Sheffield United continued their consistent home form as they beat fellow playoff challengers Blackpool 3-0 at Bramall Lane. In a game that was far removed from Saturday's drab stalemate against QPR; the game tonight was an entertaining contest with good football played by both sides with chances aplenty. United got off to a flying start with a goal inside 30 seconds from Richard Cresswell and were able to build on this thanks to a rare strike from Nick Montgomery. Despite Blackpool's best attempts to get back into the game, United were able to seal the victory with another opportunistic strike from Cresswell and then saw out the game comfortably in the closing stages.
The Blades gave a debut to new loan signing Paul Connolly at right back with Nyron Nosworthy returning to centre back alongside Marcel Seip. Darius Henderson came back in alongside Henri Camara with Cresswell moving wide left and Stephen Quinn playing in a more central midfield role alongside Captain Nick Montgomery. Blackpool started with plenty of attacking threats in the likes of Brett Ormerod, Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell and arrived at Bramall Lane with themselves right on the fringes of the playoff race.
The game began in explosive fashion as United won a corner straight from the kick off as they kicked towards the Kop in the first half. From Yeates in swinger, the ball was not cleared by keeper Gilks and the ball dropped at the far post. CRESSWELL managed to convert at the second attempt from close range to give the Blades the lead after only 42 seconds! United were soon back on the attack and it had been an excellent start for the home side. They forced another corner and Camara nearly pounced from the set play but Blackpool ushered the ball away.
Montgomery was influential in everything; winning loose balls and converting possession into attacks with Cresswell also causing real problems for the Blackpool defence with his aerial ability. Camara was then nearly in on goal as Gilks hesitated but Quinn's right foot effort was blocked by a defender. Southern had an effort that went wide of the goal just before he was booked for bringing down Montgomery. Blackpool were still very much in the game with some clever interchange and neat football evidencing why they are so high in the league. Baptiste nodded wide from a corner and then Adam nearly found Euell in the clear but the Blades were playing the game at a high tempo and looked very dangerous in the final third.
Butler came on for Eardley who had to hobble off after an innocuous challenge but just before half time United scored the vital second goal with Quinn keeping the ball moving forward to Camara who cut inside before laying the ball back into the path of the waiting MONTGOMERY. The midfielder hit the ball first time with pace and precision right into the corner of the net with Gilks motionless. The midfielder celebrated by flinging himself to the floor in front of the Kop with his jubilant teammates soon joining him to salute the rare strike.
A rare mistake by Cresswell when he tried to find Bunn with a back header saw Campbell in with the keeper in no man's land. However, the striker could only knock the ball across the goal from a narrow angle and the Blades could breathe a sigh of relief as they were able to maintain their two goal deficit at the interval.
The second half saw Cresswell nearly convert from another Yeates corner and Quinn then combined well with Montgomery but Henderson could not get on the end of the through ball. Blackpool brought on Burgess for Southern and the visitors had their best chance to get back into the game when a ball over the top saw Euell lift the ball over Bunn and seemingly goal bound but Connolly managed to dash back and clear from right under his own goal.
It was a vital moment as not long after the game was effectively sealed. Quinn made an excellent blocked challenge and this led to Henderson cutting in and drilling a low ball across the goal which was converted from close range once again by CRESSWELL. Camara had an opportunity but his shot was straight at Gilks after a lovely turn and burst towards goal. Nosworthy then saw off Campbell with a firm block before Cresswell was given a welcome breather as Harper came on. A nice move saw Yeates and Henderson combine but the former's curled effort was off target.
The same man should have got a cross into the box when Camara and Henderson were well placed as United broke with Blackpool now out of the game completely. Connolly was given a warm round of applause when he was replaced by Bartley and then Seip was booked for bringing down Ormerod late on. The free kick came to nothing as did a Quinn effort after Camara had similarly been chopped down in full flight. An additional three minutes of time was played but United saw out the game with the minimum of fuss to seal a deserved and vital three points.
