November 2008

Blades Line-up: Kenny, Naughton, Kilgallon, Morgan, Naysmith, Halford (Henderson 79), Spring (Dyer 72), Howard, Quinn, Sharp (Webber 62), Beattie.

Man of The Match: Gary Naysmith.

Ipswich Line-up: Richard Wright, Volz, McAuley, Bruce, David Wright, Norris, Miller (Naylor 82), Shumulikoski, Ambrose (Quinn 75), Stead (Lisbie 90), Counago.

Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire).

A James Beattie penalty rescued a point for Sheffield United as the Blades earned a 1-1 draw with Championship rivals Ipswich at Portman Road.

United went into the match with one change from Tuesdays starting line up. Mathew Spring came in for the injured Gary Speed. Ipswich manager Jim Magilton made four changes to his line-up with Moritz Volz, Gareth McAuley, David Norris and Tommy Miller returning to the side.

Billy Sharp tested Richard Wright in the Ipswich goal from 18 yards with a half-volley on four minutes, as United started the brighter side. Jon Stead saw his shot blocked by Chris Morgan after 15 minutes from just inside the Blades 18 yard box, the ball spinning wide. Two minutes later, Morgan tried his luck with a back heel from a Matt Kilgallon flick on, forcing Wright to catch under his own crossbar, and then Brian Howard fired just over from 30 yards after a neat turn in the midfield. After 20 minutes, a through ball from Danny Haynes fed Norris, and he fired across goal under pressure from Morgan with a shot that clipped the outside of the post. Pablo Counago went even closer on 27 minutes when a deflection off Kilgallon gave the Spanish striker a excellent chance, and his snap shot from 20 yards cannoned back off the inside of the post. The Blades should have taken the lead on the half hour mark when Howard headed over from Stephen Quinn's cross six yards out. But six minutes before the break the Tractor Boys went ahead. Stead went storming down the right wing and crossed the ball which inadvertently hit Kilgallon’s arm as it entered the 18 yard box, play continued until the referee saw the linesman furiously flagging, and then pointed to the spot. From the resulting penalty, Miller sent goalkeeper Paddy Kenny the wrong way to give the home side the lead. Beattie half-volleyed over as Blades pressed for an early equaliser in the second half, and it took a flying save from Kenny to stop the Tractor Boys extending the lead from Volz's left foot effort from about 25 yards out. The Blades made a change after 62 minutes when Danny Webber replaced Billy Sharp. Just after, Quinn raced down the left flank for United, and crossed for Webber, but Ipswich defender McAuley got there in time to head behind from close to the near post. From Howards corner, Kilgallon must have thought he had scored, only for goalkeeper Richard Wright to somehow push the ball behind with a point black one handed save. At the other end, Stead had two shots saved by Kenny, and then Blades manager Kevin Blackwell made a flurry of substitutions with Nathan Dyer replacing Spring and seven minutes later, Darius Henderson coming on for Greg Halford as the final ten minutes approched. United were struggling to make headway, but with 90 minutes on the clock, the ball dropped kindly for Beattie on the edge of the Ipswich 18 yard box, and his shot hit Ipswich substitute Alan Quinn on his raised hand. After a moments pause the referee saw the same linesman flagging, and awarded a penalty for hand ball.

Beattie dispatched the penalty with ease, firing into the top right corner and giving Wright no chance, before reeling away to celebrate with the Blades faithful. It has to be said, a point at Ipswich is a good result, and hopefully we can build on this when Burnley visit the Lane next weekend in a crunch match between the 4th and 5th placed side in the Championship. We need to win this one!

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Ipswich: Kenny 6 , Naughton 7 , Kilgallon 6 , Morgan 6 , Naysmith 7 , Halford 6 , Spring 6 , Dyer 6 , Howard 7 , Quinn 7 , Sharp 6 , Webber 6 , Beattie 7 , Henderson 6 .

Assistant boss Sam Ellis has confirmed there will be no players arriving on loan before the January transfer window opens. Ellis believes the Blades are well-placed to step up their promotion challenge over the Christmas period, with no long-term injuries or anybody ruled out through suspension.

