Sheffield United`s playoff dreams remain alive after victory against promotion chasing Bristol City in front of a near capacity Bramall Lane crowd in the final home game of the season. After a number of impressive recent results United are still in with a genuine chance of the playoffs with a battling performance amidst difficulty circumstances. Last week the Blades were forced to play the entire second half against ten men to see off high flying Hull City. This week, playing without suspended skipper Chris Morgan, they lost leading scorer James Beattie with only 2 minutes played and then lost stand in centre back Ugo Ehiogu, both to injuries. Furthermore, the penalty that had resulted from the incident where Ehiogu had pulled up saw the visitors take the lead. Undeterred, veteran Gary Speed willed them back into the game with a header and then converted once again, from a controversial penalty, that saw United fans experience that winning feeling once again.
United brought Ehigou into the side to replace the suspended Morgan but otherwise started with the same side that faced Hull last week. City opted to start with the talented Lee Trundle alongside journeyman Dele Adebola as they went into the game knowing they still had a chance of automatic promotion and were all but confirmed a playoff place at the very least. James Beattie was presented with the player of the year award prior to kick off but this was to be the highlight of his afternoon as he had to leave the field injured less than 3 minutes into the contest. He appeared to have pulled a muscle and he was replaced by Rob Hulse. Prior to this United had already had an opportunity with Speed heading wide from Tonge`s corner.
The visitors settled down into a neat brand of passing football and pressed United back with McIndoe prominent in their probes into United territory. Trundle fell down theatrically after an innocuous challenge from Kilgallon that did not even merit an appeal from the City players before McCombe fired over after a corner had been half cleared. When United attacked they were moving the ball to the right hand side to Cotterill, utilising the wingers pace and direct running. He was able to provide two crosses that led to half chances for Hulse and Tonge, with the latter being blocked by Basso.
City were attacking at every opportunity though and the front two`s strength saw Kilgallon and Ehiogu on the back foot. When Adebola shifted through the gears, Ehiogu was left behind and could only bring the burly forward down. The contact may have been minimal but there was little doubting the award as the lack of protest from the United players showed. McINDOE hit the ball fairly straight but it beat Kenny easily who had dived to his right in anticipation of where the strike may go.
Ehiogu had injured himself either just before or as he conceded the penalty and was replaced by Martin as Quinn came inside to accommodate Martin wide left and Speed switched to the unfamiliar position of centre back. However, this did not stop him from going forward for a corner won by Cotterill that saw Tonge swing the ball over towards the head of SPEED who powered home despite the attempts of a defender to clear on the line.
United were buoyed by this and Quinn almost repeated his effort from last week but his volley this time went over the bar. City were still playing some nice football and Adebola continued to run at the United defenders. Indeed, for the last 10 minutes of the half the visitors were asking genuine questions to the United backline. Carle was at the architect of many of the City moves and he had two efforts blocked just before half time.
Martin had only been back in a United shirt for 20 minutes after a long period out injured but he could not continue and was replaced by Geary. Speed moved back into the centre of midfield and Halls switched to centre back. United had the first chance of the second half as Cotterill managed to get away from his man and his low shot was spilled by Basso but Hulse fired badly over when he might have scored. The same man had a better effort only minutes later after Quinn has supplied him with a great diagonal ball but the ball still went over the cross bar. The game was swinging from end to end and Trundle had a shot that went over after he had battled to get away from Halls.
United suddenly had a golden opportunity to take the lead on 55 minutes as Cotterill`s cross struck McIndoe. The assistant referee ruled it was a handball and raised his flag before putting it across his chest to signal the penalty award. With Beattie off the field, SPEED confidently picked up the ball and fired his kick to Basso`s right but beyond the keeper into the net.
City responded winning an instant corner and it was not long after they thought they were level as McIndoe flicked in Trundle`s cross but was adjudged to have been offside. The visitors now were throwing men forward and Elliott`s header was cleared away by Naysmith. Tonge and Adebola went down injured after a clash of heads and the former returned with his head bandaged. City introduced Enoch Showunmi for Marvin Elliott further adding to an already imposing and physical frontline. Indecision by Kenny saw a scramble in the box ensue but Halls and then Geary threw their bodies in the way before the ball was cleared. Carle was involved in most good things City did and his pass led to a chance for Trundle but his shot went wide.
The game entered the final four minutes of stoppage time and United were now hanging on as City forced 2 more corners but despite possessing numerous 6 footers, the best they could do was a Carey effort that went tamely wide. Indeed, it was United who went the closest to scoring through a superb lung busting break from Sharp that saw him run from his own half right into the box. He unselfishly squared the ball to Cotterill who looked certain to score but Basso saved the ball with his legs before stopping the same man on the rebound. It mattered little as it was not long after this that referee Halsey blew his whistle for full time.