United - It was much better than Saturday that is for sure. We were not scintillating nor did we cut Blackpool to shreds but we were better organised, more committed and played better football. We also were much more dangerous in the final third than the opposition. It was nice to see us attack a team and actually try and get the ball wide, create chances and look like scoring. We probably played a far more open game tonight and whilst it meant the opposition having chances too; it did make for a more entertaining game and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Blackpool are a far superior side to QPR and showed they could knock the ball about and did have chances and it probably flattered United to win by three but United did deserve to win.
We started the game right on the front foot which was again different to Saturday where we began lethargically. Getting in front helped the team and crowd to relax and we were able to then start to get the ball down and actually play patches of decent football. At times we had poor spells and the defence occasionally looked like strangers but for large stretches of the game the defence was fairly solid. There were a few moments of hesitancy not helped by Bunn at times and one or two individual mistakes but Blackpool barely tested Bunn all night despite a few hairy moments. Seip and Nosworthy did alright, Stewart whilst still mistake ridden was better than Saturday and I felt Connolly had a good debut. In midfield Cresswell played intelligently and took his two goals well; Yeates flitted in and out but Monty and Quinn were the difference. They completely controlled midfield and won nearly every loose ball/tackle and surprisingly they were excellent in possession of the ball for the most part. I actually felt Henderson and Camara were poor for the most part but luckily those two in midfield more than made up for them and were the key to winning the game.
It was an improved performance and more like the Bristol and Plymouth games from an attacking point of view but we now need to get some results away from home if we are to have any chance of the playoffs. We have two tough games at Doncaster and Cardiff where I cannot see us getting anything. I hope the team prove me wrong as 3-4 points from these 2 and we would be in good shape with winnable home games coming up after these against Scunthorpe and Barnsley.
Blackpool - They were an odd side to watch as I felt they looked utterly awful at the back for most of the game with a hesitant keeper, Gilks, who stayed rooted on his line or was unable to claim crosses; two centre backs that looked clumsy and error ridden and two slow full backs. I felt they looked like they could concede every time we attacked and in the first 10 minutes alone we could have had 3 goals.
However, going forward they showed some lovely passages of play with spells of 5 or 6 passes right across the park. They did not resort to lumping it and always looked for an orange shirt. They showed they are a good footballing side. At times when they got in the last third they actually overplayed if anything and did look a bit punch less. In general play there was not too much between the sides but we looked a lot more dangerous and showed more of a goal theat. whilst they had some chances and some really good moments they actually did not test Bunn that much. Adam (a player we should have signed I feel) and Vaughan who was maybe their best player showed they were very good on the ball but as the game went on their influence decreased as Monty and Quinn controlled matters.
Holloway has done exceptionally well though as he has a team on limited resources punching well above their weight and to be where they are is some achievement as most of their players are a mixture of veterans or players other clubs did not want. What impressed me is they did always try and play football and kept to their principles. If they had been able to defend properly then they would have given themselves a chance but it does not surprise me to see they scored 2 at West Brom on Saturday but similarly does not surprise me they conceded 3 too!
Bunn 6/10 - May seem odd giving him a 6 when he had little to do but he was very slow out tonight and his hesitancy nearly led to a couple of goals. I felt his communication with his defence was poor throughout. The one where it was lobbed over him in the second half he should have been out and cleared and several times he stayed and then came and often left it too late to make a decision. In general play his handling was fine and he actually did not have too many saves to make. I hear he is going back to Blackburn tomorrow so we have to bring another replacement in now or do we go with Bennett until Kenny returns in a few weeks?
Connolly 7/10 - Solid first game. He did nothing really wrong and defended sensibly without much fuss. Won tackles/headers and also got forward a few times in the first half to support the attack. A promising starts and hopefully allayed the cynics who may have groaned when we signed another reserve from Derby (a team below us in the league).
Nosworthy 7/10 - Thought he was very good tonight and despite the occasional scary moment where he miscontrolled or tried to do too much, he actually attacked the ball well at all times, winning headers/clearances or making blocks (superb tackles as Blackpool player shaped to shoot in second half an example). Led the backline well and a much improved performance.
Stewart 5/10 - Still shows for the most part what a poor player he is with a number of moments of misscontrol, poor passes or wretched touches. He also at times gave his winger acres of space. However, to be fair to him he did make some decent clearances, balls and a few runs down the wing in the first half (seemed like he did not know what he was doing or where he was going!). He was better than Saturday but still a major weak link in the side due to the fact he is just a poor footballer who struggles with the basics of the game.
