Deadbat
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The Blades made it 7 wins on the bounce at Bramall Lane and 6 straight clean sheets in the process as they temporarily went back up to 2nd place before Leeds won at Bristol City to regain this spot. It was a comfortable 2-0 win against local rivals Rotherham United with two very different but both classy goals from Jack O’Connell and Mark Duffy in each half. In truth, it could have been double figures as Marek Rodak made save after save to keep them in it. The Millers cause of course was not helped by a poor lunge from Will Vaulks which rightly saw the Rotherham man red carded just before the half hour mark.
United made four changes with McGoldrick, Hogan, Duffy and Baldock in for Sharp, Madine, Dowell and Freeman. Rotherham’s leading scorer Michael Smith started the game despite a broken toe. They also featured long throw expert and midfield talisman Will Vaulks.
The visitors kicked away from their away fans which packed the Bramall Lane lower tier but all the early pressure was right in front of them. A free kick from Norwood evaded everyone and Rodak pushed away and then from the next attack; Baldock had a shot blocked as United started at a very high tempo. The goal came after only 5 minutes. It was clearly a goal from the training ground as Norwood hit a low passed corner that saw O’CONNELL get across his man and he coolly turned it into the far corner giving the keeper no chance. It was a great goal and had been coming. Rotherham had been timewasting from the first minute and bizarrely this continued even after they conceded with them taking an age over throw ins and goal kicks.
United continued to dominate. Some lovely bits of skill from McGoldrick and then Basham saw them pen the Millers back and they were cutting Rotherham apart. Hogan nearly got in and then McGoldrick was in but pulled his shot just wide on the angle.
Rotherham did have a spell from the quarter of an hour mark and we saw the use of the long throw as United had to be alert to head away twice from these hurled efforts from Vaulks. Taylor then also nearly got in and the same man was causing a few problems down the right-hand side. It was more even now but then a moment of madness completely changed the course of the game. Baldock galloped down the wing and Vaults lunged in. It was high and late and also dangerous and the red card was instant. It was a really bad tackle and stupid when his side had started to get a foothold in the game after United had dominated the early exchanges.
After this United started to take control with Norwood’s ball retention and Fleck’s driving runs a feature of United’s play. Another neat move nearly saw Baldock in and then Basham showed good work on the overlap to win a corner. Fleck had a low shot well saved and another one was blocked soon after. Hogan thought he had scored but Baldock was adjudged to have taken the ball out before the ball was eventually put in the net. Norwood then hit a fierce shot that Rodak saved unconvincingly this time before the half drew to a close.
The second half continued as the first one ended with United dominating possession and pinning Rotherham further back. Many of the attacks came down the right and Basham was now proving a real threat linking with Baldock. McGoldrick continued to drift around the pitch and was proving a real class act in his link play. Fleck shot wide when well place and then McGoldrick had a snap shot on the angle that Rodak held well.
It should have been a second goal for United when Hogan was adjudged onside and played in McGoldrick but as he tried to go around the keeper it was blocked. United then passed it around as the goalie was chasing players well off his line and tried to walk it in but it ended up back in McGoldrick’s feet but his attempted chip he got all wrong and went well over the bar. Rotherham had one rare set play chance and half-hearted appeals for a penalty as it drifted out.
Basham who had played his first two games for a period this week was replaced by Maine as United opted to go for a flat back four as Rotherham were not even trying to attack at this stage and with Duffy advanced; United almost had four forward on the pitch and Stevens and Baldock as wingers. Rotherham had all 10 players in their own box as they looked to repel attack after attack. The Millers brought on Williams and Forde for Newell and Taylor but their approach did not change at all as they just sat back. The keeper was taking an age over everything he did. It was a bizarre approach.
Baldock then came inside and had a left footed effort from range parried and then Stevens shot from the other side was pushed away also. Then a Stevens header from a lovely cross from Duffy was saved superbly by Rodak.
United had completely controlled things but had not put the game to bed and at 1-0 Rotherham still had a chance but the game was effectively killed when a player who had not had his best game, Mark DUFFY scored a superb goal.
Fleck pushed it inside to him and the midfielder hit a rising right foot shot that seared into the top corner of the net. Rodak had been inspired second half but was grasping thin air. It was a superb strike.
United kept coming even at 2-0 as they could now relax and Norwood had another shot that was parried away and the resultant corner was another clever one but Fleck’s shot was blocked. Still Rodak timewasted as Rotherham seemed concerned about goal difference!
Crooks replaced Jones after a series of injuries and stoppages and United played keep ball for a period before with 5 minutes remaining; Cranie came on for McGoldrick who rightly was given a huge round of applause after an excellent performance. O’Connell went down in some pain but was able to continue as the game entered an additional 5 minutes of stoppage time. Rotherham were still defending for most of this; they won 3 more corners and had one shot blocked and then Norwood flashed one wide. More lovely one touch stuff saw Madine nut meg his man and O’Connell were eventually played in – the cross came over but Baldock could not turn it home on the angle as Rodak made another save on full stretch. The full-time whistle came straight after this as United celebrated another win at the Lane.
