rifleman_lincoln

Sheffield United 1 - 2 Wrexham

Another terribly dull match I’m afraid!

I don’t mind losing if the performance has been good, there’s been good effort on the part of the players and there’s some entertainment value . . . but this was, well, another dull match in a disappointing season.

For some strange reason (afterwards folk were saying it was because the owners were in attendance) there was a light show, fireworks and smoke jets let off before kick-off (yes . . . in bright sunshine at 3.00 pm!!) which meant that the first ten minutes of the game were only partly visible due to the smoke lingering. That was fun!

To begin with, both teams were moving the ball around very well and we should have been a goal up when Patrick Bamford fired past the Wrexham goalkeeper, but somehow (one of those how did he miss that?! moments) the ball ended up in the side netting. Gus Hamer scored a lovely goal with a headed finish, but the off-side flag had already gone up.

As the second half started, Josh Windass scored for Wrexham, but again the off-side flag was against him. Then the ball was played across goal and Patrick Bamford’s very good effort was somehow parried by the goalkeeper, but André Brooks was there for the rebound and hit a powerful shot, to put the Blades ahead.

But the lead lasted only six minutes as the Blades players went to sleep and allowed Wrexham’s Sam Smith to run all the way down the left side unchallenged, to cross to Josh Windass, who scored. (Being an ex-Sheffield Wednesday player, that really didn’t go down too well). Very poor defending, I’m afraid.

Wrexham’s second goal was quite similar. Issa Kaboré ran at the goal, again unchallenged, crossed over a very good ball which Sam Smith guided down to score Wrexham’s second goal.

In mitigation, it was difficult to defend with a lot of ‘wrestling’ going on – look at this picture with a corner coming in. Japhet Tanganga has been wrestled to the floor and Tyler Bindon’s being held in a stranglehold so he can’t jump . . .

However, we should show more character and fight off things like this; we just look a bit soft otherwise. It seems that many teams who should be second best to the Blades, know that if they’re only one goal down, or level, they only have to wait until our unfit and unwilling players tire, and then they can pick us off. We just seem to fade out and throw games away.

Anyway, I think we’re safe from relegation (famous last words!!) now, but it will definitely be a lower half of the table finish now.

No game next weekend as it’s an international weekend, the next game is on Good Friday, at home against Swansea.