Seip 7/10 - Steady game. Read play well with a number of good interceptions or headers to clear danger. Does lack pace and susceptible when turned but his positional play and common sense defending makes him on the whole a fairly solid defender. Always tries to play the ball and tries to keep it on the floor too. Be interesting if we do sign him in the summer as he is one of the few who actually looks a decent player and may be worth a small fee.
Montgomery 8/10 - My man of the match. He was superb for the most part tonight. Sure he still put a few aimless balls out or had a few rushed moments but generally his passing and touch was improved and he put through some good balls/crosses. His coverage of the pitch, his tackling and commitment was first class and often he won 40/60's or 30/70's which were in a Blackpool's man's favour. He really did seem to be everywhere tonight. The goal was a superb finish and most unlike Monty with a controlled, firm finish that gave the keeper no chance. He deserved it on tonight's performance I felt he and Quinny completed bossed the midfield.
Quinn 7.5/10 - Thought he was ok in the first half and did some good things with a few average things but he got stronger and stronger as the game went on and he was excellent in the second half. Like Monty he won numerous tackles, made blocks and also won a lot of headers in general play. He seemed to also cover a lot of ground; shown when he won an original ball, then won a block tackle not long after near the corner that led to Henderson creating the third goal. A much improved performance and his best for some time.
Yeates 6/10 - I thought it was a very inconsistent game from Yeates. Once again he tried to get on the ball and showed some good touches. Made first goal from a corner but generally his crossing and set plays were poor again tonight. Showed some good flicks or touches in some of the better moves we did but also gave ball away quite a bit when he could have been more sure in his passing/touches. He also does not seem to enjoy contact and shied away from 3 or 4 tackles/challenges which were disappointing.
Cresswell 7.5/10 - Worked very hard and looked a threat all game. His two goals were very opportunistic where he showed once again he has that knack of being in the right place at the right time. United utilised his heading ability all game and in the first 15-20 minutes alone he won countless aerial balls that led to chances or possession deep in the Blackpool half. His overall hold up and link play was also very good and showed what a good footballer he is. He may not be fast nor a superb ball player but he does the basics well and keeps the ball or makes sure he goes into the right areas. Did make one bad mistake when his miss header nearly led to a goal back just before half time.
Camara 6/10 - Thought he was up and down. He was disappointing most of the first half tonight and looked off the pace particularly and seemed to be slow to react to situations. He was also constantly offside (granted some probably were not) and did not get in front his man. He did assist to Monty on the goal of course. He improved in the second half and had 3 or 4 enterprising runs where he maybe should have looked to release the ball as he did in the first half when we scored! Showed some blistering pace over a short distance and his excellent close control but needs to show more over 90 minutes rather the odd bits and pieces.
Henderson 5.5/10 - A poor game I felt. Assisted on the third goal with a good cross but overall he did not really do much right tonight. Still wanting to wrestle with defenders too much but more than that his first touch was awful most of the game and the ball did not really stick to him or did he bring others into play. He also seemed to be behind his man too much (like Camara) and needed to impose himself fairly on the defenders which he did not really do. He managed to have the ball from the floor to his chin/head after numerous clumsy first touches and although he did get slightly better towards the game he needs to utilise his strengths more.
Subs -
Harper - Replaced Cresswell but did not get in the game too much preferring to point and wave rather than get stuck in but by this stage the points were in the bag.
Bartley - Came on for the closing stages for Connolly and went to centre back with Nosworthy going to right back.
Referee - Like Saturday an easy game to referee with few really bad challenges or nastiness. I actually felt he did not give us much at all early on and seemed to favour Blackpool with a lot of 50/50's going their way but after Monty was chopped down and he booked one of their players, he then bizarrely started giving a lot more decisions to us. Overall, he got the two bookings right for both team with Southern for his tackle on Montgomery and Seip for a clumsy one right near the end of the game.
The linesman on the South Stand was annoying to say the least. Sure he got some offside's right but seemed to want to be in the game at all times and must have adjudged us offside at least 7 or 8 times in the first 20-25 minutes alone!