"Season's done" - Chris Wilder fires Sheffield Wednesday dig after Sheffield United win in Steel City derby | OneFootball

Wednesday's play-off chances took a major hit against their fierce rivals at Hillsborough

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder believes that Sheffield Wednesday's season is all-but over after the Blades emerged 1-0 victors in Sunday's Steel City Derby.

Victory for the Owls would have seen them climb up to ninth in the Championship table and within three points of West Bromwich Albion in sixth, with Tony Mowbray's side held to a 1-1 draw by Hull City at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.

However, Wednesday's wretched home form - the second-worst in the second tier with a return of just 22 points from 19 games - continued at the hands of United, with Wilder continuing a six-game unbeaten streak against the Hillsborough outfit which stretches back to September 2017.

Rhian Brewster's 64th-minute goal saw the visitors regain their position inside the top two on 80 points, some 31 points - taking a two-point deduction aside - ahead of their cross-city rivals - a point which the 57-year-old was keen to reiterate in his post-match press conference.

Chris Wilder takes aim at Sheffield Wednesday post-Steel City Derby

The former Liverpool man's strike proved the difference in what was, unsurprisingly, a cagey game packed with tension on the pitch and in the stands.

Following Wednesday's resurgence under Danny Rohl after an initially disastrous return to the Championship, some predicted that the S6 side would finish above United for the first time in eight years, with the Bramall Lane side beginning the campaign with the deduction and uncertainty clouding over the club, who would eventually be taken over by COH Sports in December

After recording a 25th league win of the season and claiming the bragging rights in South Yorkshire once more, the lifelong Blade in the dugout hoped that those who hedged such bets have been left eating their words.

"It's a great time to be a Sheffield United fan,” Wilder said via the Sheffield Star.

“That's what the talk I put to the players today was: You can be part of that journey. We're 31 points clear of the opposition. We haven't done it by just bashing it up to Callum O'Hare and Rhian Brewster."

"We're here to win and we've won another tight Sheffield derby, it hasn't been luck, it hasn't been fortune. We win games of football. We're on 82 points (deduction-aside) after 38 games. Sheffield Wednesday are on 51, their season's done. Ours is still alive," he claimed.

"Those supporters that had bets with Sheffield Wednesday fans in the summer about who will finish higher, I hope they've cashed in and enjoy their winnings," Wilder continued.

"We're 31 points clear of them, that's quite big. We weren't even thinking about going joint top, it was you have the opportunity of winning a Sheffield double. "I enjoy it because I didn't enjoy it for a long time. No Sheffield United fans did."

Sheffield Wednesday left frustrated after Steel City Derby defeat

In what was a common trend prior to United and Wednesday's five-year gap without a derby match, the two contests this season have boiled down to fine margins, with Tyrese Campbell and Brewster the latest names to etch themselves into the long-standing history of this fixture.

Wednesday failed to register a shot on target at Bramall Lane on November 10th and missed a handful of strong chances on home turf too, with Michael Cooper's save from a powerful Michael Smith header and Svante Ingelsson's late miss from three yards out just two of the key examples in that regard.

The Owls have now lost all of their encounters against the division's current top four by a 20-1 aggregate scoreline, which further echoes the gap in quality and streetwise nature, as proven by a 10-point gap between Sunderland and Coventry City in the middle two play-off positions.

Wednesday's defensive shortcomings have also held Rohl back when it comes to further cementing what is an already incredible bond between himself and supporters - only bottom club Plymouth Argyle have conceded more this season.

The remainder of the Blue and Whites' season sees them face off against a mixture of relegation-threatened sides or those also vying for a play-off berth.

Whilst not mathematically impossible, Sunday's defeat was a huge blow to their top-six aims, as they face Cardiff City in South Wales in two weeks' time.

Meanwhile, Wilder has seen his side jump back into the automatic promotion places ahead of Burnley and level with Leeds United on 80 points, with a home fixture against Coventry to come at Bramall Lane after the international break.