Report and Hecky’s reaction to 3-0 defeat

United were beaten by Mansfield on Tuesday night after conceding 3 goals in back-to-back pre-season games.

Both sets of players had to suffer in the extreme weather conditions on Tuesday night. United were the better team in the first half but couldn’t finish any of their chances that they carved out in the evening’s extreme humidity.

The deadlock was broken in the 65th minute as Hiram Boateng tapped home from five yards out, as he latched onto a driven cross from James Gale.

Mansfield doubled their advantage with Rhys Oates in the 72nd minute. Gale grabbed his second assist of the evening as he set the ball back to the striker whose effort proved too much for Sheffield United’s goalkeeper, thumping the ball into the back of the net in the Quarry Lane end.

Boateng secured Mansfield’s third goal with a tremendous curling effort. The powerhouse midfielder whipped a superb strike into the top left corner from the edge of the box to extend the Stags’ lead to three goals, in which United had no reply to as they suffered a 3-0 defeat behind-closed-doors.

Paul Heckingbottom spoke about another United defeat after the game:

“The goals were terrible but it’s another reminder. Whilst we haven’t been stressing performances too much, you can’t turn a blind eye to the goals we’ve conceded when you consider who’ll start against Watford. It’s about defending better, it’s poor defending. A bit of laziness and everything we pride ourselves on last year, the goals were the opposite of that.” [Via BBC Radio Sheffield]

The Blades have two more friendlies to sort out sloppy errors at the back, before the season kicks off, with a game on Friday night vs Burton Albion, and the following day against Barnsley.

STAGS XI: Pym, Gordon (Maris 59’), O’Toole (Harbottle 59’), Hawkins © (Gale 30’ (Johnson 83’), Harbottle (Cooper 30’), (Hawkins 59’), Bowery, Boateng (Lapslie 30’), Maris (Law 30’), Quinn (Clarke 30’ (Boateng 76’), Akins (Quinn 59’) Oates (Johnson 30’).

BlADES XI: Foderingham, Baldock, Ahmedhodžić, Gordon (Egan 76′), Clark (Robinson 76’), Stevens (Norrington-Davies 46’), Norwood (Arblaster 76’), Berge (Fleck 76’), Osborn (Coulibaly 76’), Ndiaye, Brewster (Jebbison 76’).

UNUSED SUBS: Amissah, Osula, Gomis.