In a game that featured chances at both end, United may have been the slightly happier side in the end due to the number of territory they conceded. However for all the play of the visitors, United had opportunities of their own and at the death Ryan Flynn nearly snatched it. The game will probably be most remembered for an incredible incident in which referee Eddie Ilderton somehow gave a red card and a penalty for a completely fair challenge from Kieron Freeman. After outrage from the fans and the players on the field; Ilderton went to speak to his assistant and after what seemed like an eternity correctly overturned his blunder sending Freeman back and re-starting the game on a drop ball. It was just one of a number of baffling decisions in a game that probably deserved more than the goalless stalemate it ultimately ended up as.
The Blades made changes; many enforced as Jose Baxter and Stefan Scougall were deemed not fit to start and were still without the suspended Harry Maguire and injured Matt Hill and Bob Harris. In came Billy Paynter and Ryan Flynn with John Brayford continuing at centre back with the reshuffled defence continuing. Brentford brought back Diagouraga after his loan spell at Portsmouth.
The high flying visitors were first out of the blocks and were sharper all over the field to begin things as they attacked the Kop. Howard’s poor slice saw Donaldson in but his shot was saved before Trotta ought to have scored but his shot was cleared by Freeman. After this Donaldson headed over when well placed and then shot wide. It was all Brentford as United’s crowd implored the Blades to get into the game.
Finally Murphy was to provide some respite with a few surging runs and a half hearted appeal for a penalty but it was only a momentary let up as Brentford were back on the attack. After Forshaw’s corner, Diagoruaga then shot wide after a poor punch out from Howard. Trotta was then nearly in but Doyle got a vital toe in.
Despite conceding much of play United had maybe the outstanding chance when Coady broke and beat the offside trap and as he advanced chose to cross from the able rather than shoot. It seemed Murphy would convert but Tarkowski made a superb tackle to deny him the goal.
On the half hour the game suddenly came to life after an incredible incident. After Freeman lost possession, the ball was played through and as Trotta advanced Freeman recovered and made a tremendous diving tackle that saw him get the ball. Unbelievably referee Ilderton saw something noone else in the ground did and pointed to the spot and then to compound his appalling decision sent off Freeman! The United players were incensed. As Freeman slumped off, Ilderton went over to the assistant referee on the insistence of the United players. He was in consultation for some time before incredibly he overruled his own decision and brought Freeman back. Noone quite knew what was happening but his signal of a drop ball confirmed he at least had rectified his mistake and Judge angrily kicked the ball out for a United goal kick! After United’s officials had gone berserk for the original decision, it was now time for Warburton and Weir to be incensed for the overturned decision. It was understandable in some ways as it rare you ever see a decision and red card overturned like that but also even they would concede it was the right decision.
After this Paynter received treatment and United at least now were now getting more in the faces of the Bees as the crowd also came to life. However there were no more chances as the additional 5 minutes (due to the referee’s own incompetence) were played with little happening other than a Brentford corner.
After the break the game the opening was relatively cagey with a good passage of play from Brentford matched by more good play from Murphy who was causing a whole manner of problems down the left. Freeman made a good block before Porter was introduced for the disappointing Paynter as Untied tried to hold the ball up in the forward areas. Porter had a looping header tipped over and Flynn curled over as the contest was now relatively open. As both team committed men forward it seemed a goal may come. Douglas had a powerful effort well held and then Coady had a shot blocked at the other end. Brentford were looking dangerous with some quick and fluid attacks but United also were creating openings.
Another shot from Trotta was well held by Howard before at the other end, Collins header over.
Baxter came on for McGinn as Coady dropped back before Flynn thought he had won it as he cut in and curled inches past the far post as the Kop held their breath waiting for the net to billow. The action continued unabated and Dallas shot wide before Trotta danced through before his shot was once again well held by Howard. Kennedy replaced Flynn as the game entered four additional minutes of stoppage time but there were no more chances as an entertaining game ended without the goals it probably deserved.
United – On reflection it is a really good point but of course matters little in the scheme of things. The playoffs are now all but gone after the recent results only garnering 5 points from 15 after the great run. However Brentford, like Wolves showed why they were at the top and caused us quite a few problems. They easily could have scored a few early on and had a number of decent chances and efforts throughout the game. They missed a couple of clear chances and Howard made some good, albeit expected saves. I felt we stood off them in the first half and were too slow to press and that saw them come onto us. After the penalty incident it sort of buoyed us and we got stuck in but we were not secure with the football and we did not keep it enough. We were a shade fortunate to go in goalless at the break even though Murphy nearly scored after a break from Coady.
After the break we were better on the ball and also a bit more organised in defending. They had one clear header near the end and a few close shaves with shots from outside the box but can’t recall either keeper making any brilliant saves. If anything we went the closest of all with Flynn’s curling shot at the death going just past the post (somehow a corner was given which was another bizarre decision). The spirit, organisation (after a shaky start where we were all over the place) and general effort was good. I felt a few weak links stood out sadly (McGinn and Paynter who both looked slow and lightweight) and we continued to look punchless up top. Coady and Doyle stuck at it against good and quick footed opponents. Flynn was not really a threat but did defensive stuff well. I felt defence got stronger as the game went on and Brayford had an excellent second half. Murphy was once again our stand out man and even when they doubled up on him he still caused big problems.
