Sheffield United 3 Wycombe Wanderers 0: Hoskins provides the spark to ignite Blades

To most outside of the Steel City that last bit may sound a little odd to make note of, but the natives at United have struggled to accept Wilson, due to his previous employment as a player and manager at hated city rivals Wednesday.

So when the Blades fans chanted Wilson’s name and even called out for ‘Danny, give us a wave’, the former midfielder was left smiling at his afternoon’s work.

“Who was that you were waving at?” enquired a mischievous journalist after the match, which was met with a wry smile from Wilson.

Yet it is not surprising that Blades fans have been impressed by the job Wilson has done at Bramall Lane this season.

Yes, they may still have one of the highest wage bills in the division, but that does not always equate to success and Wilson has taken a squad he inherited and turned them from a losing team to one which expects success.

Saturday’s victory leaves them just one point off the automatic promotion places in League Two, yet with two games in hand on Sheffield Wednesday, who occupy second place.

Huddersfield’s Jordan Rhodes may be the top goalscorer in the division, but for his all-round contribution, Ched Evans is probably the best striker at this level.

He netted his 19th of the season against Wycombe, whose game-plan to put 10 men behind the ball and frustrate United worked for an hour until the introduction of Will Hoskins.

The former Rotherham United striker netted with virtually his first touch, a real predator’s strike from close-range after a loose ball fell into his path.

“It was difficult because the way Wycombe played, we needed a level of patience and fortunately we showed that,” said Wilson.

“They were stubborn in their resistance. It is not always easy to break down a team but after the first goal we weren’t in any danger.

“The first goal was always going to be critical and when we got it I thought it was one-way traffic from then on – it was a deserved three points.

“Home form is important. If you win your games it gives you a chance to stay in the shake-up at the end of the season.”

Playing with a lone striker in Stuart Beavon – who had scored the only goal of the game when these two sides met at Adams Park earlier in the season – Wycombe rarely threatened Steve Simonsen’s goal. That was partly due to a terrific display from emerging defender Harry Maguire, who is destined for a bright future if he carries on this form.

The game was virtually over after 73 minutes when Evans held off a couple of defenders, swivelled in the penalty area, before firing home beyond goalkeeper Nikki Bull.

United thought they should have had a penalty in the build-up after a foul on Stephen Quinn, but the impressive Lecsinel Jean-Francois exploited the space to pick out Evans.

The Blades wrapped up the points with a stoppage-time goal from Kevin McDonald, which took a couple of deflections before looping high over Bull into the net.

Afterwards, Wilson was full of praise for substitute Hoskins, who joined the Blades on loan for the rest of the season after a troubled time at Championship club Brighton.

“Will couldn’t have scripted it any better,” said Wilson. “We have known about the boy for long enough, he was in the area for many years while I was here, so it was no surprise he could do that. It’s always a big bonus when it does happen, though.

“He can settle down now and doesn’t need to go hunting that first goal.”

With a striking department of Evans, Richard Cresswell, James Beattie and Chris Porter, the Blades now have an assortment of riches which is a welcome headache for Wilson.

“Teams can get caught up with playing giants, athletes, but we pride ourselves that we have got players who can play football,” he said.

“We don’t want to have that stereotypical centre-forward who stands there and heads it, but I suppose a lot of people can get away with it in this division. But I think we are better than that and the fans expect more than that.

“We have a duty to them, to entertain, and if we can do that with winning, that’s great.”

Wilson tried to sign 25-year-old Hoskins during his time as Swindon Town manager, so is happy to have finally landed the striker who struggled to make an impact at Brighton due to injuries after a summer move from Bristol Rovers.

“I tried to get him a couple of years ago from Swindon, but he didn’t come,” reflected Wilson. “He’s a good player and what we might profit from is his frustration at not playing first-team football. Hopefully, we will gain from that.”

Sheffield United: Simonsen, Lowton, Collins, Maguire, Jean-Francois, Doyle, Williamson (Flynn 46), McDonald, Quinn, Evans (Porter 87), Cresswell (Hoskins 61). Unused substitutes: Montgomery, Long.

Wycombe Wanderers: Bull, Forster, Lang, Winfield, Johnson (McNamee 76), Bloomfield, Harper, Strevens (McClure 82), Basey, Beavon, Whichelow (Lewis 70). Unused substitutes: Grant, McCoy.

Referee: D Mohareb (Cheshire).