Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder on his journey and ending Sheffield Wednesday's season

Wilder's Sheffield United were 1-0 winners at Hillsborough, a victory which took them level on points with Leeds United, but the Sheffield-born manager insisted the league picture never came into his thoughts.

Instead, he started his press conference with a passionate 11-minute retelling of how he had addressed the imbalance when he took over in 2016, shortly after the Owls missed promotion to the Premier League in the Championship final, with the Blades in League One.

"It's a great time to be a Sheffield United fan," he declared after his third win in six derby games as manager, none of which he has lost.

"That (history) is the talk I put to the players today: You can be part of that journey.

"We've won 31 points more than the opposition. We're on 82 points (ignoring a two-point deduction for financial breaches) after 38 games.

"Sheffield Wednesday are on 51, their season's done. Ours is still alive.

"Those supporters that had bets with Sheffield Wednesday fans in the summer about who will finish higher, I hope they've cashed in.

"When I went for a run at half five, six or whatever daft time it was just to get out of my house and clear my head, all I was thinking about was winning a game of football.

"I nearly got run over a few times, I don't know if it was me not looking for traffic or they were trying to wipe me out!

"We've won a game and the opposition would swap it in a heartbeat.

"Someone's been on Transfermarkt and gone 125m (what Owls manager Danny Rohl said pre-match Wilder's squad was worth), we've earnt the right because of the work we've done over six years."

On Rohl's comments, he added: "I don't think he should start mind games when he's not won anything."

The Blades' only goal came from Rhian Brewster, his first in Sheffield for more than three years.

Brewster made a big impact from the bench in Tuesday's draw with Bristol City, but Wilder said he had picked his team before that.

"I talked to Jack (Lester) on Saturday and said I'd have loved Rhian to get in the goals," said Wilder.

"He's had a difficult time here but he's an example for young players to keep going and you get your moment if you keep working hard and keep your head down.

"I should imagine from the outside a few people were saying, 'Why's Rhian playing?' He linked the play well and found pockets."

For Wednesday, it was a familiar story – much the better side in the opening quarter of an hour but unable to make it count. The Blades only had two shots on target and one touch in the opposition box in the second half, but they scored it.

"I am a little bit tired of speaking about this topic and in the end we couldn’t change it,” said Rohl.

"Our process shows we are close, close, closer. But the final bit…

"The teams ahead of us are not so much better, they see how we play, how we invest. But it is football and if you want to take more it is about that favourite phrase – clinical in both boxes."