As results filtered in from the KC Stadium and Vicarage Road, it emerged United were very much still in there fighting and that the last game of the season would definitely now have significance at the top and bottom of the Championship. United`s players returned for a lap of honour wearing the new home kit that they will don next season as most United fans said their farewell to the team for another season, unless 3 of Watford, Palace, Ipswich and Wolves can slip up next week.
Player Ratings
Kenny 6/10
Really frustrating game from him and the poorest he has been for some time (played really well in recent months) just not looking with it. He simply did not command his box enough and did not come for a lot of through balls and crosses that he should have done. He made a couple of standard saves but even these came after his initial indecision to go for a cross or ball across. His kicking was as usual, utterly woeful.
Halls 7.5/10
Began the game at right back and then switched to centre back for the second half. His performance may not have been pretty but he was effective and did an alright job. He did let Trundle turn him/roll him a few times early in the second half that led to opportunities but he got stronger as the game went on and headed or cleared the ball whenever it was needed.
Naysmith 8/10
Played very well. His overall performances since Blackwell came in, like United`s, have improved immeasurably and he has really put in some excellent defensive displays. Some of his tackles and the way he was able to clear the ball well away from danger from deep positions in the corner of the field was most impressive.
Kilgallon 7.5/10
Faced with much harder opponents than last week, he was involved in a real battle with Adebola and also Trundle who have good upper body strength and are both willing runners. He struggled at times but kept going and like Halls restricted the front two more and more as the game went on.
Ehiogu 5/10
Had been very impressive in his last appearances standing in for Chris Morgan but today he looked shaky from the off and never quite got to grips with Adebola. He was beaten badly for pace before his offence that led to a penalty and then of course went off injured. I think this is the second time he has done this since he came to the club (not lasted the first half) and is the reason why he was a poor signing as his fitness/injury record over the last 18 months or so is very poor.
Speed 8/10
He today played like the classy veteran I expected when we signed him. Scored two good goals, a trademark header and a cool penalty, played at the back and in midfield and marshalled the team as skipper leading them to the victory. He was a real talisman today
Tonge 7/10
Tonge did not get on the ball enough today and his passing was inconsistent but he did keep going right to the end and at least dug in and kept chasing the neat and tidy Bristol midfielders. I felt the midfield as a whole conceded too much ground and too much ball to City. When Speed went back, neither him nor Quinn seemed to know who was the ‘sitter` in terms of midfield roles. It was a brave defensive header that saw him cut his head and return ‘Terry Butcher` style with his head bandaged that typified United`s battling qualities today.
Cotterill 7.5/10
Played very well once again save for his unnecessary bust up with his marker, McAllister, who was clearly trying to get him sent off but Cotterill should have just hurt him where had most of the game, in the actual football aspect, as he had routinely beat him for pace and skill. Should have scored at the end when given a golden chance with just the keeper to beat. We have to make every opportunity to sign him permanently.
Quinn 7/10
Thought he did ok today and worked hard, trying to get on the ball when he could and he also did a lot of good covering defensively. When he was switched to centre midfield he struggled to get on the ball and he was put back out to the left hand side. He put a great cross field ball into Hulse`s path in the second half and overall kept it simple when he did have the ball.
Sharp 7/10
He wasn`t in the game for long periods even if his willingness to chase and harry defenders was always there. I felt the big Bristol defenders were too strong for him and with his striker partner not assisting him nor seeing much ball from the midfield he was always living off scraps. The effort he showed at the end to burst away with the ball and run 50 yards before squaring to Cotterill who should have scored, endeared him to the fans and rightly so.
Beattie
Picked up his player of the year award and then only minutes into the game he in injured and goes off. He seemed to have pulled something and knew straight away he could not continue. Will that be the last we see of him as a United player? Of course he will be out next week and then what the summer brings in terms of bids we will have to wait and see. I hope we can keep him as we saw the difference last week compared to his week in terms of our main striker and target to hit and build from.
Hulse 5.5/10
Really struggled to make any kind of impact. He simply does not look the same player as last season, and save the game against Norwich, he has been ineffective since he returned to the team at Christmas time. He hardly won a header, did not hold the ball up and missed an absolute sitter. Referee Halsey did not help him and McCombe seemed to foul him quite a few times but the old Hulse would have not let that worry him and would have battered McCombe on the next high ball and at least certainly let him know he was about. He actually let the defender bully him. Worryingly, I actually watched him a few times and he seemed to pull out of challenges which suggest psychologically that he is still fearful of contact. He needs to start throwing himself into challenges and being the physical buffering target man he was last year that brought others into play and looked a goal threat. If he does not do these things United will let him move on, regardless of what happens with Beattie, as he is not at the races at the moment.
