Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder believes this is the year his side can “make history” by finally ending their play-off hoodoo at the 10th attempt.
The Blades booked their place in the Championship final with a record-breaking semi-final demolition of Bristol City, with the 6-0 aggregate victory the biggest winning margin in play-off history.
Goals from Kieffer Moore, Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare earned a 3-0 second-leg win on home soil four days after their win by the same scoreline at Aston Gate.
Impactful 🔥 pic.twitter.com/n7XO2azWY1
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) May 12, 2025
No team has lost more times in the play-off than the Blades’ nine losing campaigns, which include three defeats in the Championship final.
Wilder, who is eyeing a third promotion as Blades manager, says the previous play-off misery, which he has had no participation in, counts for nothing.
“I don’t feel there’s a negativity because of our previous campaigns,” he said. “It feels (as if there is) a freshness about it…a real belief that we can make history and put to bed all that, other things have gone on previously.
“I think I’ve witnessed (the) majority of it as well.
“It isn’t easy to go straight back up. It’s not straightforward. And we pushed and pushed all season.
“We got 92 points, for two teams to get to 100 points is an insane season.
“Then we’ve had to have the challenges of the narrative of being the team that’s got so close. But how do they deal with it?
“The narrative as well of Sheffield United’s play-off history and stuff like that, so we’ve had to to make sure that we were right.
“We had to be good tonight, we had everything to lose. The first goal was always going to be a big goal.
“We have had to play well and do a lot of things right over the two games to get to the final.”
Bristol City enjoyed their best league campaign in nearly 20 years, but ultimately they could not match a team they finished 22 points behind in the table over the two legs.
Boss Liam Manning said: “It was a difficult game tonight, obviously going off the back of the first leg.
“The message was pretty clear, we had to leave it all out there. We started well but ultimately (there was) a lack of conviction and quality in the box.
“Credit to Sheffield United, they are doing it, it is not easy, they definitely deserve it across the two legs.
“We have to use it to get better.”
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