Overall you saw the things Clough has brought in terms of organisation, togetherness and improved fitness and resilience. You saw some smatterings of football but also some poor stuff. We still to me lack strikers in terms of goal getter or hold up players. The current players in the squad have been deemed not good enough (Miller, Taylor) or those that have played have not really done it for me. It is an area we have to improve and need at least 2 strikers with pace and power to at least worry defenders. It was too easy tonight meaning all the graft behind is often wasted as it keeps coming back. Maybe some of it is the formation (that has after all worked for us) but I think long term if we want to go for promotion we have to score more goals than we have done before. At the moment we are one of the lowest scoring sides in the third tier of English football.
I think Maguire, Scougall and Baxter may come in Saturday and he may give Murphy and Coady a rest. It is important he rests people in the lead up to the semi but keeps players match sharp too. I do expect we will play a lot of youngsters against Rotherham next week which I have no issue with.
Brentford – They are a good side with power, pace and athleticism all over the field. I recall last season that I noticed how big they were but also had pace right from the defence up to the top and it was same tonight. The two front lads Donaldson and Trotta are a threat. They are quick but they are also strong and run at defenders getting them turned the other way. Donaldson is a real handful and for me is still maybe the stand out striker in this division due to his pace and power. He is really direct but comes back to hold the ball up too. He was everything Paynter was not.
In midfield they have size and also pace and play through you rather than sideways. They play one or two forward passes and with speed and are suddenly in where as United often went sideways or were too slow to move it on. Like Wolves they play in straight lines and are a little unorthodox in how they have midfielders behind each other rather than in a line across the park. Amazed the lad Diagouraga has been on loan at Portsmouth as he always impressed me but must have lost his way but they have some really talent even on the bench (lad Saville). They get men in and behind strikers and attack at pace and with numbers on the break. For all this and they had numerous decent efforts they did not really cut us apart when they got into the last third and in the second half other than one clear header many of their chances were more long range. Their best attacking spell was maybe the first 10 minutes when they easily could have had 2 or 3 goals from several close calls. After this the game settled down and there were chances at either end but cannot recall many wonder saves or real sitters.
At the back the two centre backs were relatively untroubled for much of the game but when Porter came on they at least had something to think about. I felt the lad at right back McCormack was really poor and Murphy gave him a bit of a roasting. He was lucky to stay on as he was continually fouling him and looked pretty clueless how to stop him.
They along with Wolves are the best side I have seen to come down here and we did well to stop them scoring and have some play going the other way. They are kind of a bench mark for where we need to be but daft as it sound if we had 1 or 2 strikers like those they would not be a lot between them. We need more pace and power all over the team though as we look sluggish and are too slow and predictable compared to some of their rapid breaks.
They left 3 or 4 up on corners (not sure Weir would have agreed with this tactic) and attacked often rather than just thinking defence which was refreshing.
They were a little indecisive in the last third and I can kind of see why they have struggled to beat some of the poorer teams such as Oldham and Carlisle in recent weeks. Equally you can see why at home they have blown some teams away due to power and pace.
Interesting to watch David Weir show more emotion than he ever showed at the Lane. He came out after the penalty incident and even moved away from the dug out once. Hardly animated but more so than the motionless and insipid figure we saw at the Lane. He barely got much reaction but when he did become involved was given a bit of jeering due to the fact he actually showed some passion.
Howard 7/10 Thought he was shaky in the first half with some horrible sliced clearances and could have easily cost us a goal but then he got better as the game went on and some of the saves he made second half may have been straight forward but the fact they all stuck in his hands was impressive as many were hit with some force.
Davies 6.5/10 Still not sure about him as a full back. He lacks pace and mobility but does generally keep to good positions and defends with common sense. His free kicks/corners were a mixed bag. Some decent but many were overplayed and either sailed over people or out. Picked up a booking for a cynical hold but probably clever as they were breaking.
Brayford 7.5/10 Thought he started indecisively and a few errant touches nearly saw Trotta in (first few minutes when they had a chance) but he got much better as the game went on and started to come onto the ball and impose himself on the strikers. He came out of the defence really well and had several surging runs. Looks a class act and stood out as one of our better players and one of few who could match some of their for speed of thought, power and strength.
Freeman 6.5/10 It was a weird game from him. He struggled a few times early as they carved us apart on more than one occasion and was slow to react to things. He then got into the game more and made some good tackles such as the one when he was penalised for a supposed penalty (his fault in first place they got free to be fair). Of course this was rightly overturned but then after this he had a real bad spell just before and after half time where he dithered on the ball and looked a bit dumbstruck by what had happened. To his credit he stuck at it and made some decent blocks towards the end as we defended resolutely.
Collins 6.5/10 Thought we saw a lot his strengths and weaknesses in the same game tonight. He won some headers, made some clearances and at times came out of defence well but then he also got outmuscled quite a bit but more than that got turned by two mobile and quick strikers that left him struggling. He was often nowhere near tight enough on his man as he could receive it and turn and go which led to us being on the back foot.
