Chris Wilder sets sights on a play-off place for in-form Sheffield United

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder urged his side to keep up their late charge towards the Sky Bet Championship play-off places following their 2-0 win at QPR.

The Blades were bottom of the table, having lost all of their first six matches of the season, when Wilder returned in September for a third spell in charge.

He has presided over a major improvement and United are now 13th in the table, nine points from the top six, and still in with an outside chance of promotion with 11 games remaining.

Wilder said: “There’s a lot of games left – a quarter of the season to play – and a lot of points to be had.

“We’re in a group that’s not in the best of positions, but can we go and string a run together? That’s what we’ll all be after.

“I think we’re the lowest team that maybe would feel we have an opportunity. There’s some games of football we can lose, some we can draw, and some games that with this group that we can go and win.

“We don’t want our season just to fizzle out. We understand there’s an opportunity to win the next game and we have to go and take that.

“We’ve been good. I can’t complain about the form and attitude of the players. On current form – the last 15 or 16 games – we’re right up there.

“If we’re going to do something, we can’t shy away from it – we’re going to have to go and win some games of football. Go and win the next game and see where it takes you.”

First-half goals from Callum O’Hare and Tyrese Campbell secured victory at Loftus Road.

Rangers, thrashed 5-0 at Southampton in midweek, rallied after the interval but United fully deserved the win.

“Two good goals from our point of view – well crafted and well executed,” Wilder added.

“We were in control in the first half. But we turned the ball over a little bit cheaply in the last 15 minutes and that allowed them to come into the game.”

QPR head coach Julien Stephan accused his players of failing to do the “simple things” in another poor display at home, where they have lost three of their past four matches.

Injury-hit Rangers were sliced open on their left-hand side in the build-up to the first goal, and Jonathan Varane giving the ball away resulted in the second.

“We knew before the game that they were able to combine on their right side. The way they scored the first goal was exactly what we could expect,” said Stephan.

“But if you don’t respect the principle of play and don’t close inside – simple things, it’s not a question of back four or back five, it’s just a question of respect of the principle of play. The second one, we must be able to keep the ball in this situation.

“I don’t think it’s a question of shape or organisation. We know the situation with the injuries and all the players we have out. It has a huge, huge impact on the quality we can have on the pitch.

“But if we are not able to compensate with more intensity and more aggression we have no chance in the Championship. And in the last couple of games the disappointment has been that.”