Sheffield United 2-1 Hull

Match Report

I did not go to this one and I am glad. What started as a promising game by taking an early lead with us dominating, ended in a catastrophe. The tides turned late into the second half when Lundstram was shown a second yellow card, with the ball ending up in our net moments later. Yes, the referee was poor. However, we should have been well clear in the first half. The chances missed and failing to capitalise on a weak Sheffield United side came to bite us, and it turned into a scrappy game, with the Blades viciously slashing their swords to find a way back. They eventually pulled through, and it became a dull day in South Yorkshire.

Sergej made two changes to the starting eleven he fielded against Coventry last Monday. Collyer (who has a slight injury problem) and Gelhardt (on the bench) out, Lundstram and Belloumi in. That meant, in a 4-2-3-1 formation, we lined up as follows: Pandur; Coyle, Egan, Ajayi and Drameh as the back four; Amir and Lundstram as defensive midfielders; Millar, Crooks and Belloumi as the attacking trio; with former Blades star McBurnie leading the line.

We took the lead early in the 5th-minute, something that seldom happens at Bramell Lane. The move started when Millar intercepted a loose pass from a Blades defender. He turned and, spotting McBurnie on the run, slotted it through to him. His shot was fired into the back of the net to send the sold-out away section into pandemonium. We had all the momentum behind us after this, controlling the game well.

The home side were careless and gave the ball to us, as they struggled to settle into the game. However, we failed to capitalise on their mistakes and were not clinical enough in-front of goal. Eventually the home side found their centre-ground and towards the end of the half started to test us. Luckily for them they were only a goal down, and this gave them more encouragement. They ended the half with 71% of the possession, but like us, they could not find the back of the net.

They continued this momentum and energy into the second half, although it was more equal at the beginning than it was at the end. We had short spells of control, and caused a threat, but had nothing to show for our hard work. We did well to keep the home crowd silent, who were becoming frustrated with their team struggling to break down our strong defence.

Our mentality and game plan changed as the minutes ticked, as we started to focus on grinding out the win by sitting back and parking the bus. We had no intentions on scoring another. This has worked in previous games, but in the 75th-minute, the plan was hindered when one of our players was sent off. It was a controversial decision. The referee got in the way of Lundtsram’s attempt to claim the ball, which went to a Blades player instead. The former Blades man made a genuine attempt to lunge for the ball, but the referee claimed he was going for the man. He was shown a second yellow card, and headed towards the tunnels. It was squeaky bum time. Could we cling on with ten men?

We couldn’t. In the 85th-minute the Blades were awarded with a soft penalty after the referee spotted a foul in the midst of a bustle-up in the box. It was not clear who he penalised, but they had the chance to draw level. Hamer was the man responsible, slotting the ball into the bottom right corner, sending Pandur the wrong way. It was a strong penalty, but it should not have been given. To add insult to injury, they sealed the three points three minutes later when Ings found the back of the net, assisted by a Tanganga cross.

We were in a vulnerable position, and it was a long way back, even to earn a point. Despite efforts to claw ourselves back, we lost three vital points. This defeat meant that we slipped into sixth as Southampton beat Derby, and if Wrexham win tomorrow, they could go one point behind us. Many fans are starting to scratch their heads. Have we got the ability to stay in the top six? The chances are becoming more unlikely each week.