United – Really impressive and professional performance. We won and won well. It was the most comfortable 2-0 you could see and a perfect display really. We kept the ball, were patient and created chances. The only slight negatives were a poor spell from minute 15-30 where we sat back and invited a bit of pressure admittedly from simply long throws and crosses being sent in and the fact we did not score more. That is nit picking though. For the most part we were excellent. We scored a lovely well worked set play goal straight from the training ground. We could have been 3-0 up after 5 minutes and I am not exaggerating. They had that period but did not look like scoring really and Henderson had one weak effort to save and that was it all game.
After the red card; we took over again. I felt 2nd half it was one-way traffic. We were patient rather than slow and I felt we had maybe a dozen good chances and the keeper made some expected but also some very good saves. They had a bit of luck as a few pin ball moments or deflections went the right way but you felt we would get another and so it proved although this was a long-range cracker which was ironic after all the lovely football we played. We just kept moving it about and maybe some of the final bits could have been better but on another day, it is 5-0 win really. The most important thing is we won, we kept a clean sheet, we got no injuries, Norwood did not get booked and we move on to another game.
We had 533 to 140 passes and 19 shots to 3 and 11 on target to 0. 217 passes in the final third to 70. That shows the level of domination.
Wilder managed to change a few also and the players that came in did what they had to. I felt Hogan was lively, McGoldrick excellent and Baldock played very well too. Duff was off but scored a worldy! Some of the passing was great again. We did have a bit of a let down for a spell and maybe could have moved it a bit quicker and been a bit more decisive but hard when a team sits with 11/10 behind the ball. The weather also was really poor but we did play good stuff and mostly on the floor and saw of a tricky fixture well. I also thought that we kept our cool despite some poor tactics from the visitors who time wasted all game. It slowed the game down and meant it was hard for us to really keep it being constant pressure although in reality it was in terms of us having nearly the whole of the second half in the Rotherham half. Indeed, other than a 10-15-minute spell of long throws; they did not threaten at all. United just did what they had to do. We saved Billy for Tuesday also and now against a much better side; can hopefully get further confidence. Again, if you had offered me 4 pts from the two games this week I would have been delighted. With 10 to play; Leeds and Norwich both keep winning and it seems we will have to keep this level of form up to get 2nd place. I just hope that whatever happens next week we don’t get too up/down as it will not completely define what happens as there still would be 8 to play. We need to just stay in touch as believe there may be more twists and turns.
United made four changes with McGoldrick, Hogan, Duffy and Baldock in for Sharp, Madine, Dowell and Freeman. Rotherham’s leading scorer Michael Smith started the game despite a broken toe. They also featured long throw expert and midfield talisman Will Vaulks.
The visitors kicked away from their away fans which packed the Bramall Lane lower tier but all the early pressure was right in front of them. A free kick from Norwood evaded everyone and Rodak pushed away and then from the next attack; Baldock had a shot blocked as United started at a very high tempo. The goal came after only 5 minutes. It was clearly a goal from the training ground as Norwood hit a low passed corner that saw O’CONNELL get across his man and he coolly turned it into the far corner giving the keeper no chance. It was a great goal and had been coming. Rotherham had been timewasting from the first minute and bizarrely this continued even after they conceded with them taking an age over throw ins and goal kicks.
United continued to dominate. Some lovely bits of skill from McGoldrick and then Basham saw them pen the Millers back and they were cutting Rotherham apart. Hogan nearly got in and then McGoldrick was in but pulled his shot just wide on the angle.
Rotherham did have a spell from the quarter of an hour mark and we saw the use of the long throw as United had to be alert to head away twice from these hurled efforts from Vaulks. Taylor then also nearly got in and the same man was causing a few problems down the right-hand side. It was more even now but then a moment of madness completely changed the course of the game. Baldock galloped down the wing and Vaults lunged in. It was high and late and also dangerous and the red card was instant. It was a really bad tackle and stupid when his side had started to get a foothold in the game after United had dominated the early exchanges.
After this United started to take control with Norwood’s ball retention and Fleck’s driving runs a feature of United’s play. Another neat move nearly saw Baldock in and then Basham showed good work on the overlap to win a corner. Fleck had a low shot well saved and another one was blocked soon after. Hogan thought he had scored but Baldock was adjudged to have taken the ball out before the ball was eventually put in the net. Norwood then hit a fierce shot that Rodak saved unconvincingly this time before the half drew to a close.
