Pivotal moment

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I'll be honest. I thought we were heading for the play offs until e Beat Hull on Easter Monday.

I expected a draw that day and the same for Leeds at Brentford. As soon as we won I felt Leeds were in trouble.
 



04 September 2016

A last-gasp Billy Sharp penalty ensured Sheffield United came from behind to beat Gillingham in a hard-fought game at the Priestfield Stadium.

Josh Wright slotted a wonderful ball through to his team-mate, who skipped past the last defender but couldn't quite find the finish the home fans craved.

Shortly later, United had big appeals for a penalty waved away when Freeman was brought down inside the area by Adedeji Oshilaja. The Gillingham defender's double tackle was clumsy, and he was perhaps lucky to get away with the challenge.

Gillingham took the lead through Bradley Dack before the break, but second-half goals from Kieron Freeman and Sharp secured all three points for the away side.

The hosts started the brighter of the two sides and could have gone 1-0 up inside five minutes when Cody McDonald found himself one-on-one with Moore.

With 10 minutes to go until half-time, Dack opened the scoring with a wonderful curling free-kick. Daniel Lafferty was booked for the challenge, and he was left to rue his error when last season's League One Player of the Year fired home from 20 yards out.

United began the second half brightly and almost levelled things up when Sharp fired hard and low at Jonathan Bond, but the keeper saved well.

Blades captain Sharp turned provider a few minutes later when the away side eventually did get on the scoresheet. Crossing from the left, he found team-mate Freeman, who was able to poke home under pressure from the defence.

PIVOTAL MOMENT COMING UP

From there, it was anyone's game as both sides fought hard for a winner. It looked as though the spoils would be shared, until a devastating moment for young defender Josh Pask in the 89th minute.

After coming on as a half-time substitute, the 18-year-old - on loan from West Ham United - inexplicably handled the ball inside the area to gift United a chance to win it.

Sharp stepped up, and made no mistake as he found the top-left hand corner. Chris Wilder's side endured a poor start to the season, but they are now up and running with back-to-back League One victories.

Dem Blades

pommpey
 
Villa away.
Incredible mental strength to come back from that disapointment.
 
04 September 2016

A last-gasp Billy Sharp penalty ensured Sheffield United came from behind to beat Gillingham in a hard-fought game at the Priestfield Stadium.

Josh Wright slotted a wonderful ball through to his team-mate, who skipped past the last defender but couldn't quite find the finish the home fans craved.

Shortly later, United had big appeals for a penalty waved away when Freeman was brought down inside the area by Adedeji Oshilaja. The Gillingham defender's double tackle was clumsy, and he was perhaps lucky to get away with the challenge.

Gillingham took the lead through Bradley Dack before the break, but second-half goals from Kieron Freeman and Sharp secured all three points for the away side.

The hosts started the brighter of the two sides and could have gone 1-0 up inside five minutes when Cody McDonald found himself one-on-one with Moore.

With 10 minutes to go until half-time, Dack opened the scoring with a wonderful curling free-kick. Daniel Lafferty was booked for the challenge, and he was left to rue his error when last season's League One Player of the Year fired home from 20 yards out.

United began the second half brightly and almost levelled things up when Sharp fired hard and low at Jonathan Bond, but the keeper saved well.

Blades captain Sharp turned provider a few minutes later when the away side eventually did get on the scoresheet. Crossing from the left, he found team-mate Freeman, who was able to poke home under pressure from the defence.

PIVOTAL MOMENT COMING UP

From there, it was anyone's game as both sides fought hard for a winner. It looked as though the spoils would be shared, until a devastating moment for young defender Josh Pask in the 89th minute.

After coming on as a half-time substitute, the 18-year-old - on loan from West Ham United - inexplicably handled the ball inside the area to gift United a chance to win it.

Sharp stepped up, and made no mistake as he found the top-left hand corner. Chris Wilder's side endured a poor start to the season, but they are now up and running with back-to-back League One victories.

Dem Blades

pommpey

The most important game during Wilder's reign thus far.

