Sheffield United's play-off history means nothing as current crop look to right wrongs ahead of Bristol City
Sheffield United's play-off history means nothing as current crop look to right wrongs ahead of Bristol City
When David Hopkin of Crystal Palace struck the winner late in the 1997 Division One play-off final to break the collective hearts of Sheffield United, Gustavo Hamer was less than a month old. Sydie Peck was slightly older when United lost the 2003 showpiece to Wolves but was still only 15 months and 18 days old on that disappointing day.
In 2009, when Wade Elliott settled that season’s Wembley final in favour of Burnley over the Blades, Harrison Burrows was a little older, but still barely seven years of age and with dreams of professional football still a mile off. Tomorrow, at Bristol City, all three will be part of the United squad trying to rewrite a history that has seen the club fail in NINE play-off campaigns in the modern era.
But the point here is that what has happened in the past has absolutely no relevance to the present. The mere mention of Hopkin will bring a grimace to the face of any Blade who was sweltering in the Wembley heat that day, but means nothing to Hamer. Peck’s main concern in May 2003 was probably making sure he didn’t topple over while walking, not how easily Wolves waltzed into a 3-0 lead over a United side who had simply ran out of steam.
This United group are completely unscarred by those previous failures, as is Chris Wilder in a managerial capacity. He was a United player at the time they lost a relegation play-off back in 1988/89 - ironically against Bristol City - but has better memories of the competition as a manager, leading Oxford back into the Football League at Wembley back in 2010.
One member of the United backroom staff, understood to be in the sports science department, has a 100 per cent winning record in play-off finals. Even that doesn’t count for much this time. A popular statement in the trading industry is that “past performance is not indicative of future results" and it could just as easily apply to United’s play-off push.
“There are all different stories, all the way through and for every part of it,” said Wilder before his side began the long journey to Bristol. “Supporters through history, with the negativity that brings. With us, positivity. And the players who want to achieve and get back in the Premier League.
“The ones who played there for us last season and have unfinished business, the younger players who are starting their journey. Right the way through the group, there are individual stories. But we have to make sure we bring that together as a collective.
“Make sure the story is about us having a positive play-off campaign and doing something no other team has achieved here. Having the celebrations that the other two clubs [Leeds United and Burnley] have had, knowing that the important bit now is getting our heads down and cracking on over the next four or five days.”
Wilder’s message has been consistent on this topic ever since United’s play-off fate was sealed with defeat at Burnley; this club will, one day, win a play-off final. To do so this year would be especially poetic, given it is 100 years since their last major trophy win on the hallowed turf of Wembley.
Hopefully the inevitable nerves in the stands don’t transmit onto the pitch. There’s still a long way to go yet, though, and if they do fall short, it certainly won’t be because of what happened in 1997, 2003 or 2009.