Worst possible week leaves Sheffield United’s automatic promotion hopes in tatters as inquest begins — Sheffield Star 12/4/25
By Danny Hall
Inquest begins after worst possible week leaves Sheffield
United’s automatic promotion hopes in tatters
A week that Sheffield United had earmarked as a big one in
their pursuit of Premier League football could not have gone any worse after
three shock defeats left their automatic promotion hopes in tatters. The Blades
are now five points adrift of Leeds United and Burnley, with just four games of
the regular season to go.
While Chris Wilder will not publicly throw in the towel just
yet, he has been around the block enough times to know that his side have
squandered a huge opportunity to keep the automatic promotion race alive after
wins for both Leeds and Burnley over this crucial game week.
The defensive solidarity that had been a hallmark of
United’s promotion push early on seems to have completely eluded them, with two
more preventable goals conceded at Home Park. They created some good
opportunities again but squandered them. A haul of one goal in a three-game
stretch against struggling Plymouth and Oxford United, with a home game against
Millwall in between, is not a good enough return for a side hoping to play
Premier League football next season.
Gus Hamer cut a frustrated figure in a deeper role in an
altered shape, Sydie Peck couldn’t impose himself on the game as he normally
does and Tom Cannon was on the periphery throughout, touching the ball 11 times
in his 67 minutes on the pitch as a number of runs went either unseen or
ignored by those behind him.
The most frustrating aspect of their latest defeat is that
they were in control of the game at 1-0 up going into the final 10 minutes,
courtesy of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s first half opener. But another concession from
a cross saw Ryan Hardie equalise before Muhamed Tijani's excellent finish broke
Blades hearts two minutes from time and gave Argyle more hope of surviving this
season. “From our point of view it's a massive defeat,” Wilder admitted
afterwards. “We can't afford to lose three games in a week - especially, with
no disrespect, to a team at the bottom of the league, a team just above the
relegation line and a team at home.
“So from our point of view, we have to own that and deal
with it. We were looking to have a big week and we couldn't have had a worse
one.
“We were in control. We needed to go and get the second
goal, and that isn’t desperation. That’s good play and being clinical and
making the right decisions and showing the quality that these players should
show.
“We did what we needed to do in terms of getting the first
goal, we pretty much dealt with how the game was going to be and what they
tried to do to us. And it was mission accomplished really in getting ahead at
half time.
“We talked about dealing with the throw and set pieces and
we don’t do anything to give them a chance of getting back into the game. And
we didn’t really. But the biggest message was to be clinical and go and get a
second goal and if we had I think it would have punctured them.”
Wilder admitted that United didn’t create enough clear-cut
opportunities in the game but they had chances, Rak-Sakyi forcing a save from
Conor Hazard and then sub Tyrese Campbell hitting the side netting with a
superb chance at 1-1 moments before Tijani’s dramatic intervention.
“Another goal would have killed the game with the control we
had,” Wilder added. “We didn’t show the quality we should be at the top of the
pitch and the game became wide open
“In the final 10
minutes any result could happen and they found a winner. It became hectic and
frantic and they found a pass we’ve not found, a great finish and the roof
comes off. Then it’s going to be a real difficult situation to get something
from the game.”