| Sheffield United | Middlesbrough | ||
| Stearman | 61′ | [Red Card] Ayala | 64′ |
| Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
57% 15 5 4 6 |
Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
43% 10 4 4 14 |
Blunt Boro fall to the Blades
A Fourth game in a hectic twelve days came for Boro as we travelled the relatively short distance (after Birmingham and Newport) down the A1 to Sheffield and Bramall Lane this evening. The Blades had the slight advantage of last playing Friday night in a frantic and frenetic game away to Villa in which they remarkably managed to squander a three goal lead after 82 minutes to draw 3-3. This game was crucial for both teams to retain both their Play Off positions and also hope for an Automatic spot. As despondent as Boro undoubtedly felt about conceding that 111th minute Leeds goal imagine letting in three with eight minutes remaining!
Chris Basham was definitely be unavailable for selection by Chris Wilder after picking up his tenth booking of the season against Villa last Friday night. His absence saw a familiar face in the Blades line up in the form or Martin Cranie who spent a few months at Boro last season. Marvin Johnson currently on loan at Bramall Lane was unavailable to face his employers conversely Scott Hogan on loan from Villa would be available after sitting out last Friday. TP went with the same side as started against Leeds with the surprise that Lewis Wing was deemed fit.
Boro in an unfamiliar Millwall look with Navy Shirt and socks with White shorts started lively enough with Fry having an early foray down the left wing. The first shot on goal of the evening had Randolph getting down comfortably in the third minute. Randolph however had to be at his best with a full stretch save from Duffy on five minutes from 25 yards out. Wing and Hugill worked a half chance between them but it ran out of steam out in the Blades 18 yard box. A good ball from Mikel to Friend ended with a lobbed cross easily collected by Henderson. On 11 minutes Saville went down in the middle of the park after a clash across the neck with McGoldrick. After a few rubs with the magic sponge he was able to continue his evening’s quest.
Both sides had started with three at the back as they lined up as a mirror image of one another. A wild clearance from Shotton gifted a Corner which was wasted fortunately with the ball ending up back in Henderson’s goalmouth after a few even worse examples of ball control by those in stripes. A dummy from Wing allowed Saville an early attempt but it went well wide. Shotton stood off Dowell instead of clearing the danger and allowed a dangerous cross in to Sharp who swivelled but missed inside the Boro 18 yard box. The opening 20 minutes had been a fairly low key affair with neither keeper being really troubled with as expected Sheffield United seeing most of the ball.
A Boro corner was played short and then sent across the box by Wing forcing Henderson to punch clear with Ayala in close attendance. In the clearance Mikel was fouled, Saville took the free kick across to Howson on the edge of the 18 yard box, heading it centrally towards Ayala who connected with his head but it went well wide as Boro started to enjoy a little bit of a purple patch approaching the half hour mark. A Shotton cross found Hugill who just couldn’t get it out from under his studs ending a lengthy spell of Mikel conducted control.
Flint went down with a hamstring he had collected earlier in the game when he tried to clear a ball and immediately felt the pain. There is the question that perhaps he hadn’t fully recovered from his injury a few weeks ago. Downing came on in his place and a shuffle was required with Friend going into the three at the back and Fry taking over Flints right sided CB role with Stewy operating as left wing back. Shotton immediately went into the book after the restart for a fairly mild challenge by Championship standards on Dowell. The interruption seemed to spark the Blades into life with ten minutes remaining to half time. A well worked ball from Howson took out three defenders to find Wing who sent a far post cross in that was headed out for a Boro Corner which was delivered by Wing himself but far too close to Henderson. It was now Norwood’s turn to collect a yellow for a challenge on Howson clearly frustrated by him outwitting him moments earlier. Again Wing found Howson who fed Hugill through but he wasn’t alert enough and the ball went wide with the Hammer loanee claiming a corner to spare his blushes. Wing had the ball again and this time was gesticulating for his statuesque team mates to move to receive a pass, frustrated it ended up back with Randolph who launched it hoof style and from the attack Hugill this time actually tested Henderson from long range.
An injury to Baldock saw him limp off with the experienced ex Wolves and Leicester defender Stearman taking his place with a minute left of the first half remaining. A quick break from the Blades saw them send the ball wide of Randolph’s goal after a spell in the second minute of added time. A slow pedestrian break out from Boro got messy in the centre of the pitch and again invited United to break with McGoldrick playing in Billy Sharp narrowly missing the opportunity with the final kick of the half.
A first half that had started steadily saw United have plenty of possession with Boro working their way into it and then dominate the last two thirds of the half but not really carving out any clear threats on goal. The injury to Flint caused a loss of momentum and worked in the Blades favour but with Baldock going off the injury tally and substitutions had balanced out. Wilder will have been the more frustrated at the half time whistle. That very early Duffy shot was probably the nearest we had to a goal in the half that had some measured football but nothing to get excited about. Neither side really looked like they wanted to win.
