Wilson’s Blades have chance to rewrite a history of hurt that began 15 years ago

The Football League play-offs have been cruel to Sheffield United down the years but maybe, just maybe, they will smash the hoodoo next weekend against Huddersfield Town at Wembley.

Defeat at the final hurdle is always tought to deal with but when the game is settled in the final seconds, the pill becomes even harder to stomach.

In May 1997, the Blades were denied promotion to the Premier League by a 90th-minute goal scored by David Hopkin for Crystal Palace.

Blades supporters still wince at the memory of his 25-yard shot curling beyond goalkeeper Simon Tracey and hitting the net when extra-time loomed. It would be another nine years before their club won promotion to the top flight.

Over 32,000 supporters travelled down the M1 to the Twin Towers for the Blades’ first involvement in a play-off final.

Only three years earlier, the club had been relegated after four seasons in the top flight under Dave Bassett.

Now managed by Howard Kendall, the Blades had finished fifth in the Division One table, two points above Palace, who they had beaten both at home and away.

Preparations for the final were hampered by the loss of three key players – goalkeeper Alan Kelly, full-back Chris Short and midfielder Nick Henry.

Kelly, a popular figure at Bramall Lane, was injured in the semi-final win over Ipswich Town, Henry was banned after a red card in the second leg, and Short – whose brother Craig later played for the club – had twisted an ankle in training.

Manager Kendall had been at the helm for 18 months, changing the team’s style of play and completely re-vamping the first-team squad.

Only four players survived from the ‘Bassett era’, namely goalkeepers Tracey and Kelly and the Sheffield-born midfield duo Dane Whitehouse and Mitch Ward.

With hefty financial support from chairman Mike McDonald, Kendall made a string of big money (in excess of £500,000) signings including strikers Jan-Aage Fjortoft and Petr Katchouro, and defenders Carl Tiler and David Holdsworth.

The biggest investment was former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison in a club record £1m deal. The biggest flop was Everton midfielder John Ebbrell who also cost £1m but played only 45 minutes for the club due to injury.

Chairman McDonald, a Manchester-based businessman, employed Charles Green as his chief executive to oversee the day-to-day running of the club.

Green is now leading the consortium which plans to take Scottish club Rangers out of administration later this summer.

The Blades went into the final as the marginal favourites although form in the final few weeks of the season had been patchy at best.

Kendall’s side failed to win on the road in 12 games after Boxing Day and won only three out of 11 fixtures prior to the final. Both legs of the semi-final with Ipswich ended in draws but the Blades went through on the away-goals rule.

The first half at Wembley was a truly dour affair with hardly any goalscoring opportunities.Kendall’s choice of matchday attire – a garish bright green shirt – was arguably the bright spot of the afternoon.

With Palace defenders Andy Linighan and David Tuttle dominant, Kendall opted to bring off Katchouro early on.

The Blades were forced into another change at half-time because Hutchison had dislocated his shoulder.

Palace striker Bruce Dyer, who later joined the Blades, spurned a far-post opportunity after the break but defences remained on top.

The clock was ticking towards extra-time when the Blades conceded a corner.

Although veteran midfielder Nigel Spackman headed away, the Blades had 11 men defending the penalty area and Hopkin was unmarked as he picked up the loose ball.

The Scottish international had time to turn with the ball and pick his spot. Goalkeeper Tracey was helpless.

Within weeks of the play-off final defeat, Kendall resigned as manager to start a third spell in charge at former club Everton.

Spackman was appointed manager and made a bright start to the following season.

But by March 1998, the Blades were self-imploding. Top players were sold and the pressure began to grow. Spackman quit in protest at the sales of Brian Deane and Fjortoft and McDonald resigned as chairman after being spat on by angry fans. Steve Thompson stepped in as caretaker-manager and, somehow, steered the club into the play-offs again. This time, however, Wembley was a bridge too far. The Blades lost 3-2 on aggregate to Sunderland in the semi-finals.

Danny Wilson, the current Blades manager, will aim to succeed where five of his predecessors have failed – by achieving success in the play-offs.

Sheffield United: Tracey, Ward, Holdsworth, Tiler, Nilsen; White, Spackman (Walker 90), Hutchison (Sandford 45), Whitehouse; Fjortoft, Katchouro (Taylor 26).

Crystal Palace: Nash; Edworthy, Tuttle, Linighan, Muscat; Gordon, Roberts, Hopkin, Rodger; Shipperley, Dyer, Unused substitutes: Houghton, Veart, McKenzie.

Attendance: 64,383.