Match Report from a Chesterfield

[Missing Spark]

Hi!

I'm a journalism student in Sheffield and a Chesterfield supporter. I've written a report on yesterday's game at Bramall Lane and thought you may be interested, there's plenty of photos too!

Any feedback/comments are appreciated.

http://ryan147.com/2015/08/16/sheffield-united-2-0-chesterfield-league-1/

Thank you!
Ryan

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DETAIL/FACTS BEFORE WE GET TO THE GAME – IT’S INTERESTING TO A POINT, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF IT BEFORE WE GET TO THE MATCH REPORT.

Chesterfield’s first away match of the new campaign saw them make what will be their shortest journey of it.
NOPE, THIS JUST DOESN’T WORK, AS MENTIONED BY FATTY. IN ITSELF, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT IT’S THE SHORTEST JOURNEY? WHO CARES?
- CHESTERFIELD MADE THE SHORT JOURNEY TO SHEFFIELD FOR THEIR FIRST AWAY MATCH OF THE NEW CAMPAIGN.

Nigel Adkins’ maiden home game in charge of the Blades.
MAIDEN IS JUST NOT THE RIGHT WORD IN THIS CONTEXT. KEEP IT SIMPLE. WHAT’S WRONG WITH ‘FIRST?’

And the two men had made contrasting starts to League 1 life at the helm of their respective clubs.
THE TWO MEN ‘HAVE HADE’…(NOT HAD).
NO NEED TO START WITH ‘AND’.

The sun shone over the steel city as kick off time finally arrived….

1. OK WITH THE WEATHER INSIGHT, BUT DON’T FALL INTO THE DEADBAT TRAP OF STARTING EVERY MATCH IN WINTER WITH ‘ON A BITTERLY COLD AFTERNOON AT BRAMALL LANE….’

2. IT WAS A 3pm KICK-OFF. WHAT TIME WAS IT SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE?

3. ‘STEEL CITY IS A CLICHÉ. DON’T OVERUSE THEM OR YOU’LL BORE THE READER.

and the Blades anthem of “greasy chip butty”.
THE BLADES’ “GREASY CHIP BUTTY” ANTHEM. IF YOU CAN CUT A WORD, CUT IT.

And it wasn’t long until the more than 20,000 home fans were on their feet again …
HAVE YOU ALREADY MENTIONED THAT THE BLADES FANS WERE ON THEIR FEET?

Chesterfield’s came closest 17 minutes from time.
CHESTERFIELD’S WHAT?

It was a disappointing afternoon for the Spireites, who had controlled large portions but lacked any real cutting edge in attack
LARGE PORTIONS OF WHAT?? PIES? FISH? BE SPECIFIC.

 

[super_pig]

I thought these young 'uns began (and ended) every sentence with 'So...'

you mean 'aww my gaaad'.. OMG blah blah OMG blah OMG!

 

[Missing Spark]

Funny you should mention the boxing. Always appealed to me how such a brutal sport brought forth such marvellous prose. And you mentioned the unmentionable Stuart Hall, yes we know as person he's totally discredited, but the work is still masterful, in fact your mention of the kit was interesting because I was thinking, how would Hall have started that report and the kit came to mind.

"On a bright, sunny day in Sheffield there was something uneasy and strange hanging in the Bramall Lane air. Yes, a 4-0 defeat at Gillingham the previous week was more than enough to cause unease, coupled with the sale of the sometime dazzling but oft dallying Jamie Murphy would be enough to cause an atmosphere of anxiety. But there was something else that unsettled as the kick-off was imminent, and then the realisation dawned. Sheffield United were not playing in red and white stripes."

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There was something else that unsettled as the kick-off was imminent, and then the realisation dawned. Sheffield United were not playing in red and white stripes."

GENIUS !!!

 

[Deleted member 875]

Follow this rule from the greatest story-teller the world has ever known. It is the very essence of creative writing.

There either is or is not, that’s the way things are. The colour of the day. The way it felt to be a child. The saltwater on your sunburnt legs. Sometimes the water is yellow, sometimes it’s red. But what colour it may be in memory, depends on the day. I’m not going to tell you the story the way it happened. I’m going to tell it the way I remember it....

Reading Dickens is like watching Pele. They have no peers.

Does that make reading Martin Samuel like watching Beckenbauer?

 

[blade too long]

 

[diplomat]

They missed the header cleared off the line and the disallowed goal. Surely that's a good highlight?

 

[Pinchy]

Does that make reading Martin Samuel like watching Beckenbauer?

No, Dennis Longhorn.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

 

[Nade]

I could easily have a wank over that Sammon touch for the second goal. He even does a twirl and carries on running afterwards. Beautiful.

 

[Dkc]

Good effort. An editor might cut it by at least 50 percent.

Adams Sinks Spirites

Sheffield United 2-0 Chesterfield

A brace from Che Adams handed Sheffield United a 2-0 victory over Chesterfield on the competitive home debut of new boss Nigel Adkins. Goals at the start of each half saw the Blades gain their first three points of the new season.

Chesterfield, with former Blade Dean Saunders in charge, were hoping to build on last weekend’s 3-1 victory over Barnsley. However, in a closely-fought contest it was Adams’ finishing that proved decisive.

The 19-year-old opened the scoring after just three minutes when Spirites keeper Tommy Lee could only palm an angled Conor Sammon shot straight into his path. Adams then showed composure to fire home.

The visitors enjoyed enough possession but lacked quality in the final third. Strikers Ebanks-Blake and Novak showed promise but were often frustrated through lack of service.

Less than 60 seconds into the second period Adams again found the net, working a neat one-two with Sammon before poking past Lee inside the box.

Chesterfield came closest 17 minutes from time when Dan Jones‘ free kick hit the woodwork

Lee then denied the dangerous Adams a hat trick by tipping an effort wide, before Jones forced a final instinctive block from United stopper Howard with another curling free kick

After the game, Saunders said: “We didn’t get the result we deserved today. We must have had fifteen chances but we’ve got to turn these performances into wins.”

“The first goal was dreadful and the second was even worse, you can’t give goals away like we did today right at the start of both halves, but we will learn from that.”

United: Howard, Freeman, Basham, Sharp, Baxter (Wallace ’59), Collins, Scougall (Reed ’69), Sammon, McEveley, Adams (Woolford ’66), Edgar.

Chesterfield : Lee, Jones, Hird, Morsy, Evatt, Gardner (Gnanduillet ’82), Ebanks-Blake, O’Shea, Novak, Banks (Ariyibi ’66), Talbot (Raglan ’82)

Attendance: 23,031

 

[grafikhaus]

If I was to write about the match on Saturday I would have introduced it something like this.

On a glorious summer Saturday afternoon, Sheffield United welcomed near neighbours (Donny? Barnsley?) in what promised to be an intriguing encounter at Bramall Lane. Both sides (United and..?) went in to this game after enjoying vastly different starts to the season on the opening day of the season. The pre-season favourites the Blades slumping to a abject 4-0 defeat at an unfancied Gillingham side, whilst their opponents (Donny? Barnsley?) were buoyant after a superb opening day win at home to Barnsley.

Personally I think in any Sports Reportage the opening paragraph is the most crucial one, as it is the one that sets the tone for the rest of the article.

But who were we playing?