Sheffield United will be trying to mount a late play-off challenge in the remaining weeks of the Championship season.

After a disastrous start to the season that saw them lose their first six games in all competitions, Sheffield United fired Ruben Selles in September and brought Chris Wilder back to the club for a third time in charge, just a few months after his controversial summer departure.

Wilder has effectively navigated the Blades out of the relegation zone and into mid-table safety, and as their recovery gained traction, the Bramall Lane crowd began to speculate about a potential promotion campaign.

However, United’s record has dipped in recent weeks, with Wilder’s side winning only one of their last five games, though they did get a point in a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City on Saturday, despite playing much of the game with 10 men following Femi Seriki’s 23rd-minute red card.

The Blades’ play-off prospects were boosted when sixth-placed Wrexham were defeated 3-1 at Watford on Tuesday night, although they are still 10 points behind the Red Dragons with only eight games remaining.

Chris Wilder criticizes officials following Femi Seriki’s decision in the Birmingham City draw.

Sheffield United earned lot of credit for their effort in Saturday’s draw at Birmingham, and they could have taken all three points if Sydie Peck had converted his penalty, which was saved by James Beadle.

The main talking point among Blades fans after the game, however, was the questionable decision to send off Seriki for his foul on Ibrahim Osman, which was deemed to be a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity, despite the fact that Tyler Bindon was present.

Seriki was irate following his removal and reportedly kicked stuff on his way back to the United dressing room. Wilder also expressed irritation with the officials’ decision to disqualify the defender.”I can’t believe it was so grey that they can just make that decision,” Wilder told The Star.It’s so grey, and it’s not even gray because it’s oriented toward us. Tyler Bindon appears round on the cover.The ball’s pace travels through Adam Davies and to his left. The boys never make it there, and Tyler Bindon is two yards away at the time of the tackle. They consult with the linesman before making their selection.The referee is unclear, but the linesman is evident. He’s two or three yards away from it, and then there’s the double whammy of an incredible free kick into the top corner. So I assume everyone, including some of our supporters, was thinking, ‘Oh, here we go.’ But I thought the reaction was first-class.”

Given Wilder’s comments, it was not surprising that the Blades opted to appeal Seriki’s dismissal, but after hearing the result, the 58-year-old’s attitude is sure to have darkened even more.

Sheffield United dealt huge Femi Seriki blow ahead of crunch Wrexham clash

Sheffield United had reason to believe that Seriki’s red card would be overturned, but, according to The Star, their appeal has been denied, forcing him to miss a potentially season-defining match for his team.

The Blades host Wrexham to Bramall Lane on Saturday, and while the Red Dragons may lose sixth place if Southampton defeat Norwich City on Wednesday night, it is unquestionably a must-win game for Wilder’s players if they are to have any hope of making the play-offs this season.

Seriki has established himself as an important member of the United club under Wilder, scoring one goal and four assists in 32 games this season, and it was reported in January that he was on Everton’s radar.

Given Seriki’s importance to the Blades, Wilder will be extremely sad to lose him for one of the season’s biggest games, especially since his absence is the result of a terrible refereeing call that could have been corrected on appeal.

With Seriki out, Ki-Jana Hoever will start against Wrexham, giving the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee a chance to demonstrate his abilities after a mixed start at Bramall Lane since his January arrival.

It will be a difficult task for Hoever and his defensive colleagues to keep out a Red Dragons side that is the fifth-highest scorers in the Championship this season with 58 goals, and United has struggled to keep clean sheets this season, which is surprising given their usual defensive solidity under Wilder.

However, the Blades will need Hoever to step up as they try to cut the gap on the play-off positions and keep their promotion ambitions alive for another week, but anything less than a win will almost probably mean another season in the second tier for the South Yorkshire club.