Players must motivate me, says Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder

A brutal ending saw his Sheffield United side suffer another bodyblow in their tortuous season by way of a cruel last-gasp defeat to Leicester City, with boyhood Sheffield Wednesday supporter Jamie Vardy taking advantage of fatal indecision from the hosts to secure a 2-1 triumph for the Foxes at the death.

On the cusp of just their second Premier League point of the season, the rock-bottom Blades instead suffered their sixth successive loss and their tenth in 11 league matches this term.

Now, Wilder is assigned with ‘going again’ and lifting his demoralised players. But ‘motivating the motivator’ is also a factor as he readily acknowledged.

Speaking in a BBC interview, the downbeat Blades chief, who was again left to lament his Blades sides going on the wrong side of big moments for seemingly the umpeenth time this season, said: “We do not take big moments and the big moment is people sorting their feet out at the throw and making the right decision.

“If you don’t take the big moments, you get punished and we did not take the big moments again and got punished.

“It is tough times, but that is how it is. You have to get through and I am not going to dress it up. It is what it is.

“I will get the switch back and come through and try and get the players going. And they have got to get themselves going as well.

“Not just me and the coaching team, but themselves. They have got to lift me as well.

“We worked extremely hard and it is part of the game and that is why we are in the game. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

“It is not easy and it is not easy at times like this. It definitely isn’t when you have stood over there (at Bramall Lane) and sat there and stood up there and been on there...And now I am stood over there (the dug-out).

“It is not easy…”

Wilder confirmed that he is hopeful that Enda Stevens and Ethan Ampadu will be available for Sunday’s trip to Southampton.

Lys Mousset, who missed Sunday’s game after rolling his ankle in training, will be assessed.

On Mousset, Wilder commented: “We have just got to wait and see how he goes on this week. We are hoping that it will clear up pretty quickly and he will be fit sooner than later.