He said: "You can take it from me that there will be no ins or outs in the near future. "We don't have any injuries or suspensions to worry about now so there is no need to do anything during the next month before the window opens. "We have more players at our disposal this week than last and December is a very busy month in terms of fixtures, with seven between now and the end of the year. "But, with virtually everyone fit and available, that's a strong position to be in and if we start to get our share of breaks then we are in a good position to take advantage of them."

Sam Ellis claims Sheffield United were not surprised by the outcome of the FA ruling into Chris Morgan's challenge on Iain Hume. United defender Morgan left Barnsley striker Hume with a fractured skull following a clash during the local derby at Oakwell on November 8. Hume has since been readmitted to hospital but Morgan, who was booked at the time, escaped any more punishment after the FA confirmed they would not take further action. "It's not a relief, because we never expected it (to be any different)," said Ellis after Tuesday night's defeat by Wolves. "The referee made a decision, and the FA have made a decision. "We're very sorry that Iain Hume is back in hospital again, because we don't like that - and we don't like the suffering the kid has had."

Assistant boss Sam Ellis felt United were robbed of a goal that could have changed the course of their 3-1 defeat at home to Wolves

The Blades were trailing 1-0 at the interval in Tuesday night's clash with the Championship leaders at Bramall Lane, courtesy of Chris Iwelumo's 12th league goal of the season, from a narrow angle after just five minutes. But one of the main talking points of an entertaining clash between two in-form teams both fighting for promotion occurred shortly after the restart. Brian Howard's inswinging corner to the near post appeared to be clawed back from the behind the line by substitute goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, but the goal was not given. Within minutes, Wolves had raced into a 3-0 lead - thanks to Iwelumo's second and a strike from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, before Matthew Spring's consolation. Ellis, who stood in at the post-match press conference for boss Kevin Blackwell, was adamant the ball crossed the line. "It was in - there's no doubt about it. It was over the line," he said. "At 1-0, that makes it a different game. So as far as we are concerned, luck hasn't gone our way - and that happens. "We've seen a replay, and it's over the line." Ellis nonetheless remained upbeat about United's overall display. "We were quite pleased with our performance," he added. "We felt we played our part in the game, and it was maybe hesitancy on our part (for the first goal); then maybe it was a decision that was out of our control that sent the game the way it did."

Blades Line-up: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Kilgallon, Naysmith, Halford, Howard, Speed (Spring 11), Quinn (Webber 61), Beattie, Sharp (Henderson 65).

Man of The Match: Kyle Naughton.

Wolves Line-up: Ikeme (Hennessey 41), Foley, Collins, Stearman, Ward, Kightly, Henry, Jones (Shackell 46), Edwards (Friend 16), Ebanks-Blake, Iwelumo.

Referee: Graham Laws (Tyne & Wear).

Wolves maintained their six-point advantage at the top of the Championship with a 3-1 controversial victory over Sheffield United at the Lane.