The second half continued as the first one ended with United dominating possession and pinning Rotherham further back. Many of the attacks came down the right and Basham was now proving a real threat linking with Baldock. McGoldrick continued to drift around the pitch and was proving a real class act in his link play. Fleck shot wide when well place and then McGoldrick had a snap shot on the angle that Rodak held well.
It should have been a second goal for United when Hogan was adjudged onside and played in McGoldrick but as he tried to go around the keeper it was blocked. United then passed it around as the goalie was chasing players well off his line and tried to walk it in but it ended up back in McGoldrick’s feet but his attempted chip he got all wrong and went well over the bar. Rotherham had one rare set play chance and half-hearted appeals for a penalty as it drifted out.
Basham who had played his first two games for a period this week was replaced by Maine as United opted to go for a flat back four as Rotherham were not even trying to attack at this stage and with Duffy advanced; United almost had four forward on the pitch and Stevens and Baldock as wingers. Rotherham had all 10 players in their own box as they looked to repel attack after attack. The Millers brought on Williams and Forde for Newell and Taylor but their approach did not change at all as they just sat back. The keeper was taking an age over everything he did. It was a bizarre approach.
Baldock then came inside and had a left footed effort from range parried and then Stevens shot from the other side was pushed away also. Then a Stevens header from a lovely cross from Duffy was saved superbly by Rodak.
United had completely controlled things but had not put the game to bed and at 1-0 Rotherham still had a chance but the game was effectively killed when a player who had not had his best game, Mark DUFFY scored a superb goal.
Fleck pushed it inside to him and the midfielder hit a rising right foot shot that seared into the top corner of the net. Rodak had been inspired second half but was grasping thin air. It was a superb strike.
United kept coming even at 2-0 as they could now relax and Norwood had another shot that was parried away and the resultant corner was another clever one but Fleck’s shot was blocked. Still Rodak timewasted as Rotherham seemed concerned about goal difference!
Crooks replaced Jones after a series of injuries and stoppages and United played keep ball for a period before with 5 minutes remaining; Cranie came on for McGoldrick who rightly was given a huge round of applause after an excellent performance. O’Connell went down in some pain but was able to continue as the game entered an additional 5 minutes of stoppage time. Rotherham were still defending for most of this; they won 3 more corners and had one shot blocked and then Norwood flashed one wide. More lovely one touch stuff saw Madine nut meg his man and O’Connell were eventually played in – the cross came over but Baldock could not turn it home on the angle as Rodak made another save on full stretch. The full-time whistle came straight after this as United celebrated another win at the Lane.
United – Really impressive and professional performance. We won and won well. It was the most comfortable 2-0 you could see and a perfect display really. We kept the ball, were patient and created chances. The only slight negatives were a poor spell from minute 15-30 where we sat back and invited a bit of pressure admittedly from simply long throws and crosses being sent in and the fact we did not score more. That is nit picking though. For the most part we were excellent. We scored a lovely well worked set play goal straight from the training ground. We could have been 3-0 up after 5 minutes and I am not exaggerating. They had that period but did not look like scoring really and Henderson had one weak effort to save and that was it all game.
After the red card; we took over again. I felt 2nd half it was one-way traffic. We were patient rather than slow and I felt we had maybe a dozen good chances and the keeper made some expected but also some very good saves. They had a bit of luck as a few pin ball moments or deflections went the right way but you felt we would get another and so it proved although this was a long-range cracker which was ironic after all the lovely football we played. We just kept moving it about and maybe some of the final bits could have been better but on another day, it is 5-0 win really. The most important thing is we won, we kept a clean sheet, we got no injuries, Norwood did not get booked and we move on to another game.
We had 533 to 140 passes and 19 shots to 3 and 11 on target to 0. 217 passes in the final third to 70. That shows the level of domination.
Wilder managed to change a few also and the players that came in did what they had to. I felt Hogan was lively, McGoldrick excellent and Baldock played very well too. Duff was off but scored a worldy! Some of the passing was great again. We did have a bit of a let down for a spell and maybe could have moved it a bit quicker and been a bit more decisive but hard when a team sits with 11/10 behind the ball. The weather also was really poor but we did play good stuff and mostly on the floor and saw of a tricky fixture well. I also thought that we kept our cool despite some poor tactics from the visitors who time wasted all game. It slowed the game down and meant it was hard for us to really keep it being constant pressure although in reality it was in terms of us having nearly the whole of the second half in the Rotherham half. Indeed, other than a 10-15-minute spell of long throws; they did not threaten at all. United just did what they had to do. We saved Billy for Tuesday also and now against a much better side; can hopefully get further confidence. Again, if you had offered me 4 pts from the two games this week I would have been delighted. With 10 to play; Leeds and Norwich both keep winning and it seems we will have to keep this level of form up to get 2nd place. I just hope that whatever happens next week we don’t get too up/down as it will not completely define what happens as there still would be 8 to play. We need to just stay in touch as believe there may be more twists and turns.
