P
pommpey
Guest
Decided to mooch along the 120 mile round trip today to see United beat a team in the lower reaches, being as we'd come back strongly against Coventry with just ten men and beaten Rochdale without playing particularly well. Crawley - okay a team starting to level out seemingly after a wretched period should be easy pickings for United who on paper are far, far stronger?
The game was precursored by massive tributes to the late Shred. Many songs and chants were dedicated to him today and he would have been pleased looking down on the Checkatrade (for fuck's sake ... Checkatrade?) Stadium today from his new executive box and saw the swell of appreciation, respect and reverence he drew from the 900 odd (so they said, but I reckon a lot more) Blades in the shred/shed with the squally wind in their faces. As I was taking my granddaughter and her bestie (both in retero Blades tops) I decided we'd sit in the stand under the canvas (it's basically a fucking tent) up at the back out of the wind and rain.
United started like this:
-------------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Kennedy----------------McEveley---------Harris
Flynn-----Basham----------Doyle--------Coutts----------Murphy
-
-
-
-
-
-----------------------------Done------------------------------------------
... with the wind in their faces. The gap between the central three of our midfield and Done was far too much and we did miss the presence of a link man. That said we started fairly well, utilising the wingers to penetrate and we showed good support from Brayford and Harris, although Flynny did try ... he was invariably outmuscled out on the flank. We have adopted a fairly decent pass-it-around style and the hoof count was fairly low, possibly on account of the blustery conditions. Coutts doesn't really look comfortable in that tucked-in position although to be honest the central three did hold the first twenty five minutes together and our possession rate looked decent. We simply kept the ball moving across the deck and to feet (generally) but the danger level was minimal. We did get the ball into the box a few times - Matt Done clipped in a goal that was offside and on 35 minutes I noticed Freeman on the pitch and Basham in the back four. As if by magic Kennedy had gone off and the team then was:
-------------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Basham----------------McEveley---------Harris
Flynn-----Freeman---------Doyle--------Coutts----------Murphy
-
-
-
-
-
-----------------------------Done------------------------------------------
Immediately we started to press the game up the pitch and some openings appeared on both flanks - for once Crawley seemed to be on the back foot and starting to panic. There was a lovely ball into the box from the right which Murphy, eight yards out failed to convert. A series of really badly squandered corners followed where every cross was either to the near post and cleared or was 'floated' and booted away.
In the second half Flynn and Freeman swapped places and with the wind in our backs we had twenty minutes of really, really pleasing attacking football, mainly from a very good trio of Brayford, Freeman and Flynn. There was some superb pass-and-move stuff going on past a frankly inept Crawley rearguard which saw us dominate and carve out chance after chance with the ball either being played in behind advancing players (like Doyle once) or a tame shot at the keeper from Flynn for example. Again, we passed the ball about quite well as Crawley retreated to soak up the advance but there really was no one to make the killer pass to an increasingly frustrated and shirt soaked from sweat Done because the midfield three, in particularly Coutts, seems unable to get forward and create. Out on the right as they came out however we conceded a daft free kick we needn't have. Everything was set up and the ball came in straight and fast with United players all converging on it including Turner who really should have claimed it. Suddenly what seemed to be something benign was anything but because WOOD got his touch in and it was in the net. Crawley - out of fuck all - were beating us.
So I expected us to bolt one on and this we did. We then reshaped to
----------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Basham----------------McEveley---------Harris
-
Freeman-------------Doyle---------------Coutts------------Flynn
-
-----------------------Done----------Murphy------------------------------
And McEveley started to dribble the ball out of defence as Crawley once again backed off, or continued their niggly yellow card heavy play. Again we played well down the right but one two and then three ventures went unanswered. It was looking bleak, although we were dominating and looking far the better side. Then came a ball out from the back for Done to chase and latch onto which he did, being closed down by their defenders. Done did the right thing and really, they were a bit daft for tackling him but he went down for what was a nailed on penalty and indeed a red card for their Number 3. The ref was a bit forgiving and yellowed him even though Done was one on one. Great reffing. McNULTY, who'd been on for about ten minutes for Flynn took the kick and we were one each.
