Blades still in the mix despite missed opportunity

Chris Wilder went to applaud the Sheffield United fans, then as he turned away he let out a yell of frustration.

He knew the 2-1 defeat at Charlton was a missed opportunity.

A victory would have put United seventh and in the play-off places. They would have been four points off the top two.

A three-win week would have carried the Blades into the international break with real momentum.

It would have given us all an opportunity to reflect on how striking that achievement, albeit after just 15 games, would have been.

We should do that anyway, irrespective of Saturday's result. But first let's discuss what happened at The Valley.

United outshot their opponents 13 to nine, with seven efforts on target. It shows how clearly an opportunity presented itself to win.

They had long spells in the game when they were on top and even comfortable - yet could not ram home that advantage by ever taking a lead.

The two goals conceded were both avoidable.

You could say the first one was a rare error by Michael Cooper but Millenic Alli also deserves a lot of credit.

From the press box, we were right over his shoulder, and you could see he noticed Cooper's positioning and within a split second took advantage.

The expert precision on the shot caught the goalkeeper out. It was clever.

The second was sloppy and indicative of a recurring issue of goals being scored from crosses.

Alli's delivery could have been cut out. Wilder felt more inclined to blame the way his defenders failed to deal with the cross.

It is a smart finish from Matty Godden but also the kind of goal that would have had the fans and manager collectively rolling their eyes.

The Blades also miss Patrick Bamford as a focal point.

Romelle Donovan continues to shine though and is playing like a genuine X-factor. His work rate off the ball is as impressive as his threat on it.

The loss of Femi Seriki is a huge blow for player and club. A suspected ruptured patellar tendon will make for a long, challenging recovery. We wish him the best.

The Championship is wide open again, just as it was last year.

I can not be the only one who looked at the table on Saturday night and was surprised to see Birmingham top and Stoke third.

It was equally surprising to see Swansea lead the pack when they did, while also seeing Burnley and Derby struggling as much as they are.

There is an opportunity here with 30 games to go for three teams to make something happen. United are in the mix. That is all anyone can ask for.

The fact that they are only in the mix and not first, second, third or fourth does not justify some of the quite ridiculous criticism that Wilder and his players have received recently.

It is from a noisy minority online and we all need to be cautious of making more of that than is necessary.

The warm reception from the away end at full-time shows that most fans get it.

Yet after a summer where United lost three key attacking players, two right before the transfer window shut, then had to patch things up - to be where they are at the moment is a net positive.

If you don't agree, you are trying too hard to be negative.

The genuine complaint should be directed at United's owners for creating another unhelpful distraction - one that could still result in a points deduction that would undo all the work happening on the pitch.