The second half saw Madine come on for the Blades for Duffy and Chris Wilder upping the stakes by declaring his hand and going to a front three. Shotton set up Dowell to commit an early foul on the right wing but Downing’s free kick was headed clear. Boro had restarted lively in an unconvincing dysfunctional manner with their attacks. There was little quality or joined up moves, just a series of scruffy Boro breaks with the ball seemingly spinning and squirming in their favour. A long Shotton throw saw Friends’ header cleared but then Downing launched an inviting 25 yard ball that caught Henderson and he fumbled it with Hugill closing in but it was hoofed clear by an alert defender.
A nervy penalty claim for a Shotton “tug” on Madine was adjudged to be little contact and certainly not enough for a spot kick but enough to allow Randolph to smother the chance and seconds later Friend had to intercept and nick the ball from Sharp’s toes just before he was about to pull the trigger as Sheffield had now seriously upped the pressure. Things were now getting feisty as Ayala and Madine engaged in an arm wrestle in the Boro box and then Hugill clattered into Fleck who went down like he had been shot. The Home fans were now fired up and getting on the Ref’s back claiming every Boro challenge as a foul and any trip as though it was murder in the first degree.
Inevitably a fast paced ball from McGoldrick left Ayala coming in with a late and rash challenge resulting in a yellow card and a free kick that was hit well over. A corner just a minute later wasn’t cleared and as the ball came back in Sharp poked it past Randolph but the flag went up correctly for off side. A warning shot if one was needed that the Blades were really going for this and Boro needed an outlet as sitting back absorbing this level of pressure wasn’t going to be an option.
With the pressure almost at bursting point the opener came seconds later with a free kick fired into a packed Boro box met by Stearman with his arm around Fry’s neck to head it home. It was coming and Boro only had themselves to blame for not making their first half dominance count. TP responded with Assombalonga being readied but meantime Ayala went lunging in recklessly on Everton loanee Dowell to give the Referee no chance but to issue a second yellow and then the red. Wilder had put three strikers on at half time and went for it and earned his just reward. Saville unluckily came off for Britt in an effort to get back into the game.
Boro were now being tortured and stretched all over and had to somehow stop the flow of the three out and out Strikers and mount attacks of their own with a man short. A Shotton long throw was bizarrely threw short to Howson who struggled with the first attempt and then managed a poor cross that was glanced on and out for a goal kick by Hugill. Seventy two gone and Boro looked absolutely bereft of any ideas with the Blades by far the more likely to get another. Belief and confidence looked to be in short supply for those in blue shirts and then a lucky break saw Wing win the ball and feed Hugill who put Britt through but his angled effort and Boro’s only real one of the night was cleared off Henderson’s legs. A and as the ball came out Fleck chased the ball and as Wing poked it back to Mikel Fleck slid in earning a yellow for the tackle but somehow the Ref then gave United the free kick after a mini ruckus on the touchline.
The game was now getting irritable with tempers a little frayed and ten minutes remaining. VLP then came on for Howson as TP desperately needed to find an outlet of some sort as Hugill was more interested in a scrap and feigning fouls and Britt simply wasn’t getting any supply from anywhere. United now started timewasting keeping Boro boxed in in Shotton’s corner, a break saw Downing get down the opposite flank but the ball was over hit to Hugill and went out harmlessly for a United throw in. With four minutes of normal time remaining Sharp was withdrawn for Paul Coutts as Wilder now went to smother the game. The contrast between Sharp’s contributions and indeed McGoldrick all evening to Hugill’s signified just why we offer very little as an attacking threat.
Four minutes added time went up but there was never any likelihood of Boro scoring as despite a few routine saves they hadn’t really troubled Henderson. Boro looked defeated as soon as the goal went in and then finished by Ayala’s sending off. The Boro subs were totally ineffective, Downing didn’t do half the work that George does down the flanks, Britt was starved and VLP looked an embarrassment. How the Terrier gets in the squad ahead of Tavernier is baffling in the extreme based on that poor showing, it did perhaps go some way to explain why his game time has been limited. It asks a huge question why our highest scoring midfielder can’t even get on Pulis’s bench.
The determined and bold attempt by Wilder by switching to three up front turned the game on its head from the first half where Boro had ended it looking comfortable. Those three Strikers roughed up and upset the Boro defence. The irony was that the goal came from a Pulis style set piece (remember them from August?). A disappointing evening for Boro that culminated with Flint crocked and Ayala now banned and any hopes of an automatic spot all but gone. The only positive tonight was that Derby failed to beat Ipswich and Boro somehow held on to that last Play Off spot on Goal Difference.
MOM for me was JOM for his first half showing, nobody for Boro put in any sort of performance of note at all in the second half. A real test now lies ahead for TP to rally his troops after two successive disappointments. Suspensions and injuries have now ravaged his back line and he will struggle to put out any sort of defence against Blackburn on Sunday. Those on the bench tonight won’t have made his selection dilemma any easier and indeed a few on the pitch didn’t cover themselves in glory either.