Chris Wilder: “We’ll Be Looking to Light A Fire” – Blades Boss Previews Oxford United vs Sheffield United | OneFootball

Chris Wilder’s return to the Sheffield United dugout began the same way his second spell ended, with late heartbreak, and the Blades will be desperate to put things right when they travel to Oxford United on Saturday afternoon.

The Blades fell to a 90th-minute sucker punch at Bramall Lane last weekend, losing 1-0 to Charlton Athletic. In truth, United never got going, registering just one tame effort on target, a Gustavo Hamer free-kick straight at the keeper, while Charlton repeatedly carved them open on the counter. Wilder admitted his side looked “chaotic” and short of confidence, and knows his first victory back in charge is vital.

Their opponents arrive in fine spirits. Gary Rowett’s Oxford side have bounced back impressively from opening the campaign with three narrow defeats. Since then, the U’s have strung together a run of three unbeaten matches: battling to 2-2 draws against Coventry City and Leicester City before sealing an eye-catching 3-1 win away at Bristol City. In that stretch they’ve scored seven times, the same number of shots on target Sheffield United have managed from inside the box all season in league action.

The Blades may soon be boosted by the return of experienced midfielder Tom Davies, who has yet to feature this term. The former Everton man got 45 minutes for the U21s earlier this week in a win over Huddersfield Town, as did several senior players building up sharpness.

Chris Wilder Previews Oxford United vs Sheffield United

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Chris Wilder, Manager of Sheffield United, acknowledges the fans prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic at Bramall Lane on September 20, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

Wilder provided an update on Davies and striker Danny Ings, who has been sidelined for most of his time in South Yorkshire so far since arriving late in the summer.

“Tom Davies played 45 minutes for the U21s earlier this week and Danny Ings has come through a week’s training,” Wilder confirmed to SUTV. “We want to get them involved, we need their experience in these situations… but it would be reckless to throw them straight in. Just having them around the place is a massive boost.”

Reflecting on the Charlton defeat, Wilder stressed the importance of simplifying United’s play and producing a performance worthy of the travelling fans.

“We asked them to compete, and the stats say they did, but there was a lot of chaos in our game. We have to find the balance and make good decisions. We need that first result and it will be a big one, we need to focus on producing a performance for ourselves, the players and most importantly the supporters making the trip.”

Wilder refused to dwell too much on the opposition but expects a stern test from Rowett’s men.

“They’re a competitive side who have had a couple of decent results,” Wilder said. “I know Gary really well and he’ll see this as an opportunity, but he’ll also know we’re looking to light a fire and when that comes, he’ll be hoping it’s not tomorrow.”

Wilder Explains Captain Choice And Latest Addition to Coaching Staff

The United boss also explained his decision to make Japhet Tanganga captain.

“He has a calmness, a maturity, even when the bullets are flying right now he’s impressed everybody. He doesn’t have to be a shouter and baller but he leads by example with good standards and a real good connection between me and the players.”

Wilder has also refreshed his backroom team with the addition of Guilherme Ramos. However, some fans on social media have raised their concerns with the addition, claiming that this was a move done by the owners with Wilder not having a say in it. This was quickly put to bed by Wilder.

“I wouldn’t employ anyone on my coaching staff if I didn’t choose,” he said. “I wanted to work with someone who has experienced different ways of playing and different environments. Gui is someone I’ve known for quite a while and whatever job I was going into next, he was potentially going to come with me. Hopefully he’ll add something a little bit different.”

Blades Need a Bounce Back Performance Against Oxford

I think a hugely improved performance but an unfortunate 0-0 draw would be a more positive indicator to me than serving up another performance like the Swansea City away game or Charlton Athletic at home and ultimately seeing out a 1-0 win.

In the first scenario, myself and many other fans would begin to believe that the Blades are now turning the corner and wins will eventually follow, providing we produce consistently good performances. However, in the second scenario, I’d be just as worried about United as I was three weeks ago. I understand the talk of lack of confidence, but, I wholeheartedly believe a team gets more confidence from performing to a very high standard but on the receiving end of an incredible goalkeeping display, over a subpar performance but grinding out a 1-0 win.

There is also a symbolic element to this fixture on Saturday. It was at the Kassam Stadium last season that United’s automatic promotion hopes began to unravel, and the poor result triggered a damaging run of form across the space of a week. Now though, they have a chance to rally their troops and kick on in their 2025/26 Championship campaign.