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Sheffield United’s automatic promotion hopes received a setback on Monday night as they could only manage a goalless draw against bitter local rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Despite this result meaning that the Blades missed out on a chance to leapfrog Leeds United into the top two, Chris Wilder’s side remain very much in the hunt to go up.
With 11 games left to go in the Championship campaign, there’s still plenty of football left to be played. However, Blades defender Chris Basham still expects the promotion fight to go down to the wire.
What he said
As quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post, the 30-year-old said: “Everybody is stepping up to the plate. I think it’s going to go quite far to the end.”
Leeds and Norwich City are currently the Blades’ main challengers for promotion. Sheffield United travel to Elland Road on Saturday March 16th in what could be a season-defining clash for both clubs.
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Looking ahead to this fixture, Basham said: “No-one is going to win every game. If they do, fair play to them, they deserve to go up, but I don’t think everyone will. We’ve still got to go to Leeds yet and, hopefully, we can go there and beat them.”
Whilst Wilder’s side currently trail the Whites and the Canaries, Basham believes his team has what it takes to triumph.
“We’re in a really good position for this group of players and the budget we’ve got and every player is an outstanding one in the dressing room. That’s why they’ve mucked in so well.”
Strength in numbers
It’s highly likely that the title and automatic promotion race will remain a point of intrigue, and delicately poised, until near the end of the campaign.
Basham is also correct to highlight the Blades’ strengths, which include having strength in depth. This is especially true in attacking areas, where having the likes of Billy Sharp, David McGoldrick, Gary Madine and Scott Hogan all to call on should ensure that they have enough firepower to keep them amongst the goals for the rest of the season.
It is vital, as Basham says, that there’s a good dressing room atmosphere at Bramall Lane, so that the squad players will be engaged and ready to step up to the plate if called upon in the run-in.