Deadbat_DB
Vital Squad Member
Podcast links to come later and then report below….
---
The Blades recent excellent run came to an end in South London as Millwall completed the league double over United and maintained their own superb form of late. Jake Cooper was once again the nemesis for the Blades, scoring the winner again as he did at the Lane. United never got going at all and were desperately flat barely creating a chance of note all game where the rotation today of players did not work.
United had to make one enforced change with Goode suspended and in came teenager Kyron Gordon for his league debut. There were also three other changes with recalls for McBurnie, Ndiaye and Hourihane with Fleck, Gibbs White and Berge being rested with the sheer number of games seeing the squad rotation continue.
Millwall in contract selected the same starting line up as the one that beat Derby in the week with pace down the side in Burey and Bennett and experience in the middle of the park with Saville and Wallace.
United started the game with a move that led to the ball bouncing through and McBurnie hit it but it was way off target with his body shape all wrong. United knocked it about well and were more of the aggressor but then Millwall sent over a cross that saw Foderingham take the ball and Cooper and Robinson tussled with the home defender trying to take the United’s shirt off his back.
Ndiaye had a couple of good runs before a long punt from Millwall saw the offside flag go up. Burey then tried to go past Egan on the touchline but his dive was theatrical. Gordon had started solidly and sent a good ball over the top for Sharp but the skipper could not get it out of his feet.
Bennett took a knock and had to go off for Evans as Millwall went with a more cautious formation seemingly with no out and out striker outside of Burey.
United had a good spell and were looking to knock it about more than home side whose tactics seemed to be the long ball down the sides to chase and pick up the pieces.
It was a scrappy game though and lacked quality. Indeed, the most likely either side looked like getting a chance or into the box was from a few Millwall free kicks and Robinson’s long throws for the Blades. The game was stop start with free kicks conceded as much as possession.
Burey threw himself to the ground again before at the other end, Gordon linked well with Baldock, with the wing back showing some good skills to get in and centre but it was cleared.
A few unnecessary free kicks were given away from the Blades but the free kick did not give any chances with Wallace’s free kick just over hit. Baldock seemed to pull up and there was real concerns with the recent spate of right sided injuries/suspensions but after treatment was able to carry on the relief of the Blades coaching staff.
United had a spell down the left side and Norrington Davies won a throw and after two attempts to land it into the danger area, the ball fell to Hourihane and his cross was a good one but Egan headed straight at Bialkowski. It was the best, and only chance all game for either side but even this was routine.
Both teams continued to give it away cheaply and Norwood and Ndiaye followed up Evans and Malone in errant passes. Millwall did win a corner, the first of the game, on 37 minutes but Foderingham caught it well. Millwall then put a good cross in but it did not sit and United could clear.
Baldock was then felled after a ball from Gordon sold him a bit short and Ndiaye stupidly got involved with more ill discipline from a United man and after his push into the players face, he got rightly booked.
Hourihane’s delivery outside of the one cross to Egan, had not been great and this continued as he sent it over the bar. Millwall then won a free kick after a Gordon foul but Murray Wallace’s looped header from Jed Wallace’s delivery flicked well over in maybe the only real effort they mustered of note. The half time whistle went after three minutes of stoppage time and a desperately disappointing contest which United shaded but neither keeper had made a save and barely a chance of note created.
The second half saw a continuation of the poor passing and play from both teams with the ball constantly switching possession. United actually had an effort on goal when Robinson’s cross ended up on target and Bialkowski had to tip the ball over.
Ndiaye twice gave the ball away and Baldock blocked his man off as Evans looked to break. The home team then had a good spell and Wallace’s free kick was cleared by Norwood for a corner. United could not clear and McNamara advanced with no challenge before his driven shot flicked off a Blades player and Foderingham made a mess of it and spilt it. Saville returned it across but United cleared it away for another corner.
The Lions were camped into the Blades half for the first time in the game and Ndiaye’s poor day saw him replaced by Gibbs White. United had not really got going at all and Millwall were the better side now. Sharp won a free kick but Norwood’s driven effort failed to cause any issues and was cleared.
Norrington Davies then conceded an unnecessary free kick on the right and this led to the opening goal and from a predictable source. Wallace hit the free kick and as Egan tried to challenge, Hutchinson got a clever block on and this meant not Blades could get out to the dangerman COOPER but he was left completely unmarked and headed in easily. He scores every game against United and so it was always going to be him that scored.
United won a corner at the other end after Norrington Davies grappled with Cooper, the scorer and from it, the ball fell for Norwood who tried a deft lob but it was well over the bar. United at least had a spell and Gordon’s cross fell for Sharp but the striker smashed it miles over into the upper tier with the Blades fans.
Norrington Davies was over zealous again and conceded another foul before Berge came on for Gordon. Cooper won another high ball at the attacking end but this one looped over. United could not get going. Baldock did put over a good cross but Sharp was on his heels and the ball was cleared. The visitors were at least getting it forward but two poor crosses ensued from both wing backs and Millwall took the sting out of the game for a spell.
United had their best chance to get back into the game when Berge played a clever ball through to Gibbs White but he could not quite there and his toed finish on the stretch was saved by Bialkowski quite easily.
The same man then tried to win a free kick but went down theatrically before Fleck came on for Hourihane. The game entered 4 minutes of stoppage time but United never looked like scoring at all and could not even get any dangerous balls into the box despite Egan joining the fray. It had been a desperately disappointing performance from the Blades after a great recent run and the home side did just about enough to merit the victory.
