Sheffield United desperate to hit Championship target as worrying record could see them fail at Premier League return

Add as preferred source on Google

As the Blades push for yet another promotion this season, we take a look at Sheffield United’s Championship play-offs record over the years, and it doesn’t make for pretty reading.

The Championship may be the second tier of the English game, but there’s no denying it is one of the most thrilling leagues in world football.

This season, it looks like we’ve got a four-horse race for promotion, with Leeds United currently leading the way, closely followed by Sheffield United, Burnley, and the surprise package of the year, Sunderland.

While the Blades are closer to the top of the table than they are to third-placed Burnley right now, everything could change very quickly.

• READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday finally broke an unwanted 42-year record thanks to ‘fully deserved’ win vs Swansea City

Sheffield United have never won promotion via the play-offs

Believe it or not, Sheffield United have never gone up through the play-offs, be it in the Championship or in League One, losing in all eight attempts.

The Blades have failed on five occasions in the second tier, with the most recent disappointment coming in the 2021/22 campaign, where they lost out to Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals.

They have also missed out on promotion three times during their time in League One, whether it be in the semi-finals or in the final.

Overall, Sheffield United’s play-offs record amounts to 20 matches, including four finals. Getting past the two-leg semi-finals is not necessarily an issue, but there’s something about that last hurdle that sees the Blades come unstuck time and time again.

Of course, we largely associate Sheffield United now with being a bit of a yo-yo club; a team too good for the Championship but never quite good enough to stay in the Premier League.

That reputation as a team that knows how to get promoted is warranted, too, as the Blades have been promoted 13 times in the club’s long history, including the most recent promotion back in the 2022/23 campaign.

• READ MORE: Burnley set to break 15-year Championship record this season with one player three games away from historic feat

Sheffield United’s eight play-off attempts and how they failed

Here’s a brief history of Sheffield United’s play-offs record and their numerous failures over the years:

1996/97 – First Division

Sheffield United finished fifth in the old First Division, before sneaking past fourth-placed Ipswich Town in the semi-finals on the away goals rule thanks to a 2-2 draw at Portman Road (after a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane).

However, Howard Kendall’s United team fell to a 1-0 defeat in the First Division play-off final against Crystal Palace, with a 90th minute winner from David Hopkin securing the win for Palace and causing the Blades to miss out on a place in the Premier League.

1997/98 – First Division

United finished sixth to once again secure a play-off spot, but they couldn’t make it past the semi-final stage this time, bowing out to Sunderland.

While Sheffield United won the first leg 2-1 at home, but The Black Cats were too strong for them in the return tie at the Stadium of Light, with a 2-0 home win wrapping up the tie before half-time.

2002/03 – First Division

Neil Warnock was in charge as Sheffield United finished third in the First Division. They drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the semi-finals, and then went 2-0 down in the return leg. With all hope seemingly lost, United fought back and managed to end up on the right side of a 4-3 aggregate score to make it to the final at the Millennium Stadium.

There, they met Dave Jones’ Wolves side, but by half-time, the Blades were already 3-0 down, and the Midlands outfit held firm to secure their place in the top flight.

2008/09 – Championship

Kevin Blackwell’s Sheffield United team missed out on automatic promotion by three points with Birmingham finishing second and Wolves topping the table.

However, the Blades made it past Preston North End in the semi-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win (1-1 away, 1-0 at home), before facing Burnley in the final at Wembley. They lost that game 1-0, with a 13th minute goal from Wade Elliott proving the difference.

2011/12 – League One

Sheffield United were now wallowing in League One and looking for a route back to the second tier, but had to settle for a play-off spot after finishing just three points behind local rivals Sheffield Wednesday, who secured automatic promotion.

United edged a tight semi-final double-header against Stevenage with a late goal in the second-leg, before losing out to Huddersfield in the play-off final on penalties, with goalkeeper Steve Simonsen missing the crucial 11th spot-kick.

2012/13 – League One

Fifth-placed Sheffield United were in control after a first-leg 1-0 win over Yeovil Town at Bramall Lane, but the Blades — managed by former player Chris Morgan — fell to a 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture. Yeovil eventually went on to beat Brentford in the final.

2014/15 – League One

United were hoping to make it third time lucky in their attempts to escape League One through the play-offs. They came up against Swindon Town in the semi-finals and, despite taking the lead at Bramall Lane, the Blades lost 2-1 at home.

In the away leg, Swindon took a 3-0 lead to seemingly put the tie beyond all doubt, but United fought back to make it 3-2 at half-time. A whirlwind of a second half eventually saw the game end 5-5, which was not enough to see United through.

2021/22 – Championship

After finishing fifth in the Championship table, Sheffield United were desperate to join Fulham and Bournemouth in getting promotion to the top flight. However, they fell at the first hurdle against Nottingham Forest.

Goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson gave Forest the lead at Bramall Lane, before a late Sander Berge goal halved the deficit. Johnson opened the scoring at the City Ground, but goals from Morgan Gibbs-White (who was on loan at United at the time) and John Fleck forced the game to extra-time and eventually penalties, where Forest prevailed.

All in all, then, Sheffield United’s play-offs record has seen them not only lose four finals, but they’ve never actually even scored in a play-off final. They’ve also fallen at the semi-final hurdle in their last three attempts.

Suffice to say, the Blades would much rather avoid the play-offs this season, as history has a nasty habit of repeating itself.

• READ MORE: Tony Mowbray reveals Blackburn Rovers Josh Maja transfer move amid West Brom return update

Sheffield United were once relegated through a play-off match

In the 1987/88 season, the old Division Two (now the Championship) had 23 teams, with two teams getting relegated, and the team in 21st place taking part in a play-off against a team from the league below to decide whether one team would go down or another would go up.

Sheffield United finished third from bottom in the old second division that season, and had to face off against Bristol City over a two-leg play-off.

The Blades lost the first leg 1-0 in Bristol, before the return leg in Sheffield, which ended 1-1, meaning United did indeed go down despite having an extra chance to save themselves from relegation.