Ilderton Wanderer
Well-known member
A game of two halves if ever there was one, unfortunately for us our tepid first half performance done the damage and we couldn’t claw it back. Sheffield United clearly had a game plan to get at us from the first minute and we couldn’t live with their lively forward line. A clear push on Cooper went unpunished and their striker got in front of an unusually sluggish Wallace and finished neatly.
We really needed to stay in the game and make it to HT but 15 minutes or so later a sloppy mistake from Cresswell was punished and despite Danny Macs best efforts their impressive midfielder Berge managed to find the net from a tight angle. We had enough of the ball but couldn’t find a way past their compact midfield and defence, only Saville and the hard working Bennett were at the races. Just before half-time it looked all over when Cooper tripped Brewster and the referee eagerly pointed to the spot, only for Bart to pull off a great one handed save from the penalty.
The second half started with the same team but they started to play with more purpose, again Saville and Bennett being the main instigators, we forced a good few corners but Sheffield United defended well to their credit, keeping a close eye on Cooper in particular. Despite the late introduction of Oloafe and the lively Burey we just couldn’t get that elusive goal.
Plus points were Saville who had a good game and Bennett who never stopped running while it was good to see McNamara back in action, Rowett said after the game that there has been some progress in his contract negotiations so hopefully he can put the uncertainty behind him and get back to his best. Burey showed flashes of talent while Bart at least gave us a fighting chance with his penalty save.
Too many players were off the pace today, especially in the first half. The two Leeds lads struggled and it seemed to be a steep learning curve for Cresswell in particular but he will be a better player for it. Malone was ineffective while Cooper and Murray Wallace couldn’t get to grips with their lively pacey attack. Mitchell was in and out of the game and sometimes needs to see a pass quicker instead of turning full circle and passing backwards. Afobe was anonymous.
All in all a terrible first 45 minutes and a harsh lesson that we need to sharpen up and be on our game from the first minute. We should be expecting a whole lot better next week against Coventry.
We really needed to stay in the game and make it to HT but 15 minutes or so later a sloppy mistake from Cresswell was punished and despite Danny Macs best efforts their impressive midfielder Berge managed to find the net from a tight angle. We had enough of the ball but couldn’t find a way past their compact midfield and defence, only Saville and the hard working Bennett were at the races. Just before half-time it looked all over when Cooper tripped Brewster and the referee eagerly pointed to the spot, only for Bart to pull off a great one handed save from the penalty.
The second half started with the same team but they started to play with more purpose, again Saville and Bennett being the main instigators, we forced a good few corners but Sheffield United defended well to their credit, keeping a close eye on Cooper in particular. Despite the late introduction of Oloafe and the lively Burey we just couldn’t get that elusive goal.
Plus points were Saville who had a good game and Bennett who never stopped running while it was good to see McNamara back in action, Rowett said after the game that there has been some progress in his contract negotiations so hopefully he can put the uncertainty behind him and get back to his best. Burey showed flashes of talent while Bart at least gave us a fighting chance with his penalty save.
Too many players were off the pace today, especially in the first half. The two Leeds lads struggled and it seemed to be a steep learning curve for Cresswell in particular but he will be a better player for it. Malone was ineffective while Cooper and Murray Wallace couldn’t get to grips with their lively pacey attack. Mitchell was in and out of the game and sometimes needs to see a pass quicker instead of turning full circle and passing backwards. Afobe was anonymous.
All in all a terrible first 45 minutes and a harsh lesson that we need to sharpen up and be on our game from the first minute. We should be expecting a whole lot better next week against Coventry.