Working men’s club and Haribos: Why Chris Wilder will never forget Sheffield United’s Fleetwood Town trip amid Ched Evans verdict
Chris Wilder will never forget Sheffield United’s last trip to Fleetwood Town, when Ethan Ebanks-Landell’s late equaliser helped the Blades on their way to 100 points - and the manager proposed to his wife with a packet of Haribos.
Chris Wilder will never forget Sheffield United’s last trip to Fleetwood Town - and not just because of the dramatic last-minute equaliser from Ethan Ebanks-Landell. That was October 2016 and the Blades were on their way to the league title and 100 points.
Looking back ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Highbury, almost 10 years on, Wilder remembers it like it was yesterday, including the feeling of pulling his hamstring sprinting down the touchline to celebrate with the jubilant Blades fans and players.
He also has a more personal reason to remember the date as that evening, still in his United tracksuit, he proposed to his now-wife Francesca. “I’ll never forget it,” said Wilder, who later commissioned a painting of the moment from iconic Sheffield artist Pete McKee.
“It was a big point for us. And I proposed to my wife that night at Handsworth Social Club. So how can I forget? Classic romantic CW! No beach, no anything like that. Just in a working men's club with a packet of Haribos.
“I ate the sweets, found this little love heart in the middle and I said: ‘Fancy spending a bit of time with me?’ Thankfully, she accepted. So it's one that I'll never forget.”
United are now two divisions higher than Fleetwood but they are unbeaten in all competitions this term and United will not be taking Matt Lawlor’s men lightly. “As ever, people look at the game on paper but that’s never the case.
“From my experience of working right the way through the levels, I understand the attitude of Matt and his players, especially with the sprinkling of Sheffield United boys that they've got in there.
“Harrison Neal, Finley Potter and Ched [Evans] as well. That will up the ante. They're a good side. They're unbeaten this season, through to this stage of the competition, which is a good achievement at home. They play the system really well, set in the system. This is an awkward and uncomfortable tie for us.”
Wilder knows Evans well, having brought him back to Bramall Lane in 2017. The striker’s first spell in South Yorkshire came to an end with his rape conviction, which was later overturned. A retrial then found him not guilty.
“He's had a tough period to come through, and he's still playing and enjoying what he does best, which is playing football,” Wilder added. “He went into coaching at Preston, went through the process of the badges and had the respect of the coaches and the players.
“I got to know him during his time here and I really enjoyed working with him. He had a driving desire to be the best he could be, in training and in games, and he was a good guy to work with.
“So I’ll enjoy catching up with him before. No doubt we'll see a Ched performance on Wednesday evening, one full of physical problems for our centre-halves, which is OK. He’s obviously a good finisher, a good footballer. Even at the age he’s at, we have to make sure that we wrap him up and that has to be a big aim for our boys at the back.”