Sheffield United’s hidden advantage keeps late-season hope alive as Chris Wilder plots run-in
Sheffield United’s hidden advantage keeps late-season hope alive as Chris Wilder plots run-in
Chris Wilder has been consistent in his belief that Sheffield United’s lesser-seen players still have a part to play in what remains of this season - and he was proved right once again on Saturday in victory at Queens Park Rangers. The Blades chief had to shuffle his pack at Loftus Road, making six changes.
But it didn’t have too much of an effect on the rhythm of his side as they cruised to a 2-0 win in the capital, with the only scare coming in the second half when Richard Kone’s header was ruled out by a linesman’s flag.
The Blades were good value for a result that edged them up to 13th in the Championship table and although they still trail sixth-placed Wrexham by nine points, a third win in four games kept United ticking along nicely as they look to mount a late-season play-off push.
With 11 games to go there is certainly the time to overcome the deficit but it will take a real run of consistency from United approaching the levels of last season, when they finished third with a points total of 90 (winning 92) that looks like it would win the league this time around.
And perhaps crucially, at a time when other sides may be starting to feel the heat of a long Championship season, United have shown that they have the depth to cope. The likes of Ki-Jana Hoever and Tahith Chong, given rare starts at Loftus Road, were positive while Jairo Riedewald returned in midfield with a typically effortless display and Tyrese Campbell ended his goal drought with a first-half stunner.
Sheffield United’s hidden advantage keeps late-season hope alive as Chris Wilder plots run-in
Next weekend’s hosting of West Bromwich Albion at Bramall Lane will be the final game of Kalvin Phillips’ suspension, too, with a full week for United to nurse Patrick Bamford and Andre Brooks back to full health after starting on the bench at QPR through illness and a slight injury concern respectively.
United were even rocked by the huge blow on the eve of their trip to the capital by the news that goalkeeper Michael Cooper’s season is over, after he picked up a “freak” knee issue in the midweek defeat to Coventry City.
But No.2 Adam Davies took the plaudits from the travelling Blades afterwards for a mostly faultless display, save for one nervy moment in the second half when he came to clear a ball and couldn’t before Paul Smyth snatched at his shot and fired well wide.
“There were so many plus points this afternoon,” admitted boss Wilder. “Jairo coming back into the group; Chongy's performance in the first half was really positive. So was Ki-Jana’s. These boys have had to wait and bide their time. Tom [Cannon] and Tye as well. Pat's been good. Gus [Hamer] has been great.
“I think there were a few maybe eyebrows raised before in terms of selection, but there were certain situations that we had to deal with yet again. A real freak injury to Michael has opened it up for Adam and today opened it up for a couple of other players, as well, to go and produce good performances.
“I’ve always said that every opportunity is an opportunity to grab. And I thought everybody did that. We’re looking forward, and we’re in a good place. We've got a lot of players who are absolutely pushing to play. There’s great competition. Ki-Jana got his opportunity today, and I thought he was outstanding.
“Chongy got his opportunity today. Tom and Tye, Jairo coming into the team and Adam. And that's what you want at this stage of the season, when everybody's dropping at other clubs and injuries and this, that and the other.
“For me, it’s our time to kick on now. There are 11 games to go, an awful lot of points to play for. It’s on to the next game, on to the next home game, which I'm sure will be a positive one for us. And let’s go and attack the next game.”
Wilder and his coaching staff must now decide whether to keep faith with Wolves loanee Hoever for the visit of his parent club’s rivals West Brom this weekend, after Femi Seriki dropped to the bench for the final game of three in the space of a week, and whether Campbell’s first strike since the November win at Wednesday is enough for him to keep his place over top scorer Bamford.
Brooks could well come back in for Chong after his recent run of sparkling form but it will not be an easy decision, and that is exactly what Wilder wants. “Brooksy could have played,” the Blades boss admitted.
“But he's put a lot of effort into it over a big period. It’s his first real season as a regular, and the same for Femi as well. So we thought about the the timing of it and people, as I said before, have to trust me in terms of team selection. When to make changes and when not to.
“And I thought that was the right thing to make those changes at this particular time. It’s sometimes easy to go with the team that's been doing well. The difficult part of it is to make those changes when you feel you need to. We did that. And thankfully, got a clean sheet, two goals away from home and three points.”