SHEFFIELD UNITED legend Chris Basham believes Chris Wilder will break the club’s play-off curse and lead them back into the Premier League.
Four losses in five games towards the end of the season wrecked the Blades’ chances of going up automatically as Leeds and Burnley took the top two spots.
United have been involved in NINE play-offs, either in League One or the Championship, and lost the lot — the worst record of any team in EFL history.
Only Huddersfield, Brentford and Preston (ten) have played more but they have all tasted success at least once.
The Blades have also reached four finals and failed to score in any.
They face Bristol City in the semi-finals this time – with the first leg at Ashton Gate on Thursday.
But Basham, 36, said: “Records are there to be broken and if anyone can do that it’s Chris and this group.
“The manager has set some records already this season.
“Wilder has broken records here before, whether it is winning streaks or leading us to ninth in the Premier League, our highest finish. So he’ll not be daunted, neither will the team.
“They have had a great season when you consider this is very much a new team. He’s gone about his business well and the fans love him.
“They just had that crazy week where they lost three matches. But they now have a great opportunity in the play-offs.”
Wilder agrees and is adamant history counts for nothing.
He said: “There’s negativity in football right the way through, isn’t there? In everything, whatever club you’re at.
“So everybody has to deal with that, but there’s no negativity in this group.
“I’d rather be sat on the beach having achieved something, but I had a taste of it in 2010 and people always talk about it being the best way to go up
“But we’ve got two unbelievably tough games before we can even start to think about that.
“I’ve got too much respect for the game and the opposition to think that this is going to be straightforward, because it isn’t.
“We’ve got to deal with two difficult games against a talented group of players who we’ve seen here at Bramall Lane, and played two tight games against this season. And I am expecting this to be no different over the next four or five days.
“We’re going there to try and get a win and if they need a win coming up the road, then they’ll be trying to do that as well. There’ll be no negative approach.
“We believe we can compete with any team in the division, and our away record has been outstanding.”
Basham had a fantastic Blades career, making 394 appearances, before his career was ended when he dislocated an ankle at Fulham in 2023.
During that decade he won promotion to the Championship and twice to the Premier League.
Basham’s testimonial was at Bramall Lane on Sunday between a Blades legends team and Sky Sports select side.
Proceeds went to Weston Park as part of the charity’s attempts to secure a breakthrough MRI simulator cancer scanning machine.
The former defender admitted: “It was an awful injury and such a shame to have my career ended like that.”
BRISTOL CITY v SHEFFIELD UNITED VERDICT
JUSTIN ALLEN’S guide to the Championship semi-final…
United have had a good season. They finished the season averaging two points per game — before their points deduction — but have missed out to Leeds and Burnley, who both amassed ONE HUNDRED!
BLADES fans were gutted not to get promoted automatically after they lost four of their last six games — crucially three in a row to Oxford, Millwall and Plymouth.
I always fear for a club that misses out on automatic promotion but they have had the time to mentally reset.
They are up against a Bristol City side that just about clung on to their play-off spot after just one win in their last five games.
Sheff U won 2-1 in October at Ashton Gate but the Robins were brilliant in the March return, although they needed a late leveller.
The Blades should edge this over two legs. A big performance from Championship player-of-the-season Gus Hamer will be needed — but City carry a threat through Nahki Wells and Anis Mehmeti.
(First leg, Thursday May 8, 8pm; second leg Monday, May 12, 8pm)
Read the full article here
