Sheffield United v Middlesbrough: Chris Wilder's honest verdict on unhappy homecoming to Bramall Lane

It was an unhappy homecoming for Wilder, as he made his first return to his boyhood club almost a year since his remarkable tenure in charge came to an abrupt end.

The boyhood Blade received a good reception before kick-off from the home fans, but his side were 2-0 down at the break and couldn’t recover after it, despite Folarin Balogun getting them on the scoresheet after a bad mistake from Wes Foderingham.

United moved up to fifth as a result of the win and Wilder admitted: “We didn’t deserve anything from the game. They were miles better than us in every department.

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“I didn’t see it coming, I’ve got to say. It’s amazing how the game is. Last Tuesday to this Tuesday and a decent performance against a decent side in Luton in between.

“The mood in the camp on Sunday was good, positive. You get a feel for what your team’s about and where they’re at, are they overconfident and a little bit complacent, but I never saw that all.

“Congratulations to Paul, he’s got the place going and when you do that it’s a great place to play.

“They’ve got some top players that should be pushing Fulham to get out of the division, and they’re showing it now.”

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