six.
After being issued with a two-match ban for collecting a tenth yellow card of the season, Wilder said of Hamer: “I think it was a really poor decision. I think he's an emotional player. His bookings are usually late tackles, but emotionally he plays on the edge as a player. I don't really want to take that away from him.
“But he understands that to lose a key player who was in form, for two big games, is a blow. And I think deep down he understands that and recognises that. And we talked about his impact and influence after Saturday in the remaining eight games.
“It has to be massive, it has to be big. He doesn't owe me anything, it doesn't owe the club anything. His performances have been really good.
“But I think deep down: ‘Come on, Gus ... make sure you impact the last eight games of the season after missing these two through suspension.’”
As already documented, United, who reached the 50-point mark with last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Birmingham, find themselves ten points shy of the top six with eight games to go. The chances of them making up that gap and extending their season are slim.
But if they are to stand any chance at all, they need Hamer to respond to the challenge Wilder has put to him.