Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has put his side’s early-season success down to the togetherness at the club.
The Blades beat Steel City rivals Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 on Sunday to go level on points with Championship leaders Sunderland.
United finished bottom of the Premier League last season with just 16 points, in a campaign during which they conceded 104 goals.
“We can’t achieve anything when we’re not connected. It’s a word I use a lot,” Wilder said.
“We’ll have bumps in the road but what you’ll have is what you see in those last five or 10 minutes when the boys put everything on the line.
“We were miles off it last year. The club wasn’t prepared to go into the Premier League. I don’t want to get too caught up in it but it was a difficult time.
“The players were undercooked and the Premier League is a ruthless division.”
United would be two points clear at the top of the table had they not started the campaign with a two-point deduction after defaulting on payments to other clubs during the 2022-23 promotion season.
Sunday’s win saw them record a sixth successive home clean sheet and a 10th in 15 Championship games.
‘It was time to make changes’
Seven of the 11 players who started Sunday’s Sheffield derby joined the Blades in the summer, as Wilder rejuvenated the squad.
Match-winner Tyrese Campbell and Callum O’Hare, who got the assist for the goal, both joined on free transfers in the summer.
Of the new players, only goalkeeper Michael Cooper and full-back Harrison Burrows were signed for fees from Plymouth and Peterborough respectively.
Wilder praised the attitude the squad have shown in the first third of the season as he looks to challenge for his third promotion with his hometown club.
“It was time to make changes in terms of players and the way we play,” he added.
“A lot of hard work went into the summer recruitment but it’s down to the players and their attitudes. I’m enjoying working with them.
“You’ve seen the scenes at the end, subs who didn’t get on and other players are all going out on the pitch.
“The way they all get on is fabulous to see.”