Wilson sends out warning after Blades edge closer to promotion

The Blades are, once goal difference is taken into account, effectively five points clear with just three games remaining following their comeback win against Leyton Orient on Saturday.

Goals from Lee Williamson, Michael Doyle and Ched Evans were enough to sink the O’s, who had taken a shock lead in the 12th minute through Kevin Lisbie.

With Wednesday held to a 1-1 draw at Colchester United, United will travel to Milton Keynes Dons this weekend knowing that even defeat will not be enough to knock them out of second place.

Despite that, manager Wilson is adamant no-one at Bramall Lane is taking anything for granted as the race to join already-promoted Charlton Athletic in next season’s Championship enters the final straight.

He said: “It isn’t over. All we have done is given ourselves a chance to go and push on next week.

“If we go and think we have a bit of space to fall back on then we will fall back on it.

“We can’t afford to do that. We have to drive on.

“Yes, we have got four points and everyone will have different permutations to see what will happen. But we can’t get caught up with all that.

“If we get embroiled with all that then we will fall off the pedestal. We will go to MK Dons looking for three points.

“The good thing is this group will not get carried away. We don’t even talk to them about what to say to the Press, they just do it off their own back.

“The players know they have to be very measured in what they say to the Press because you can get carried away, say the wrong things at times and then it goes against you.

“At this moment in time, the players are very measured in what they say and very grounded in what they say. That will give us an advantage going into matchdays.”

The win over Orient was United’s sixth in a row and extended their unbeaten run to nine games.

With Wednesday on an even more impressive run to take 27 points from 11 games, United’s form has been crucial in keeping their Steel City rivals at bay.

Wilson added: “The pleasing thing from our point of view is we have been winning games. We had to win as many games as we could to give ourselves a chance and we are doing that.

“We have not shown any let-up and that is good. But we go to MK Dons with everything to play for.

“They are a very good footballing side and we are in great form at the moment. Away from home, we have been playing some great stuff and let’s hope that will be the case down there.”

Evans’s 83rd minute strike took his tally of goals for the season to 35 and came at the end of a week that saw the striker stand trial for rape. The case against the United player is due to resume today.

On the goal that ended any hopes Orient had of snatching a draw, Wilson said: “I said to Ched at half-time that the whole team does not have to be reliant on him. He was trying too hard.

“But that is how he is. When he gets his shots blocked, he chases the ball down. If something doesn’t go right, he is the one who tries to rectify it. He is a great team player and deserves his goals for the sheer tenacity. You can’t bet against him scoring.”

The pick of United’s goals was undoubtedly Doyle’s 54th minute strike, the captain hitting an unstoppable 20-yard shot beyond Orient goalkeeper Jamie Jones to draw praise from his manager.

Wilson said: “Michael’s goal was terrific. The players sometimes underestimate themselves. Some don’t think they have that type of quality in their locker.

“But what I see in training during the week shows me they do have that quality and that technique. It is just having the confidence to do it during games.

“I don’t know if they were encouraged (to have a shot) before but they are certainly told by us to have more confidence in themselves because we know the quality is there.”

The only blot on an otherwise fine day for the Blades were injuries suffered by Richard Cresswell and Marcus Williams.

Cresswell had to be substituted during the first half after landing badly on his shoulder, while Williams was the unfortunate victim of a freak accident that left the substitute suffering concussion.

Wilson said: “Marcus was warming up and bumped into one of their lads who had come off the pitch when Orient scored.

“It left him concussed. It is a bad one, to be fair. A freak accident. Both their heads came together.

“We couldn’t use him because he was laid up on the bed in the treatment room.”

As for Cresswell, Wilson expects to know more about the severity of the injury later today when the results of a scan are due to arrive.

The Blades chief added: “We are hoping to have a full squad to choose from at MK Dons but if we haven’t then we have good cover.

“We have a lot of players who don’t get the headlines that those of us within the club would give them. But we know what a good set they are. The players are very good at what they do. The most pleasing point for me is they take what we say on board straight away. For example, I thought Chris Porter (Cresswell’s replacement) did really well when he came on. He worked the line well, which isn’t always easy when you haven’t been playing too often.”