Blades mamager Kevin Blackwell made one change to his side with Gary Naysmith replacing Sun Jihai. Wolves had Karl Henry back after his ban and taking the place of Michael Gray. The game kicked off with United attacking the Bramall Lane end, and Wolves got off to a flying start by taking the lead within five minutes. Michael Kightly threaded a short through ball to Chris Iwelumo who held off two defenders before beating goalkeeper Paddy Kenny from the acutest of angles. Within a minute the Blades had a chance to respond when Stephen Quinn sent a through ball to Billy Sharp but Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme was quickly off his line to make a vital block. Striker James Beattie then hit the wall with a free-kick and from Kyle Naughton's cross. United midfielder Gary Speed limped off with just 11 minutes gone, and then David Edwards went down after a challenge from Naughton. After lengthy treatment the Welsh international was wheeled away on a stretcher to be replaced by George Friend. Before Friend had run onto the field, Neill Collins went close with a header when Michael Kightly lifted over the free-kick awarded following Naughton's foul. Back to the other end and, Brian Howard twice went close, firstly flicking wide from a Greg Halford throw and then firing a free-kick at the goalkeeper. Kightly was only just wide of the mark for Wolves with a drive from the edge of the box after some clever footwork had left Chris Morgan struggling. But the Blades were piling on the pressure and four dangerous crosses in succession had to be dealt with by the visitors with Richard Stearman and Collins in the thick of things. Ikeme made a magnificent reflex save in the 35th minute when he touched the ball over after Matt Kilgallon had hit Halford's long throw on the volley from about ten-yards out. Four minutes before the break Ikeme collected a cross and then threw the ball out as he slumped to the floor in obvious pain. He too was carried off on a stretcher with Wayne Hennessey taking his place in goal. As half-time beckoned, Kevin Foley went into the book for a foul on Quinn but Beattie's free-kick was both high and wide. Wolves made a substitution at the start of the second half with Jason Shackell replacing Dave Jones. But The Blades came storming out and started to put the Wolves goal under increasing pressure. In the 49th minute there was massive controversy, when Howard delivered a corner which caused a scramble at the near post but the referee waved play on after the linesman had indicated the ball hadn't crossed the line. It was clear from on the Shoreham Kop that the ball was over the line, and the fans let the Linesman know what they thought of his decision. There was a chance for Beattie after he had intercepted Stearman's intended pass to Collins but Hennessey threw himself to his right to turn the ball behind. But on 59 minutes the visitors made it 2-0 when Henry broke down the left channel and his cross was expertly volleyed into the top corner by Iwelumo from 10 yards out giving Kenny no chance. It was harsh on United who had competed well and had faced a referee and bungling linesman who had given every decision to the visitors, and the fans on the Kop show their dissatisfaction by chanting ‘2-0 o the referee’ Blackwell threw on Danny Webber in place of Quinn, but the next move saw Wolves add a third. Wolves midfielder Kightly collected a return pass from Iwelumo and found Sylvan Ebanks-Blake who lashed the ball past Kenny. Hennessey dived full length to push out a 25-yard free-kick from Beattie before United reduced the deficit with 15 minutes remaining. Halford's long throw was only half cleared and substitute Matthew Spring fired home via the inside of the post. Hennessey was soon in action again after Foley had conceded a free-kick for a foul on Naughton just outside the area. This time Howard tried his luck but the Wolves keeper made another fine save to turn the ball away. Moments later, Naughton did well to deflect away Kightly's driven cross into the six-yard box.

Wolves twice went close to a fourth goal with Collins' header bouncing off the bar following a Kightly corner and Ebanks-Blake firing a foot wide of the far post after holding off Morgan's challenge. In the 89th minute Blades substitute Darius Henderson headed against the bar after a Howard corner and at the other end Collins hit the bar from a Kightly corner. So it was a disappointing result which was compounded by poor refereeing and an incompetent linesman in front of the South Stand. Had the perfectly good goal that was disallowed being awarded who knows what the outcome would have been. As for Wolves they did not look as good as the Reading side which visited the Lane a few weeks back.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Wolves: Kenny 6 , Naughton 7 , Morgan 6 , Kilgallon 6 , Naysmith 6 , Halford 7 , Howard 6 , Speed 5 , Spring 7 , Quinn 6 , Webber 6 , Beattie 6 , Sharp 6 .

United boss Kevin Blackwell reckons Kyle Naughton's partnership with on-loan Greg Halford could develop into a potent force down the right-hand side. Halford, on a season-long loan from Sunderland, justified Blackwell's decision to recall him on Saturday with an impressive display at Charlton, where he linked well with England Under-21 international Naughton. Blackwell said: "We had known all about Greg for a while before we brought him here and, although he did not have a good time at Reading, we knew we would be getting a player with more than just a long throw. "His delivery and workrate on Saturday were good and we saw that he and Kyle Naughton are capable of forming a nice little link down the right. "We are trying to get more flexibility into our play and those two are capable of switching positions and causing problems until we decide to switch again."

Blades Line-up: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Kilgallon, Sun (Naysmith 79), Halford, Speed, Howard, Quinn, Beattie (Henderson 54), Sharp (Webber 62).

Man of The Match: Greg Halford.

Charlton Line-up: Weaver, Moutaouakil, Primus, Hudson, Youga (Waghorn 52), Sam, Semedo, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza, Gray (Todorov 62).

Scoers: Primus 17, Bouazza 56.

Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset).

Sheffield United recorded their best away scoring performance since November 2002, with an emphatic 5-2 win against Charlton at the Valley.

