Sheff Utd Second Half

By: Tony Butcher
Date: 23/04/2001

Grimsby Town 0 Sheffield United 1

No substitutions were made by either team at half time, though Town did appear to let Donovan wander along the front line, with three in midfield. And it wasn't Town who started quickly. The Blades ran off down the Town left and won a corner, which was flung in to the near post, about 10 yards out, and flicked on. A defender, unmarked, headed down towards the centre of goal and a melee followed as a united attacker chested the ball. Coyne punched the ball out as bodies flew in.

Town ran around a bit faster for 5 or 6 minutes, but were essentially clueless when they got to the edge of the Sheffield area. There were brief moments when players were almost free, but misplaced passes and general doziness snuffed out any excitement.

The only thing that kept the crowd awake was the Pontoon's baying at the United 'keeper, who had put his make-up bag against the right hand post, right up against the goal-line. There were even protests to the stewards! Incredibly it worked as the steward sent a message to Central Steward Control, who told the 4th official, who instructed the goalie to move it. He did, but only but only by a few inches and he kept edging it back to the line. At least it distracted us from the dire stuff with the ball. As some in the Pontoon sang "Where's your Citroen gone". Now there's obtuse!

After 6 or 7 minutes of the second half Town had another shot. Cornwall received a throw in on the right edge of the United penalty area. He bundled through two challenges and from a narrow angle 9 or 10 yards out smacked a left footed drive across the 'keeper, who parried past his left hand post for a corner. A few minutes later Cornwall again tricked and bundled his way down the left. He looked up and pulled the ball back to Donovan, about 12 yards out, to the left of centre of the goal. Donovan decided to flip the ball up with his left foot, spin around and crash a sensational volley into the top left hand corner. The crowd would simply melt in adoration. No, that didn't happen. Donovan flipped the ball up and tapped it pathetically at a Sheffield knee. I can't remember United doing anything much in attack during the first 15 minutes of the second half. They just filtered back and blocked off Town.

After 10 minutes Willems was put out of our misery and replaced. By Butterfield. So perhaps that's a substitute misery. Butterfield played in the centre right of midfield and touched the ball in the 66th minute when the ball cannoned off his shins for a Sheffield goal kick. All Town's most dangerous attacks were coming down the left, with Campbell fitfully effective and Cornwall being a right pest to Sheffield. Just past the hour Livingstone had a great chance, which he fluffed really. No doubt the press will commend the 'keeper for a fine save, but Livvo failed. Campbell nipped inside, twisted, turned and laid the ball off to the unmarked Livingstone, about 8 or 9 yards out, to the left of goal. Livvo hit a softish shot straight at the goalkeeper, who parried away easily. There were a couple of Town players unmarked towards the centre and right of the goal.

A couple of minutes after the Livvo chance Sheffield United should have scored again. Handyside intercepted a channel ball down the Town left, He then tried to trick his way past two United players. He didn't. Devlin nicked the ball off his toe and passed forward to Ndlovu, who surged forward into the penalty area and drove the ball under and past Coyne, but into the left side netting. Handyside had that Space Cadet glow again.

The game then had 10 minutes of shocking, totally forgettable airball. No feet involved. The only Town player who looked remotely threatening was Cornwall, he had some trickery, some desire and pace. So of course he was replaced by Jeffrey, with D Smith coming on for Pouton. Elements of the crowd booed the Pouton substitution, but apart from a couple of surges down the left he'd been awful. The early booking seemed to act as sedative. D Smith played as a sort of left side central midfielder, I think. It is difficult to work out what formation Town were playing as they were scattered crazily over the pitch, at times like schoolboys all chasing the ball. All it needed was the Benny Hill music to complete the effect. Perhaps it was the collapsing soufflé formation.

For 5 minutes D Smith looked like an inspired substitution. He added drive, verve, zest, vim and vigour. Town started to pass and move through midfield and tore United apart. The crowd started to roar a bit. Not a lot, just a bit. D Smith started a move in midfield by nicking the ball of Ford (I think), the ball was played first time through Jeffrey, Butterfield, McDermott and Donovan. The ball eventually fell to Livingstone, outside the area. He hit a rubbish shot over the 'keeper's right hand post, when he should have fed the ball out to Campbell on the left. After another flowing Town move involving one touch passes and movement, McDermott fizzed a volleyed cross through the 6 yard box, just in front of Jeffrey. Jeffrey dived in and got to the ball in front of Talia on the bye-line, 12 yards to the left of goal. He flipped the ball up and crossed into the centre of the 6-yard box, just in front of Groves. D Smith volleyed the clearance over the Pontoon. D Smith then twice burst through midfield and hit awful crosses into the Pontoon. Great play, rubbish foot. Donovan received the ball a lot more in the last 15 minutes and, through a statistical quirk, actually created something dangerous. He dribbled down the right touchline and crossed to Livvo, unmarked 8 yards out at the far post. Livvo headed very weakly straight to the 'keeper.

That's just about all the Town pressure. A brief surge of excitement when Jeffrey and D Smith came on (yes, it was that desperate), as they were the catalyst for some one touch passing and movement. Prior to that Town had been nothing short of disgracefully disinterested. Oh yeah, the United 'keeper was booked for time wasting.

Oh, you are waiting for me to say then this happened then that happened and the game ended. Well it did after 3 minutes of very boring extra time. Town never looked like scoring. Sheffield had a few breakaways which looked very dangerous and I recall Coyne making one save after Handyside half blocked and Ndlovu shot. The game was a typical end-of-April- neither-team-has-anything-to-play-for match. But Town have, still. The signs were there at 5 o'clock on Monday. The way the players celebrated the West Brom win showed that they thought that they'd made themselves safe and the holiday was about to begin. The three big wins were all down to the players' attitude, and so was this pathetic, almost insulting display. Half way through the second half, after a shambolic series of mishaps, Groves and McDermott tried to organise, energise and motivate the rest. No one looked at them.

A list of guilty men could follow, but would be, like Town, pointless. Just think of all the faults that the individuals have. They showed them in spades today. Town were lucky to get the 0, Sheffield, without doing much, should have won by more. The crowd returned to its old silent way, the only noise generated was reactive to Sheffield players, or the occasional gratuitous insult to their fans. Nothing was supportive of the players or team. A poor effort by all at Blundell Park.

After the game Morrison took his shirt off and displayed his flesh to the Stones/Smiths/Findus, generally acting like Livvo did at West Brom. He may be Mr Tubby, but he won every header and the three points were in his pocket.

After the game the crowd trouped out muttering about how bad Town had been and that "we're probably safe". Probably isn't good enough, is it. The players only had to try for another 90 minutes this season, they should have done it today. It's not over yet.

Nick0's Man of the Match - I am very tempted to go for Stacy Coldicott, as he was sorely missed and his value became obvious to everyone. Of those on the pitch, McDermott and Groves were the only ones who lasted 90 minutes to give a semi-decent performance. I'll settle for Groves who, despite his slip for the goal (I think he was guilty of losing concentration), was otherwise fine, making some very important interceptions, tackles and generally covering for the strangely wayward Scot.

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