This season? Hard to separate:

- Win at WBA
- Win at Leeds
- The well earned last 3 victories

All of these have 1 feature that distinguishes them from Villa: when we drew at Villa many thought "typical United". But it turned out that this was not typical United at all. This was something better.

Wilder said it himself: this wasn't like the past. He knew his team wouldn't fold.

I'd have to pick Leeds as the one. The 1990 and 2006 teams couldn't win there. This team did.
 
For something less obvious though the Derby - Blackburn home double header changed something

Thanks to two shite refereeing decisions that really got the crowd behind the lads.

We've picked up more points in the league than anyone else in 2019 and those two games are what kicked it all off.
 
There’s another thread about when we really believed we were going up, and that can be many different times.

However, if we’re looking for 1 second that truly changed our prospects it can only be Bash’s goal at Bellend. That one second was worth 3 points difference between us and Weeds and more than that, it broke their spirit.

For me there have been 2 things that have made our Wilder journey more than any other - Bash’s goal and bringing Coutts on at half-time against Southend!

Magic works in Mysterious Ways
 
Pumping derby at home was the moment I knew we could beat anyone in this league and had nothing to fear.

Great shout. That was our first win over a top 6 team I think (apart from Norwich, who people seemed to weirdly discount until about 3 months ago o_O) and it came off the back of losing to WBA and drawing with Ipswich.

Couple of others:

- Blackburn getting a man sent off in the home game to leave us 10v10, and we went and tore them apart after that

- Henderson making that save from a 3-on-1 in the Norwich home game - could've been 3 losses from 4 to start the season

- the January transfer window. It's a stretch to say any of Dowell, Hogan or Madine set the world alight but they all did a solid job, scored vital goals and allowed us to rotate / cover for injuries and suspensions.
 
Too many to mention, but dismantling Villa at home showed what we are capable of, the often mentioned 10 men against Brentford, and Billy putting Bash through at Weeds.

In recent weeks, the display at Hull, who had not lost at home since November last year, and we played like it was a training ground session, no nerves, the lads just enjoying playing football.

What a team.
 
Brentford (H), especially with the Leeds (A) match coming days after. I think we took the spirit and belief from that game to Elland Road then on through to the end of the season. Also, honourable mentions to all those "might be a good point at the end of season" - they all added up and helped in the end. UTB
 
Turning points for me.
QPR away - staying up, great determination showed, up front concerns put to bed
Derby at home / Wigan away - play offs or better from there
Notts forest at home - when McG made that determined run straight to goal and their man was sent off, turned an even game and set us up for a good run at the automatics
 
The most important game during Wilder's reign thus far.

This season? Hard to separate:

- Win at WBA
- Win at Leeds
- The well earned last 3 victories

All of these have 1 feature that distinguishes them from Villa: when we drew at Villa many thought "typical United". But it turned out that this was not typical United at all. This was something better.

Wilder said it himself: this wasn't like the past. He knew his team wouldn't fold.

I'd have to pick Leeds as the one. The 1990 and 2006 teams couldn't win there. This team did.

True. But I was trying to surmise that:

"Oh. We've hired Chris Wilder. Another fucking manager, another fucking failure, bless him.'
"Yay. Dack's put the Gills one up. We never saw that coming, eh?"
"Hang on. Freeman's equalised. It looks like we actually want this."
"Fuck me! A penalty! Billy's scored. WE FUCKING WON!"

From that moment, save for a rare few bendy moments, Wilder has had this side just improving upon improvement.

pommpey
 
True. But I was trying to surmise that:

"Oh. We've hired Chris Wilder. Another fucking manager, another fucking failure, bless him.'
"Yay. Dack's put the Gills one up. We never saw that coming, eh?"
"Hang on. Freeman's equalised. It looks like we actually want this."
"Fuck me! A penalty! Billy's scored. WE FUCKING WON!"

From that moment, save for a rare few bendy moments, Wilder has had this side just improving upon improvement.

pommpey

I know what you were getting at.
 



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