The Blades resumed Championship play with a gritty win over bottom side Huddersfield at a bitterly cold Bramall Lane. After a four-week hiatus, the games got back underway and United will be just thankful for three points when they were not at their fluent best but came up against a very limited Huddersfield side. The home side controlled the first half and deservedly led thanks to Billy Sharp’s first goal of the season, a clever chip, after good work from Iliman Ndiaye. The second half was scrappy and United never really had the same level of control but despite the slender lead, did enough to eek out the win and that is all that matters.
Heckingbottom named a side that McAtee and Osborn in midfield with Norwood and Sharp up front with the returning Ndiaye who less than a week ago was playing against England at the World Cup. The bench looked much stronger than before the break with Basham, Berge, Khadra, Lowe, Bogle and Foderingham but needed points after a really poor campaign; a far cry from the outstanding season last season where they actually finished above the Blades.
With a World Cup quarter final being played at the same time as this and other games, it was a bizarre atmosphere as the sleet and rain lashed down. Ndiaye got a great round of applause as the teams were announced and he was involved early with a good weaving run before having a shot blocked. McAtee also was instrumental in some of the attacking promise and one run saw him go away from 3 players before also being blocked out. Norwood was at the heart of most good things and looked to play Baldock in on a few occasions. United were dominating the ball and Huddersfield were sitting with 10 behind the ball but on 15 minutes the opener came.
Ndiaye used his body and skill to manoeuvre past two opponents superbly and slipped a delightful ball into the path of SHARP who waited till Nicholls sat down and chipped over him coolly to give him his first goal of the season and United the lead.
United continued to dominate the ball and were moving it around with McAtee influential. Thomas was booked for bringing down Osborn and then McAtee had a curling effort just wide from the cross-cum-shot. Ahmedhodzic then had his own centre flicked away from Sharp. Baldock then fired well wide from outside the box just before the break but it had been a fairly dominant half from United who were in complete control.
The second half saw Hogg come on the for the visitors and Holmes had a shot at Foderingham before a decent ball saw Kesler Hayden shoot wide at the back post. It was a better response from the Terriers although Hogg’s enthusiasm to get them back in the game saw him cautioned for a bad foul on Norwood. A strange pitch invasion halted the game for a period before Clark twice stepped in to make vital interceptions.
Berge replaced McAtee who was tiring after a good first half but the game was more even this half and United were careless with the ball and not keeping it as well. Baldock was booked for a cynical foul before Ndiaye who had been bottled up well, got through a few tackles and fired at Nicholls. The game ticked into the final 10 minutes and Khadra and McBurnie replaced Ndiaye and Sharp as United won two corners. From a corner not long after there were strong appeals for a spot kick for a foul – this seemed more convincing than the appeals for a handball on Egan at the other end.
Egan headed over and then Berge fired wide but Huddersfield were at least looking more threatening/ Egan hit the top of the John Street stand showing safety first was the most important aspect of the game but Berge finding a blue and white shirt did not calm the nerves. A few more moments of indecision saw United hack the ball away as the game went into the final 5 minutes. One ball narrowly evaded Helik but United did enough to see the game out and claim a big victory.
United – It’s a win and that is the big thing. The performance overall was not convincing at all and we ended a bit desperate even though the visitors did not have any really big chances all game. First half thought we were fine. Not amazing but we were in control and they barely had an attack. We had all the ball and any chances came from us. We scored a great goal – well made and taken. You felt if we scored another we could go on and win 3 or 4 but it never happened but we still went in deservedly ahead against a poor side. We were not creating too much but they were banked up with 10 behind the ball so it was hard. However, 1-0 up and in control and it seemed like it was a solid performance against a poor and negative opponent.
Second half though we a big disappointment. Our passing was poor and we did not move it quick enough or get it forward. We almost settled and were quite tentative. It was sloppy and we started to lose the midfield a bit too with gaps between the defence and midfield. Not sure Huddersfield did very much at all though with only one shot at Wes and the rest of the time we still saw them out so easily. We did not keep it though and I felt we just had not fluency and too many players came back rather than going forwards. We defended ok and it was only the last 5-10 minutes when we became really ragged and they had a few half chances with crosses coming in or balls going into the box. For all our poor play and nervy end, not sure they really hurt us or had a clear chance. In that sense 1-0 was about right. Their manager said they had us penned in which other than stoppage time, I am not sure they did. They had a bit of a go at the end but their efforts came from poor clearances or dithering from us. We did not keep the ball enough and became disjointed. Berge did not improve us as I hoped and although Khadra did well, I am not sure too many 2nd half were at their best. Clark did well and Norwood was steady but better teams would have hurt us more and punished our poor passing/touch and lack of assertiveness. Fortunately, Huddersfield were a poor side with little up top at all and they never really had any belief they could hurt us – as sloppy as we were first half.
It is not a game that will live long in the memory bank and we will have to play better individually and collectively (certainly 2nd half) to get promoted but the win was all important – especially as we start badly often after breaks. The three points is all important. We have some players coming back now and a nice 9-day break to get more back and then after Xmas hopefully we will be other than RND and Brewster – the rest should be fit and we have a strong squad. I’d like us to add another forward and maybe midfielder as promotion is right there if we want it. Would be negligible if we did not make these two additions we need as the prizes the Premier League brings would mean a 4-5 million investment in a few players would be pin money. Course it is a gamble but if we do not go up, Berge and Ndiaye move on – maybe McBurnie and others and we could be closer to where Huddersfield are. So, the club have to make these moves for me. 2 players and 3 or 4 others back from fitness and we have a real chance. Short term we have another struggling side Wigan and maybe away we can play slightly different and not have to attack as much and use Ndiaye and Berge if back to create those gaps with a team attacking us a bit more.
