SHEFFIELD United manager Chris Wilder is paying little mind to the formbook as his team prepare to roll out the red carpet for Swindon Town.

The Blades are third in League One, six points off leaders Scunthorpe United, but after a run of five straight victories in the league came to an end with a 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic on November 26, Wilder’s men were beaten at home by Walsall three days later.

United also lost 3-2 to Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup last weekend but the Bramall Lane boss doesn’t think that too much should be read into his team’s recent wobble, nor the erratic form of 18th-placed Town.

“It is an inconsistent league, isn’t it?,” Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield. “They’ve beaten a top team at home (a 1-0 win over Bradford City last on November 26) but lost at Rochdale quite heavily, but beat Charlton at home comfortably in front of the Sky cameras, so they’ve got some good players.

“Yet again, they’ll be going down the road of ‘Sheffield United have only picked up one point in their last two games (in League One)’ but I know that they’ll be looking at us as a decent outfit and knowing that it’s going to be a challenge for them.

“We respect that but we want to make sure  we play really well – like we have done in the last two games – and get the right and correct result, because we don’t think we’ve got the correct result in the last two games.”

Wilder is confident that his high-flyers are comfortable continuing to take the initiative in matches should Luke Williams’ men look to sit off United on Saturday and play on the counter-attack in the same manner as some of the other visitors to Bramall Lane this term. “People have talked about teams sitting in and defending deep, and playing on the counter – I think we’re pushing teams back as well,” said the Blades chief.

“I think you’ve got to look at that, the amount of ball that we have, the amount of good play that we have.

“We are pushing some really good teams back, so if every team came to Bramall Lane and played the same way, and the games were of the same way, that it’s us in the ascendancy, it’s us looking to create and score, and that’s what it’s going to be like towards the end of the season, then I’ll take that all day long.

“I know that we will get better and we will score goals, and we will win games of football the way we’re playing.”