"Hurting" Chris Wilder has to get Sheffield United balance right ahead of huge Luton Town opportunity

Chris Wilder admitted he has to get the balance right to protect the fragile confidence of his Sheffield United players after their latest hammer blow in a season rapidly shaping up as one to forget. Saturday's 5-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa was the fifth time United have shipped five or more goals this campaign, with 15 games remaining.

The scoreline hardly flattered Villa, either, who appeared to ease off the accelerator soon after Àlex Moreno volleyed home their fifth goal just a couple of minutes into the second half. At that point Unitedites would have been fearing a repeat of the 8-0 humiliation at the hands of Newcastle earlier in the season, with boss Wilder refusing to apologise for adopting a "damage limitation" approach to prevent a terrible evening becoming any worse.

Wilder and his staff must now pick up a group of players from their latest blow ahead of a big game on the horizon against follow strugglers Luton Town, who have given themselves a real chance of surviving in the Premier League this season after some plucky and punchy displays. The latest saw them earn a point away at Newcastle, after being 4-2 up at one point, on Saturday afternoon, before United's Villa hammering saw them fall 10 points behind Rob Edwards' side.

"We’re hurting, I’m hurting as a manager, but I don’t want any sympathy – this is the game that we’re in," Wilder said. "We understand the clinical aspect of being involved in the Premier League. This is what can happen and it’s happened to many better managers than me, so it’s always with you. It very rarely gets away from you.

"Yes, there will be analysis of the game right the way through the weekend. We’ll come in Monday morning and we have to dissect it pretty quickly and try and improve. I didn’t see this coming, I have to say. We have to own it – I’ll own and the players will own it. But I have to look after the players.

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"It’s part and parcel of being manager. There are times to be firm, but we have to look after them as well. I do believe that they are hurting; not as much as the supporters, because they are the ones we have massively let down. There were 30,000 of them expecting a really positive performance, which we didn’t get. You have to get the right approach with the players; look at them and help them through this period while giving them the opportunity to put it right at Luton."

Whatever happens from hereon in, United have to quickly draw a line under this disappointment, and learn quickly. "It’s not acceptable. I’m not going to forget about it and park it," Wilder added. "You have to accept it, deal with it, own it and everything that people say about it, and make it better. I didn’t see this coming one bit, I thought the mood in the group was good. We had a disappointing evening on Tuesday night [at Crystal Palace] but the journey back – and Thursday and Friday – was really positive. We have to get on with it and accept it."