Geary 6.5/10
Did alright when he came on faced with a difficult opponent in McIndoe but stuck to his task even when he was faced with two players coming at him as United became stretched. He made one or two good tackles and blocks but did appear to be limping at the end of the game and he may be a doubt for next week too. Indeed, he does not seem to have been fully fit for the last 2 or 3 months coming in and out of the team with regularity.
Crowd
Bristol City
Thought they looked a much better side than Hull but of course this was only one game, as was last weeks. However, they can feel hard done by to lose the game today as they had large periods of possession and numerous opportunities to score more than the one goal they got. They played some neat and today football I felt United really struggled to win the 50/50`s in midfield and that Elliott and Carle won most of the loose balls and saw most of the football in the central area. The strikers, Trundle and Adebola are big, strong and powerful and held the ball up very well which saw the ball spend long spells in the United half. Adebola would have played a lot of his football at the top level (rather than second tier) if his ability on the ball and finishing matched his pace, power and nuisance value but he if often wasteful in front of goal. Trundle showed some nice touches but is never going to play much higher than this level due to his poor workrate off the ball. Carle in midfield was excellent and was their best player. The Australian looked a real threat with the ball and most things went threw him. He was only small, 5`8“ ish but he really did play well today and at 27 he is the right age and I would suggest him as a player on the possibles to look at in the summer.
At the back Carey and McCombe were big powerful centre backs that bullied our forward for too long which was a shame as on the floor, they would have been struggling but we did not get Sharp and Hulse the ball in the right area and the pair of them also did not get in front of the defenders enough to win the initial ball to shield or hold it up. Basso is a decent shot stopper but does not like to come for crosses, a tactic Blackwell knew about judging by the amount of corners and crosses the likes of Tonge tried to out right under the bar. Unfortunately, he put way much air on them instead of drilling them so Basso was able to catch them easily. I felt the two full backs Orr and McCallister were poor and Cotterill in particular caused real problems by getting at McCallister and often going past him. His only real tactic seemed to be mouthing off at Cotterill and trying to get him sent off. He helped get him booked after provoking a reaction following a bad foul and then continued to keep jawing at him.
United
This was nowhere near the standards set in the second half last week and in some other impressive performances but it was a different kind of win and showed other qualities we no possess. United were certainly not poor but it was not as convincing as some of the other wins. However, it should not be forgotten that Bristol City have been in the top 6 most of the season and are there on merit. United were faced with some difficult challenges, such as losing Beattie, then losing Ehiogu and then going behind. Martin then got injured and United had to reshuffle the team on numerous occasions playing people out of position and plugging gaps.
To their credit, United may not have hit the same heights in the level of football and passing they offered today and also may not have won as many of the individual battles today as in recent weeks but they did keep battling and got bodies in the way and made blocks to prevent City getting level. I think United will win next Sunday but that Palace and Wolves will win with Ipswich and Watford maybe drawing. This is of course not enough for us. It would take a lot of results to go our way for us to still make it but at least we have a chance. It did not seem possible only a few months ago when I trudged out of Bramall Lane after a dire performance against Charlton and we looked in real relegation trouble. After that game Addicks manager Alan Pardew said United may not lose another game all season which I thought was nonsense. Well, he was nearly right with only one defeat to Preston in the last 11 games, with 8 victories and 2 draws.
Crowd
Another excellent crowd and another really good atmosphere. Bramall Lane has been really buzzing over recent weeks and today was no different. Bristol City filled the entire lower tier (had to laugh at the portly guy who fell over the hoardings when he thought City had equalised and then was promptly arrested and was taken away for encroaching out towards the playing area!!!) and the rest of the ground was pretty full too. The difference in the United team over the last few months has of course been mirrored by the fans. If the team had gone behind like they did today a few months ago, then the crowd may have got on their backs or criticised but now the fans just rally around the team and get behind them. This of course in turn really helps. The last 5 minutes was a sign of how the fans are much more positive as they are seeing a much more positive product on the pitch, as they really willed United to hold onto for the 3 points in the face of quite strong pressure. If we somehow did get in the playoffs, it will be interesting to see if we could somehow build a good first leg lead on the back of a 30,000+ intimidating atmosphere for whoever a possible opponent may be. If they do not get into the top 6, then of course the fans need to maintain the numbers and noise next year and make the Lane a fortress.