---
The Blades recent excellent run came to an end in South London as Millwall completed the league double over United and maintained their own superb form of late. Jake Cooper was once again the nemesis for the Blades, scoring the winner again as he did at the Lane. United never got going at all and were desperately flat barely creating a chance of note all game where the rotation today of players did not work.
United had to make one enforced change with Goode suspended and in came teenager Kyron Gordon for his league debut. There were also three other changes with recalls for McBurnie, Ndiaye and Hourihane with Fleck, Gibbs White and Berge being rested with the sheer number of games seeing the squad rotation continue.
Millwall in contract selected the same starting line up as the one that beat Derby in the week with pace down the side in Burey and Bennett and experience in the middle of the park with Saville and Wallace.
United started the game with a move that led to the ball bouncing through and McBurnie hit it but it was way off target with his body shape all wrong. United knocked it about well and were more of the aggressor but then Millwall sent over a cross that saw Foderingham take the ball and Cooper and Robinson tussled with the home defender trying to take the United’s shirt off his back.
Ndiaye had a couple of good runs before a long punt from Millwall saw the offside flag go up. Burey then tried to go past Egan on the touchline but his dive was theatrical. Gordon had started solidly and sent a good ball over the top for Sharp but the skipper could not get it out of his feet.
Bennett took a knock and had to go off for Evans as Millwall went with a more cautious formation seemingly with no out and out striker outside of Burey.
United had a good spell and were looking to knock it about more than home side whose tactics seemed to be the long ball down the sides to chase and pick up the pieces.
It was a scrappy game though and lacked quality. Indeed, the most likely either side looked like getting a chance or into the box was from a few Millwall free kicks and Robinson’s long throws for the Blades. The game was stop start with free kicks conceded as much as possession.
Burey threw himself to the ground again before at the other end, Gordon linked well with Baldock, with the wing back showing some good skills to get in and centre but it was cleared.
A few unnecessary free kicks were given away from the Blades but the free kick did not give any chances with Wallace’s free kick just over hit. Baldock seemed to pull up and there was real concerns with the recent spate of right sided injuries/suspensions but after treatment was able to carry on the relief of the Blades coaching staff.
United had a spell down the left side and Norrington Davies won a throw and after two attempts to land it into the danger area, the ball fell to Hourihane and his cross was a good one but Egan headed straight at Bialkowski. It was the best, and only chance all game for either side but even this was routine.
Both teams continued to give it away cheaply and Norwood and Ndiaye followed up Evans and Malone in errant passes. Millwall did win a corner, the first of the game, on 37 minutes but Foderingham caught it well. Millwall then put a good cross in but it did not sit and United could clear.
Baldock was then felled after a ball from Gordon sold him a bit short and Ndiaye stupidly got involved with more ill discipline from a United man and after his push into the players face, he got rightly booked.
Hourihane’s delivery outside of the one cross to Egan, had not been great and this continued as he sent it over the bar. Millwall then won a free kick after a Gordon foul but Murray Wallace’s looped header from Jed Wallace’s delivery flicked well over in maybe the only real effort they mustered of note. The half time whistle went after three minutes of stoppage time and a desperately disappointing contest which United shaded but neither keeper had made a save and barely a chance of note created.
The second half saw a continuation of the poor passing and play from both teams with the ball constantly switching possession. United actually had an effort on goal when Robinson’s cross ended up on target and Bialkowski had to tip the ball over.
Ndiaye twice gave the ball away and Baldock blocked his man off as Evans looked to break. The home team then had a good spell and Wallace’s free kick was cleared by Norwood for a corner. United could not clear and McNamara advanced with no challenge before his driven shot flicked off a Blades player and Foderingham made a mess of it and spilt it. Saville returned it across but United cleared it away for another corner.
The Lions were camped into the Blades half for the first time in the game and Ndiaye’s poor day saw him replaced by Gibbs White. United had not really got going at all and Millwall were the better side now. Sharp won a free kick but Norwood’s driven effort failed to cause any issues and was cleared.
Norrington Davies then conceded an unnecessary free kick on the right and this led to the opening goal and from a predictable source. Wallace hit the free kick and as Egan tried to challenge, Hutchinson got a clever block on and this meant not Blades could get out to the dangerman COOPER but he was left completely unmarked and headed in easily. He scores every game against United and so it was always going to be him that scored.
United won a corner at the other end after Norrington Davies grappled with Cooper, the scorer and from it, the ball fell for Norwood who tried a deft lob but it was well over the bar. United at least had a spell and Gordon’s cross fell for Sharp but the striker smashed it miles over into the upper tier with the Blades fans.
Norrington Davies was over zealous again and conceded another foul before Berge came on for Gordon. Cooper won another high ball at the attacking end but this one looped over. United could not get going. Baldock did put over a good cross but Sharp was on his heels and the ball was cleared. The visitors were at least getting it forward but two poor crosses ensued from both wing backs and Millwall took the sting out of the game for a spell.
United had their best chance to get back into the game when Berge played a clever ball through to Gibbs White but he could not quite there and his toed finish on the stretch was saved by Bialkowski quite easily.
The same man then tried to win a free kick but went down theatrically before Fleck came on for Hourihane. The game entered 4 minutes of stoppage time but United never looked like scoring at all and could not even get any dangerous balls into the box despite Egan joining the fray. It had been a desperately disappointing performance from the Blades after a great recent run and the home side did just about enough to merit the victory.