Promotion party: '˜These Sheffield United players will go down in history,' says Wilder after his happy return

Goals from Leon Clarke and John Fleck sparked jubilant scenes at Northampton Town as United triumphed 2-1 at Wilder’s former club and sealed promotion to the Championship.

With Fleetwood Town, the only rivals to United and Bolton for automatic promotion, losing 2-0 at Oldham, the league leaders would have gone up even if Marc Richards’s excellent opener for the hosts had proved the decisive goal.

But surrendering is simply not Wilder’s style, and promotion despite defeat simply would not do for a manager, who also clinched promotion on this ground, with Northampton, exactly 364 days before.

“I’m so proud of the club and of the players – they’ve given me everything,” said Wilder.

“We wanted to win the game and I think it was a fitting way to do it.

“We’ve got over so many hurdles this season; when we lose, people saying ‘Sheffield United are bottling it again’.

“But not this group, these players and staff. Not us.”

True to form, United duly turned it around; first through Clarke’s excellent strike to level, before Fleck’s determined run and finish, with just two minutes left, sparked jubilant scenes in the stands and on the pitch as 1,456 Blades savoured every moment.

Three fans in particular were hailed; Billy Sharp, the Sheffield-born 26-goal striker, was hoisted aloft and joined in with a rousing rendition of ‘The Blades are going up’. Wilder received the biggest cheer of all when he re-emerged from the dressing room, soaked in Champagne, and there was even a song in the honour of co-chairman Kevin McCabe, often – and unfairly – targeted for criticism for much of United’s unhappy spell in League One.

But this was a day for looking forward, rather than back, and towards the Championship; memories of three failed play-off campaigns, the Ched Evans saga and last year’s 11th-placed embarrassment firmly banished into history.

“I’m quite emotional actually,” admitted Wilder. “These players deserve to go down in history. They’re a special group, the outstanding team in the division.”

United’s travelling fans had turned up at Sixfields in party mood, with a number also assembling on the bank that overlooks the ground, but Wilder was keen in the build-up to insist his players were ready to work.

Knowing his side had only to match Fleetwood’s result to achieve an unassailable gap over them, Wilder raised a few eyebrows before kick-off when news filtered through that Sharp – still two goals off 200 in his career but without one in five games – was on the bench.

Instead, it was Clarke – scorer in midweek against Coventry City – who led the line, supported by the recalled Jay O’Shea and Samir Carruthers from advanced midfield positions.

The move almost proved a masterstroke inside the opening 10 minutes when O’Shea and Carruthers both went close, the latter seeing his super dipping volley bounce back off the crossbar.

Paul Coutts, captain in Sharp’s absence, also saw an acrobatic effort fly just wide as United started brightly but Justin Edinburgh’s side grew into the game and, after missing a simple chance, Richards converted a far more difficult one by smashing into the top corner on the angle to put a temporary dampener on the celebrations.

Sharp was thrown on at half-time to inject some industry and invention into United’s display, and forced Cobblers goalkeeper Adam Smith into a number of impressive saves.

But Smith was powerless to prevent Clarke’s classy leveller when he received Fleck’s through-ball, defied the host’s’ appeals for offside and placed the ball into the top corner with his left foot.

By then, Oldham were two ahead over Fleetwood and United were cruising towards promotion. But they were determined to do it their own way, and Fleck’s cool finish from Sharp’s cross saw them do just that.

Cue the celebrations. Cue delirium. There were tears, hugs, songs. Grown men did not know where to look; others celebrated with an impromptu game, Blades v Cobblers, on the pitch. After six years of hurt and false dawns, they deserved to celebrate however they liked. Cue the Championship.

Northampton Town: Smith, Moloney, Buchanan, P Anderson (Revell 70), Diamond, Richards, O’Toole, Nyatanga, Smith (McWilliams 70), Taylor, Williams (McDonald 81). Unused substitutes: K Anderson, McCourt, Phillips, Cornell.

Sheffield United: Moore, Freeman, Basham, Wright, O’Connell, Lafferty, Coutts, Fleck, Carruthers (Sharp 46), O’Shea (Hanson 56), Clarke (Ebanks-Landell 82). Unused substitutes: Long, Done, Duffy, Chapman.

Referee: M Heywood (West Yorkshire).