Wilder must axe O’Hare & unleash “amazing” £35k-p/w Sheffield United ace

Sheffield United were agonisingly close to a win to really flex their muscles at the top of the Championship table last time out, only for Liam Manning’s Bristol City to spoil the mood.

Indeed, the Blades were heading to the top of the summit in style courtesy of Tyrese Campbell’s golden contribution, but the Robins had other ideas late on as the final scoreline ended 1-1.

Chris Wilder will be chewing over what changes to make to his first team personnel ahead of a nerve-wracking Steel City Derby on Sunday lunchtime, with Callum O’Hare perhaps surprisingly dropped for the nail-biting showdown at Hillsborough after a quiet showing at Bramall Lane.

O’Hare’s performance vs Bristol City

Nobody can say they’ve been underwhelmed by the addition of O’Hare, considering the ex-Coventry City man boasts two goals and six assists in Championship action this season.

But, even the cream of the crop are prone to off-days, with O’Hare finding it hard to leave his mark on the 1-1 draw as nothing came off for him.

Across the course of his forgettable 54 minutes on the pitch, O’Hare failed to complete a single successful dribble, win a single duel or register a shot on the Robins net, leaving Wilder irked enough on the sideline to haul him off with barely an hour down on the clock.

Having started all but one of his 36 second-tier matches this campaign, it would be bold for Wilder to completely axe the ex-Sky Blues man from the next XI, but he could still be prepared to alter his team.

Wilder’s best O’Hare replacement

Looking at Wilder’s substitutes bench during the home game against the visitors from Bristol, it’s clear the 57-year-old is blessed with some top options, with Kieffer Moore an experienced EFL striker who got a run-out late on.

Another face who was gifted a chance off the bench in the same game was ex-Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster, who might now replace O’Hare for the full-blooded clash at Hillsborough judging by his recent promising cameos.

Within a matter of minutes of being introduced, the reinvigorated 24-year-old poked the ball through to Campbell to slot home the opener, on top of also finishing off his brief spell on the pitch with an attempted shot at Max O’Leary’s busy goal.

This isn’t the only time the “amazing” attacker – as he was labelled by Wilder earlier this season – has left his impact on an unfolding clash across the 2024/25 campaign, with Brewster also helping himself to an assist against Portsmouth back in February from just 18 minutes.

The £35k-per-week earner could end up being the difference-maker when Wilder’s men make the short trip to face off against Rohl’s Wednesday, with a further two league goals next to his name this season making him a threat the Owls will have to contain whatever length of time he is handed on the Hillsborough turf.

United’s last loss in the usually fierce Steel City Derby was all the way back in 2012, with another victory tightening up their firm grip on the automatic promotion spots. But, a loss might well be the almighty kick in the teeth that sees United fall out of the top two.