Chris Wilder says Sheffield United players deserve a Bramall Lane fanfare in the play-off semi-final second leg

The Blades host Bristol City on Monday in their final Bramall Lane game of a hugely positive season which could yet end with promotion back to the Premier League in the May 24 play-off final.

But Wilder's players did not help his hopes of signing off in front of a bumper crowd, after a first leg victory which in many people's eyes has already put the tie to bed.

Predictably, their manager is not one of them, hence why he is banging the drum for as many supporters as possible to attend on Monday.

"Their fans were really good (on Friday)," said Wilder, "they gave them an incredible amount of energy for the first 15, 20 minutes.

"For me, our fans have got to do that for our players, 100 per cent.

"We need their energy.

"I think we deserve a full house at Bramall Lane. I know it's pretty difficult with the prices of tickets.

"The players deserve in my opinion the energy Bristol City supporters gave their team."

Average league gates at Bramall Lane this season have been 28,310 – bettered only by champions Leeds United, play-off rivals Sunderland and relegation-threatened Derby County.

Adult tickets for Monday’s televised game are priced between £30 and £36 for adults. The Blades had hoped to charge less, but according to Football League rules, they needed written permission from the visitors to do so. It was not forthcoming.

There is some logic to doing that for cup ties at home to lower-division sides for whom their share of the gate is important income, but less so in the end-of-season play-offs, the league’s biggest showpiece games.

The Blades won the first leg 3-0, capitalising on a red card for Rob Dickie in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Dickie will be suspended for the return after pulling down Kieffer Moore in the penalty area.

Harrison Burrows converted the penalty, and substitutes Andre Brooks and Callum O'Hare added second-half goals.

Between 1987 and 2023, no team had ever overcome a three-goal deficit in the two-legged play-off semi-finals, but that record fell in Sheffield two years ago.

In one of the all-time great play-off games, Sheffield Wednesday overcame a 4-0 first-leg defeat at Peterborough United to win 5-1 at Hillsborough, and progress to Wembley in a penalty shoot-out in the League One play-offs.

They beat Barnsley in extra-time in the final.

So Wilder is adamant this tie is not over either, deliberately keeping post-match celebrations in front of an ecstatic away end to a minimum.

"I respect the game too much, I respect the opponents, their players, the manager and their football club too much," said Wilder when asked if the tie was over.

"I wanted to get the players off the pitch and get back to Sheffield.

"We’ve got to recover, got to reflect on the game and we've got a big game ahead of us on Monday night. We've got to do a professional job like we did on Friday."

Captain Jack Robinson added: "You never want to go into the second game 1-0 but I think with a 3-0 lead it's more comfortable but we still have to perform. We want to win it more than comfortably and keep a clean sheet.

"Anything can happen in the play-offs, we've seen it over the years."

Bristol City Manning Liam Manning revealed his club had expressed concerns over Oliver Langford's appointment for the first game as the managers disagreed on Dickie's first-half dismissal.

The red card was the fourth Langford had issued in as many games, and his sixth of the season.

"We flagged concerns about his performance level," said Manning of the referee. "He's given previous reds that are incorrect and that's another one.

"We just felt it was too big a game, when you look at his previous when he's got decisions wrong.

"If that's the best in the Championship, which I don't think he is... there's too much potential for errors.

"There's no question about it being deliberate, we all make errors, but it was a concern."

Under "double jeopardy" rules, players conceding a penalty are only sent off if deemed not to have made a genuine attempt to play the ball. Dickie got a foot on the ball, but pulled down Moore to give himself that possibility.

Dickie was also sent off for pulling down a Blades player in the Ashton Gate league game between the sides. On that occasion it was O’Hare, in second-half stoppage time.

"For me, you're waiting for contact and there is but the red is for no intention to play the ball and Rob plays the ball," argued Manning in relation to Friday’s dismissal.

"So how can there be no intention when he plays the ball?"

Wilder responded: "I don't think he made an attempt to play the ball, he just dragged him back."

Peter Bankes is due to take charge of the second leg.