Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is using Newcastle United as inspiration ahead of the play-off final against Sunderland
As Sheffield United prepare for their Championship play-off final showdown, Wilder says he has looked across the Tyne-Wear divide for inspiration, pointing to Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup success as a blueprint for how to handle the pressure of a Wembley final.
Wilder, who has helped guide the Blades through a dramatic campaign that saw them finish just shy of automatic promotion, insists his side aren’t burdened by past play-off heartbreaks, and believes they are ready to write a fresh chapter in the club’s history. While the Blades have previously stumbled in play-off finals, including a dramatic defeat to Huddersfield in 2012, Wilder sees no reason for the past to hold his team back.
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“I reference Newcastle all the time regarding it (playing at Wembley),” he told The Star. “The Geordies turned up at Wembley and got the job done. There are great examples of that, just as many as the negative parts of it. “I don’t feel there’s a negativity because of our previous campaigns.
“There feels like a freshness about it, a real belief that we can make history and put to bed all the other things that have gone on previously. “I’ve witnessed the majority of it. We’ve been on a journey since 2016. Six years in League One, and I don’t think anyone thought we’d get out of League One in our first season. We’ve had to suffer other things.”
What has Le Bris said about the play-off final against Sheffield United?
Régis Le Bris hailed Sunderland’s campaign as a tremendous success, regardless of the outcome at Wembley — but insists his squad are fully focused on finishing the season in the best way possible.
The head coach is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits in the Championship play-off final, with opponents Sheffield United amassing 92 points during the regular season, despite starting with a two-point deduction, and cruising past Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate in their semi-final.
Following their dramatic and exhausting two-legged win over Coventry City, Sunderland’s players and staff were given Wednesday off to recover. Preparations for the Wembley showdown will begin in earnest when they return to the training ground on Thursday.
“Getting to the final shows that this season has been fantastic," Le Bris said. "It is very important to say that because you can win or lose at the end, but what we have lived together this season was absolutely brilliant. We cannot forget that. But at the same time, it is really important to think about Wembley now and the final game we have to play. We have one more game. It will be another tough challenge, but we will be really focused on that game now. We will switch our attention to Wembley towards the end of the week, and then we will have a full week to prepare for the game. That is the next step for us now."
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