Chris Wilder can create Championship play-off history with Sheffield United, nobody has ever done it before

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Sheffield United are preparing for the second leg of their Championship play-off battle with Bristol City, and they hold a huge advantage heading into Monday evening’s game.

The Blades ran out 3-0 winners at Ashton Gate on Thursday, with goals from Harrison Burrows, Andre Brooks and Callum O’Hare making them the favourites to head through to Wembley in the Championship play-offs for the first time since 2009.

Chris Wilder’s side will be full of confidence following an excellent display in the south-west, but he knows that the job is not done yet and they must not allow the Robins a way back into the game at Bramall Lane as they aim for an instant return to the Premier League.

Sheffield United’s play-off hoodoo will give supporters a huge amount of fear despite their hard work on Thursday, and an early goal will only help ease the nerves against a Bristol City side who will be looking to come out firing in South Yorkshire, as the home team look to set a new record in the competition.

Sheffield United can make play-off history with victory at Wembley

Despite the job not technically being done yet by Wilder’s side, he will have one eye on his potential Wembley opponents with Sunderland looking to hold on to their 2-1 lead from the first leg over Coventry City.

Sheffield United could become the first team to win the Championship play-offs with over 88 points if they are successful in their next two matches, with Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion the only two other sides to feature in the competition with more than that tally.

The Whites, who also reached 90 points in the 2023/24 campaign, were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the final last year while the Seagulls, who finished the regular season on 89 points in 2015/16, were beaten by Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals.

However, history is also against Bristol City as no side that has achieved less than 70 points has gone on to win promotion to the Premier League, with Liam Manning’s team racking up just 68 across the campaign as they finished sixth on the final day of 2024/25.

Bristol City may have left themselves too much to do at Bramall Lane

Before the play-offs, Bristol City were the form team, but they were unable to lay a finger on the Blades during the first leg after Rob Dickie was controversially sent off.

Sheffield United took the initiative and punished their opponents, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the second leg at Bramall Lane, a place that Wilder has made a fortress over the last nine months.

The South Yorkshire outfit had the fourth best home record in the Championship during the regular season, losing just four times on their own patch in 23 matches – with two of those defeats coming against Leeds and Burnley, the sides who finished in the automatic promotion places.

If the home side can keep calm and get the job done in S2 on Monday evening then they will have given themselves the best opportunity to return to the Premier League, and keep Bristol City waiting for top flight football.