Coady 6.5/10 Some good bits and pieces. When he got on the ball he moved it and did ok on but often he was having to play more of a chasing and harrying game as we did not see enough of the ball, particularly in the first half. He had one surging run and pull back when on reflection he may have shot I suppose but it was a decent enough run and cross. Second half he had a few runs forward but Paynter’s inability to hold the ball up meant he was never given chance to play off anyone.
Doyle 7/10 Thought he broke things up fairly well and used it sensibly when he had it. It was hard for him at times as some of the other midfielders got outmuscled and out run and often he was covering two men. He found it difficult to always pick up his runner and sometimes he lost his man but kept plugging away as we kept a fairly solid shape.
McGinn 6/10 A few decent balls and passages of play but mostly I felt the game kind of passed him by both from a possession point of view and a covering/defensive point of view. They often played it throughout midfield and he seemed slow to react. He is an ok sort of player but nothing spectacular and is he someone you would want in a team that is going for promotion or serious about beating the better teams? Not sure he is. He is too nice for my liking and whilst I can accept he is rather powder puff and quite lightweight; I am not sure he does enough with the ball in terms of passing/creativity to counter such flaws.
Flynn 6/10 Not one of his better nights in terms of offensive threat. He got crowded out a few times and things did not quite come off for him. He had a couple of shots over and then had maybe our best chance when he curled just wide near the end. Kept going and did some of defensive stuff well but has not happened for him attacking wise in the last few games.
Paynter 4/10 Thought he was woeful. Sure he did not have much service but even when the ball went to him he did not hold it up or was way too slow to react. I felt he was going through the motions and his body language was poor. He is either woefully unfit or just not mobile/quick enough. In reality it is probably a mixture of them both! He managed to injure himself jumping 10 minutes too soon for a header and then continued to be behind his man/offside or nowhere near the play. Clough and Garner had seen enough and were clearly frustrated with the lack of hold up/effort he showed. Not sure I would even keep him and would consider terminating his loan and bringing someone else in. I would rather see a young kid busting a gut than someone who seemed quite disinterested as harsh as that may seem.
Murphy 8/10 Once again our best player. Ran at the hapless McCormack all night and this led to him chopping him down him quite a few times leading to him being booked and he could have been sent off. He kept going at him and kept beating him. They doubled up on him but he still was a real threat with runs, crosses and shots. Showed some lovely control, running and link play. At the top of his game at the moment.
Subs
Porter He looked dynamic compared to Paynter! He actually fell over several times, got caught offside quite a bit and stumbled around but he put effort in, won a few headers and at least gave them something to think about. He even made some decent runs down the channels and nearly got on a couple of occasions. Worrying that we were calling for him but that says as much about Paynter’s inefficiency than Porter’s talent sadly.
Baxter Came on and ended up wide right for much of the time he was on. Did not really get that involved. At the death over played when he maybe could have got a cross in to the box and that clearly frustrated Clough.
Kennedy Played just in front of the back four for the final moments. Won a few headers and looked lively enough as we looked to make sure we did not give anything daft away.
Manager rating
Clough 7/10
He managed to rest some players and bring a few in and we did not get beaten. Of course the playoffs are all but gone now and so he can rest and rotate a few more in the next few games. With a patched up defence and obviously lack of options going forward (some of it his own fault as he should have brought one in up there) it was a decent point. We were well in the game and at times we played some decent stuff amidst some sloppy play too. I think he will know they are the strongest of the three teams we face this week and with a few back Saturday may have a better chance against Orient.
Officials
Eddie Ilderton. Not sure where to start? He had one of those. He of course made an incredible rick on the penalty/non penalty being way too quick to blow. Many said the linesman should have been able to see it but the referee was fairly close and once he blows it makes it hard for the linesman. They only flag if they give things. At least he went to talk to the linesman and finally got it right. Not sure I have seen a player nearly off the pitch and called back and not sure I have seen a decision overturned quite like that. They got it right so fair play to them for that but of course he should never have got it so wrong in the first place. It was one of those that everyone in the ground and on the field knew he had made a real rick. I think as soon as he did it; he realised something was wrong. Apart from this I felt all the officials were poor with a number of baffling decisions both ways from throw ins given the wrong way to bizarre fouls. He seemed to really lose it and at times I felt he lost control. Both sets of fans/coaches seemed perplexed by what he/they may do next.
As an aside how bright was his red card. Almost luminous. Incredible. He always was flashing it too even when he was not brandishing it. Seemed to enjoy the power!
Crowd
Not the biggest but with the semi coming up etc then you can understand it. Brentford brought around 800 fans which was decent for a Tuesday night and were quite noisy. United’s fans seemed a bit subdued which you could understand with little to play for etc and it was only when the awful decision was overturned that the crowd suddenly got into it. After this there was more noise and the second half saw end to end action with both sets of supporters getting behind their team. United fans realised a bit of a hotch potch team had given it a real go against a very good side and respected this.