The last ten minutes we huffed and puffed and couldn't blow the house down. A few half chances went begging and that was that.
The game was precursored by massive tributes to the late Shred. Many songs and chants were dedicated to him today and he would have been pleased looking down on the Checkatrade (for fuck's sake ... Checkatrade?) Stadium today from his new executive box and saw the swell of appreciation, respect and reverence he drew from the 900 odd (so they said, but I reckon a lot more) Blades in the shred/shed with the squally wind in their faces. As I was taking my granddaughter and her bestie (both in retero Blades tops) I decided we'd sit in the stand under the canvas (it's basically a fucking tent) up at the back out of the wind and rain.
United started like this:
-------------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Kennedy----------------McEveley---------Harris
Flynn-----Basham----------Doyle--------Coutts----------Murphy
-
-
-
-
-
-----------------------------Done------------------------------------------
... with the wind in their faces. The gap between the central three of our midfield and Done was far too much and we did miss the presence of a link man. That said we started fairly well, utilising the wingers to penetrate and we showed good support from Brayford and Harris, although Flynny did try ... he was invariably outmuscled out on the flank. We have adopted a fairly decent pass-it-around style and the hoof count was fairly low, possibly on account of the blustery conditions. Coutts doesn't really look comfortable in that tucked-in position although to be honest the central three did hold the first twenty five minutes together and our possession rate looked decent. We simply kept the ball moving across the deck and to feet (generally) but the danger level was minimal. We did get the ball into the box a few times - Matt Done clipped in a goal that was offside and on 35 minutes I noticed Freeman on the pitch and Basham in the back four. As if by magic Kennedy had gone off and the team then was:
-------------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Basham----------------McEveley---------Harris
Flynn-----Freeman---------Doyle--------Coutts----------Murphy
-
-
-
-
-
-----------------------------Done------------------------------------------
Immediately we started to press the game up the pitch and some openings appeared on both flanks - for once Crawley seemed to be on the back foot and starting to panic. There was a lovely ball into the box from the right which Murphy, eight yards out failed to convert. A series of really badly squandered corners followed where every cross was either to the near post and cleared or was 'floated' and booted away.
In the second half Flynn and Freeman swapped places and with the wind in our backs we had twenty minutes of really, really pleasing attacking football, mainly from a very good trio of Brayford, Freeman and Flynn. There was some superb pass-and-move stuff going on past a frankly inept Crawley rearguard which saw us dominate and carve out chance after chance with the ball either being played in behind advancing players (like Doyle once) or a tame shot at the keeper from Flynn for example. Again, we passed the ball about quite well as Crawley retreated to soak up the advance but there really was no one to make the killer pass to an increasingly frustrated and shirt soaked from sweat Done because the midfield three, in particularly Coutts, seems unable to get forward and create. Out on the right as they came out however we conceded a daft free kick we needn't have. Everything was set up and the ball came in straight and fast with United players all converging on it including Turner who really should have claimed it. Suddenly what seemed to be something benign was anything but because WOOD got his touch in and it was in the net. Crawley - out of fuck all - were beating us.
So I expected us to bolt one on and this we did. We then reshaped to
----------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Basham----------------McEveley---------Harris
-
Freeman-------------Doyle---------------Coutts------------Flynn
-
-----------------------Done----------Murphy------------------------------
And McEveley started to dribble the ball out of defence as Crawley once again backed off, or continued their niggly yellow card heavy play. Again we played well down the right but one two and then three ventures went unanswered. It was looking bleak, although we were dominating and looking far the better side. Then came a ball out from the back for Done to chase and latch onto which he did, being closed down by their defenders. Done did the right thing and really, they were a bit daft for tackling him but he went down for what was a nailed on penalty and indeed a red card for their Number 3. The ref was a bit forgiving and yellowed him even though Done was one on one. Great reffing. McNULTY, who'd been on for about ten minutes for Flynn took the kick and we were one each.
The last ten minutes we huffed and puffed and couldn't blow the house down. A few half chances went begging and that was that.