Sheffield United won’t shy away from fairytale play-off push as welcome form returns boost Blades hopes
Sheffield United won’t shy away from fairytale play-off push as welcome form returns boost Blades hopes
If Sheffield United are to mount a late-season push for promotion, they will have to do it the hard way - but there is no point in shying away from the fact that that remains their ambition, whilever the possibility is there. The Blades remain nine points off the play-offs.
But their weekend win at QPR moved them up to 13th in the Championship table as they look to continue overtaking some of the traffic separating them and sixth-placed Wrexham. The Welshmen still have to come to Bramall Lane, as do a few of the other sides who still harbour ambitions of finishing in the top six come the end of the season.
In that respect United can still affect their own destiny but they will need to string together a really dangerous run of wins in the 11 regular-season games remaining. They certainly have the potential to do so, while the returns to the scoresheet of Callum O’Hare [after six games without a goal] and especially Tyrese Campbell [after 16] will be particularly welcome.
O’Hare has been United’s player of the season so far this term but has struggled to recapture that same level of control over games of late while Campbell’s stunning strike belied his barren run in front of goal, igniting hopes that he can now go on a run as he did after scoring a screamer on this same pitch last season.
Asked about his side’s play-off hopes, Wilder admitted: “I think we're in a group that's not in the best of positions. But can we go and string a run together? That's what we'll all be after. I think maybe we're the lowest team that would feel they have an opportunity of winning some games of football [and making the top six].
Sheffield United won’t shy away from fairytale play-off push as welcome form returns boost Blades hopes
“And if you're 14th, if you want to be 13th. If you're 13th, if you want to be 12th. I just think that all comes in the package of wanting to go and win the next game. There's some games of football that we can lose, there's games of football we can draw, but there's some games with this group we can go and win.
“We understand we don't want our season just to fizzle out. We understand that there's an opportunity to win the next game and we have to go and take that. We've been good. I can't really complain about the form and the attitude of the players.
“We've been good. On current form, over the last 15, 16 games, we're right up there. And if we're going to do something, we can't shy away from it, we've got to win some games of football. And it was good to bounce back from a really frustrating night on Wednesday.”
That saw United lose 2-1 to leaders Coventry City despite a positive performance, with struggling West Bromwich Albion making the trip to Bramall Lane next weekend. “I think that's the beauty of the Championship,” Wilder added.
“Everybody's always got something to play for and when they haven't got something to play for, they have. When your season's over, it isn't over. That's how it is. Go and win the next game and see where it takes you.
“There’s a lot of football to be played. We're not into the last three or four games of the season, where you're knocking it down to half a dozen teams or whatever. But you have to win, as you always do. We always try to win and we’ve managed to do that today.”