Wilder’s joy as Blades sparkle
Sheffield United on brink of Premier League ...
MATHEMATICIANS may point out that Leeds can still catch Sheffield United by winning t heir t wo remaining games with a 13-goal swing, but those Blades players who huddled together and bounced around in celebration know the reality — they are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2007.
Final confirmation of promotion will come today if Leeds fail to beat Aston Villa at Elland Road but even if Marcelo Bielsa’s side squeeze a victory, it will only delay the inevitable. Bramall Lane will be hosting the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool next season.
Sheffield United is a remarkable story. Scorers of the first- ever Premier League goal in 1992 — Brian Deane against Manchester United — they have been away a dozen years after West Ham broke the rules to sign Carlos Tevez and he kept them up at Sheffield’s expense.
The club have hired 10 managers since to try and get back to the promised land, including Bryan Robson, Nigel Clough and the late Gary Speed, but it’s taken one of their own, Chris Wilder, to do it.
He has squeezed every ounce of effort and energy from one of the Championship’s more modest budgets and had to overcome plenty of hurdles.
The team were bottom of the table in August after defeats in their opening couple of games, and internal squabbles between coowners Kevin McCabe and Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia haven’t helped either.
Yesterday’s convincing win at a bouncing Bramall Lane was therefore one of the easier tasks Wilder has completed. Ipswich were relegated a long time ago and never looked likely to spoil the party attended by more than 30,000 fans.
There were a few anxious groans when David McGoldrick, Mark Duffy and Oliver Norwood missed chances in the first 10 minutes.
But such was United’s dominance, the stadium only had to wait a little longer before they could celebrate an opening goal with an explosion of noise. Jack O’Connell found space on the left and whipped a cross to the near post where Scott Hogan cleverly left his marker to flick a finish past Dean Gerken.
It was Hogan’s second goal for the Blades since a loan move from Aston Villa in January and the breakthrough created an even greater attacking momentum for the home side.
Skipper Norwood, possibly their most talented individual, struck the post with a free-kick from an acute angle, Hogan was denied by a reflex stop from Gerken and f ull- back George Baldock took a heavy touch with only the goalkeeper to beat following an energetic dash into the box.
Sheffield is synonymous with steel but the men in red and white stripes have a lot more to their game as well.
Top scorer Billy Sharp was given a hero’s reception when he came off the bench in the second half and the roof was lifted off — as well as several smoke flares — when the second goal was headed in by O’Connell from John Fleck’s corner.
The reaction at full- time from fans made it clear they know they are promoted.
For it to be otherwise, it would need Leeds t o beat Villa and Ipswich 4-0 in their remaining two games and for United to lose by five at Stoke next weekend.
It was nice to see Blades players enjoy their lap of honour rather than act po- faced and wait for mathematical finality.
‘It was a bit of a weird situation but you can’ t begrudge the celebrations,’ said Baldock. ‘I will feel that bit easier when it is confirmed but we will be very unfortunate not to get over the line. The manager told us to embrace it all at the end of the game.’
As a local lad, Blades fan and former player, there is nobody better equipped than Wilder to become the first Sheffield United manager since Neil Warnock to lead the club in the Premier League.
He even shooed a few fans off the pitch after the final whistle so his players could stay and take the acclaim from t he rest of t he stadium.
‘I will let other people talk about where we will be next year,’ said Wilder. ‘Our mindset is to try and win the Championship and we’ve got one game.
‘We have taken an unbelievably massive stride to promotion.
‘The game is not done yet but for it not to happen, there will have to be a big swing for it not to happen.
‘It has been a long week. Possibly the longest week in my life. One defeat in 13 in the business end of the season and people questioned our bottle.
‘We answered it in the right way on the green bit.
‘It was fantastic once we got the second goal against Ipswich. I still kept looking at the clock though for the final whistle! It was a fabulous experience.’