Sheffield United are really up for the fight, claims Chris Basham

The Blades have taken 17 points from their last seven league outings to banish the memory of an opening quartet of games that left the pre-season favourites for promotion sitting rock bottom of the division.

Last Saturday saw United without a game due to the Walsall fixture being postponed for international call-ups and their rivals took advantage to nudge the Yorkshire club down from fourth to eighth in the table.

Port Vale’s visit to Bramall Lane on Saturday, therefore, offers an opportunity to make up that lost ground and Basham, set to serve the final game of a frustrating suspension, believes his team-mates will deliver.

“Training is very aggressive, the manager is aggressive and the lads are very aggressive with each other,” the midfielder told The Yorkshire Post.

“We don’t want to disappoint this season.

“When you do disappoint, you’re not just letting yourself down, the fans or family members. You are also letting down every member of staff here, too.

“We know what it is like at Bramall Lane when we win games. But when you lose, it is a horrible feeling. It is not nice. The manager is a big fan and he feels it the most.”

United did experience the disappointment of defeat in their last outing, a Checkatrade Trophy tie at home to Walsall eight days ago.

It meant an early exit from a much-maligned competition with one group game still to play. Basham was in the side that night, the rules of the Trophy having been changed this season to state suspensions incurred in league games will not apply to the competition.

The red card that earned Basham a three-game ban came in the 2-2 draw at Scunthorpe United on September 24. On an eventful afternoon for the 28-year-old, he opened the scoring but was then sent off 20 minutes from time for a late challenge on Neal Bishop.

Wilder felt the dismissal harsh but no appeal was made, so Basham had to sit out the 1-0 home win over Bristol Rovers and the battling draw at Fleetwood Town. Vale’s visit this weekend to the Lane will complete the ban and he admits it can not come soon enough.

“I was buzzing that the manager put me in (for the Checkatrade Trophy defeat to Walsall),” he said.

“I was getting sticky feet watching Jeff Stelling on Sky (on a Saturday afternoon) instead of playing – especially when we were 1-0 down at Fleetwood.

“Being able to play a game means you are not just running with the fitness coach all the time. I got a game in and I’m quite a fit lad so the ban shouldn’t really have an effect.

“Hopefully, I will get my chance when I am back from suspension again. It is disappointing not to have been a week’s suspension really but the way the games have fallen it is more than a fortnight.”

Until the untimely suspension, Basham had started every league game since Wilder’s arrival in the summer. Whether he can reclaim his place in next Tuesday’s trip to Shrewsbury Town remains to be seen with the midfielder admitting his return in the Trophy loss to Walsall did not go to plan.

Wilder described his side’s performance as a “return to the Sheffield United of old” but Basham believes things will be very different against Bruno Ribeiro’s Vale this weekend.

“We weren’t happy with the result but it won’t stifle momentum at all,” added the former Blackpool midfielder. “The manager won’t allow that and neither will the staff. They will be on our cases all week.

“Walsall will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. But we don’t want teams coming here and taking points off us. The gaffer will make sure this place is a fortress and, to be fair, it has been. We definitely won’t let them come here in a month or so (for the rearranged league fixture) to take points off us.

“We were a little bit sloppy and, he (Wilder) is right, that has not been the Sheffield United of late. We made a few mistakes for the goals and that has crept out after it happened at the start of the season.

“We don’t want to let it creep back in again because we have been quality on the ball and taking it to teams.

“Earlier in the season, we’d get some jibes when going out and about. Stuff like: ‘You got beat this weekend.’ But we have proved that when we are at it, we are really at it.

“I think people can see with the late goals that have taken it away from teams and some really gritty wins that we are up for this. It has given us great confidence and belief in the dressing room.

“We have been creating lots of chances and we have kept the momentum going in the league. We got up to fourth and are sniffing around everyone. So, that is great.”