Sheffield United have worst play-off record in English football history – but Blades cult hero backs them to break curse

Scottish Sun

07-05-2025

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SHEFFIELD UNITED legend Chris Basham believes Chris Wilder will break the club's play-off curse and lead them back into the Premier League.
Four losses in five games towards the end of the season wrecked the Blades' chances of going up automatically as Leeds and Burnley took the top two spots.
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Sheffield United lost the play-off semi-final in 2022 to Nottingham Forest on penalties
Credit: Getty
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Kenny Miller celebrates scoring for Wolves in the 2003 Division One play-off final - one of FOUR Blades play-off final defeats
Credit: Getty
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Kyle Walker was part of the United team that lost the 2009 Championship play-off final to Burnley
Credit: Getty
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Blades legend Chris Basham has backed his old side to triumph this time
Credit: Getty
United have been involved in NINE play-offs, either in League One or the Championship, and lost the lot — the worst record of any team in EFL history.
Only Huddersfield, Brentford and Preston (ten) have played more but they have all tasted success at least once.
The Blades have also reached four finals and failed to score in any.
They face Bristol City in the semi-finals this time - with the first leg at Ashton Gate on Thursday.
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But Basham, 36, said: 'Records are there to be broken and if anyone can do that it's Chris and this group.
'The manager has set some records already this season.
'Wilder has broken records here before, whether it is winning streaks or leading us to ninth in the Premier League, our highest finish. So he'll not be daunted, neither will the team.
'They have had a great season when you consider this is very much a new team. He's gone about his business well and the fans love him.
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'They just had that crazy week where they lost three matches. But they now have a great opportunity in the play-offs.'
Wilder agrees and is adamant history counts for nothing.
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He said: 'There's negativity in football right the way through, isn't there? In everything, whatever club you're at.
"So everybody has to deal with that, but there's no negativity in this group.
'I'd rather be sat on the beach having achieved something, but I had a taste of it in 2010 and people always talk about it being the best way to go up
'But we've got two unbelievably tough games before we can even start to think about that.
'I've got too much respect for the game and the opposition to think that this is going to be straightforward, because it isn't.
'We've got to deal with two difficult games against a talented group of players who we've seen here at Bramall Lane, and played two tight games against this season. And I am expecting this to be no different over the next four or five days.
'We're going there to try and get a win and if they need a win coming up the road, then they'll be trying to do that as well. There'll be no negative approach.
'We believe we can compete with any team in the division, and our away record has been outstanding.'
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Basham had a fantastic Blades career, making 394 appearances, before his career was ended when he dislocated an ankle at Fulham in 2023.
During that decade he won promotion to the Championship and twice to the Premier League.
Basham's testimonial was at Bramall Lane on Sunday between a Blades legends team and Sky Sports select side.
Proceeds went to Weston Park as part of the charity's attempts to secure a breakthrough MRI simulator cancer scanning machine.
The former defender admitted: 'It was an awful injury and such a shame to have my career ended like that."