So, who’s going to leave the wild west and emerge into a glittering future in the Premier League?
Wiley Wilder the Doc for Sheffield United’s nearly men
Sheffield United’s fall into the play-off places was entirely of their own making. With seven games to go they were steaming towards the Premier League and topped the table after dispatching Coventry City 3-1 at Bramall Lane. But then they hit the brakes with three defeats in a row, ending up in a winner-takes-all tie with Burnley. In falling 2-1 at Turf Moor, they handed their return tickets to the Premier League to their hosts and Leeds United, with two games to spare.
History isn’t on Sheffield United’s side either. In fact, you’d have to take the DeLorean back 100 years for Sheffield United’s last win at Wembley, when they lifted the FA Cup after beating Cardiff City in 1925. All in all, they’ve fallen nine times in the play-offs, losing four finals. This time though, they have Chris Wilder to try and make it tenth time lucky!
Wilder has won automatic promotions twice with Sheffield United and once with Northampton Town and has also won at Wembley, when he steered Oxford United to Conference play-off success back in 2010. Speaking ahead of Thursday night’s first leg with Bristol City, Wilder said they’ve used the two games since that disappointment at Burnley to rotate his squad and he’s in ‘intense conversations’ with them – very Doc Brown!
On the pitch, Gus Hamer continues to be their key man and will arrive at Ashton Gate ready to go. Overall he’s the eighth top FotMob performer in the Championship, winning 11 player of the match awards. Michael Cooper in goal has been outstanding and Wilder spoke too about his character being vital for the side. Numbers-wise he has 21 clean sheets, preventing 5.7 goals in total, one of which Bristol City will know all about – an incredible stop from Sinclair Armstrong in the March game between the two.
Manning and Knight have Bristol City hovering high
Liam Manning has pulled together a squad greater than the sum of its parts. They’re well organised and are the third best pressing team in the division but generally have been quite middling this season. Apart from a dip of the toe in week two, they didn’t get into the play-off places until after Matchday 40 but were in the right place at the right time on the final day. Specifically, Ross McCrorie was – it was his two goals from full back which hauled them from 2-0 down to Preston North End to keep that final play-off spot.
Derby County academy graduates Max Bird and Jason Knight in midfield have been essential for The Robins. Knight has played every minute of every game, creating 60 chances and linking play across the park to be their FotMob top performer. Manning said that it was his captain who addressed the players back in the dressing room, even before he spoke to them. At 24, his best years are still ahead of him – one to keep an eye on.
My concerns for Bristol City lie at the back. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in 11 games and their total of 10 is fewer than relegated Luton Town. I suspect this will be the end of the road but if that’s the case, Manning would be right in saying this has been a ‘fantastic achievement’, especially from where they were when he arrived in November 2023. Disappointing lower table finishes were met with an 11th-placed finish last season, and this has been a massive progression without a huge influx of players.
One new face who’s caught my eye though is Japanese Yu Hirawaka. The 24-year-old arrived on loan from Machida Zelvia in February and ghosted past two players and took out another in the build up to their first goal against PNE. If there’s a moment of magic on the right flank, he’ll be there.
Spiralling Sunderland have time on their side
One of my favourite moments of the season was being on the radio as Burnley’s James Trafford saved two penalties in their 0-0 draw with Sunderland. I’m sure Wilson Isidor would use time travel to prevent his past-self from defying his manager’s instructions in taking their late spot-kick, let alone his subsequent injury-time miss. That Friday night was a nexus-point in Sunderland’s season. Victory would have seen them go above Burnley, with Leeds starting the next day leading the Championship purely on goal difference. With three points separating the top four ahead of Matchday 27, it’s quite startling that the gap became 24 points after Matchday 46. It also says something about a lack of consistent challengers below Sunderland; starker now though is their own form.
Regis Le Bris rested players once the play-offs were confirmed with the 0-0 draw with Norwich, but they lost all five of their remaining games, despite the Frenchman fielding stronger line-ups in their final two outings. Their 1-0 home defeat to managerless QPR was met by boos from the supporters who’d remained for the final whistle. Overall though, this is a story of the inconsistencies of youth, and I think they need another Championship season to develop.
19-year-old Jobe Bellingham has grabbed headlines but hasn’t hit those heights since the turn of the year. Chris Rigg has been playing senior football since he was 15 and two years on, is still developing. Trai Hume has been their top performer from right back but even he is still 23, as is the equally impressive Dennis Cirkin on the opposite flank. Enzo Le Fée has shown more than enough glimpses since his arrival on loan but has been hampered by injury. And as for Isidor, the man who is Djibril Cisse reincarnated in hitting the ball as hard as he can at any opportunity – he’s been dropped for Eliezer Mayenda. They’re in turmoil but the play-offs wipe the slate clean.
Lampard’s Coventry hitting 88mph
Frank Lampard’s Coventry City TM arrive in the play-offs off the back of a perfect performance against Middlesborough. I think it’s a coin toss between them and Sheffield United for promotion. Turning the clock back to our March deep dive on Coventry’s turnaround, the one player I picked out was Jack Rudoni (9 goals, 12 assists). He’s returned from injury with a bang and he was brilliant in their 2-0 victory over Boro, grabbing both goals in the process.
Alongside the impressive Matt Grimes, Rudoni has become Lampard’s mini-me. His quick feet get him out of tight spaces and as Coventry countered for their second, he was able to get those feet sorted off the back of a lung-busting pitch-length run to finish smartly under pressure.
Lampard has instructed his side to move the ball quickly and I think against Sunderland, we’ll see a side that will be able to hurt them at pace, especially if the speedy Milan van Ewijk is involved. They’ve solved their goalkeeper crisis too. The hapless Brad Collins has been taken out of the firing line and in his stead is Ben Wilson. With Oliver Dovin out injured, Wilson has overcome his own fitness issues at just the right time and was quick off his line and a commanding and calming presence just when the Sky Blues needed it most, following successive defeats.
Coventry are doing everything right and having lost in the play-off final to Luton two seasons ago and missed out on the FA Cup final on spot-kicks last year, they are ready to put things right under the Wembley Arch.
Back to the wild west and as Marty McFly and his Delorean hit 88 mph and disappear into the future, what’s left is that speeding steam train. It smashes through a barricade, hurtles off the bridge and explodes as it crashes into the ravine. Could there be a more apt visual metaphor for the play-offs? Great Scott!
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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