Kevin Blackwell brought back Greg Halford and Billy Sharp with Matthew Spring and Anthony Stokes making way, with United lining up in a 4-4-2 formation. Charlton were unchanged from last week at Birmingham, and lined up with a 4-5-1 system. In the first couple minutes of the game United tested the home side with some Halford long throws-ins. The Addicks carved out the first opening of the afternoon in the third minute. Midfielder Hameur Bouazza got round the back of Sun Jihai on the left and sent a dangerous low cross to Andy Gray, only for Matt Kilgallon to produce a critical block for the Blades. After seven minutes United went ahead, Halford was the instigator on the right-hand side as Bouazza hesitated critically in his own box; the winger picked his pocket and teed up James Beattie to score through a melee of players from about 10 yards out. Soon after, Gray turned quickly and beat Chris Morgan after a Linvoy Primus free-kick, and warmed the gloves of Blades goalkeeper Paddy Kenny in the 12th minute. It was almost 2-0 to United minutes later when thanks to a deflection off Brian Howard, the ball dropped to Halford about 40 yards out, and he produced a lofted attempt from the right flank which came down off the underside of the bar and incredibly bounced off the goal-line and out. The Addicks hauled themselves level in the 16th minute as Primus finally opened his goal scoring account for the club. Nicky Bailey swung in a free-kick from the right and big defender found he was totally unmarked and beat Kenny with a header from close range. But another goal for United was to follow after 29 minutes; Halford was too quick for Jose Semedo who fouled the Blades winger. From the resulting free-kick, Howard delivered the ball into the danger zone, and Gary Speed got the slightest of touches to his diving header and put the ball beyond the desperate dive of Nicky Weaver in the Charlton goal. Just after the hour mark Charlton had a good chance to level the match. From Bailey's free-kick, Primus rose and powered in a header at Kenny and the Blades keeper palmed the ball away to his left. Bailey volleyed wide for the Addicks in the 38th minute, and then Bouazza negotiated his way through the Blades defence, before lashing a shot just off target from a narrow angle. At the other end, Sharp spun to shoot across the face of goal and wide, after a slip from right-back Yassin Moutaouakil. Just before the break, Kylie Naughton delivered a ball from a corner, and Weaver dropped the ball under pressure from Halford much to the delight of the travelling faithful behind the goal. Kilgallon reacted smartly to hook the loose ball home from the edge of the box and make it 3-1 at half-time. As the second-half started the action quickly switched to the other end as the Blades made it 4-1 on 48 minutes. Halford's long throw was touched on by Morgan and Youga knew little about deflecting the ball past Weaver for United's fourth goal.

Moments later it was almost five as Sharp spun and shot wide, and that was enough for manager Alan Pardew who summoned Martyn Waghorn for his debut, in place of Youga, with Semedo switching to left-back. But it couldn't stem the flow as the Blades struck again on 54 minutes. Howard sent in a fine cross from the right and Stephen Quinn, in yards of space on the left of the area, connected with a volley that flew past Weaver and in to the bottom corner. Beattie made way for Darius Henderson before the Addicks pulled a goal back in the 56th minute after Waghorn's first significant contribution. The striker’s reversed pass freed Lloyd Sam on the right and his low cross was swept in by Bouazza to make it 5-2. Svetoslav Todorov replaced Gray for Charlton and Danny Webber came on for Sharp for the Blades. The home side went close again in the 64th minute as Primus; up for a free-kick saw his acrobatic volley saved by Kenny. Quinn was unchallenged again on the left, and he volleyed in to the side netting while Primus got in a defensive header with Henderson lurking behind him.

After 77 minutes, Webber latched on to Morgan's nod down and lofted a shot wide, and Halford curled a free-kick over the bar as the clock ticked down. Gary Naysmith was introduced in an attempt to strengthen the defence but the home side only minimally threatened the United goal. Late on, the Blades should have added a sixth goal when Henderson fired wide and had another effort saved by Weaver after creating good openings. A superb all round performance.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Charlton: Kenny 7 , Naughton 7 , Morgan 7 , Kilgallon 7, Sun 7, Naysmith 7 , Halford 8 , Speed 7 , Howard 7 , Quinn 8 , Beattie 7 , Henderson 7 , Sharp 7 , Webber 7 .

Kyle Naughton has the potential to reach the very top if he does not ease up, according to Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell. The 20-year-old full-back made his debut for England Under-21s as a second half substitute in the friendly match against the Czech Republic at the Lane on Tuesday night. Blackwell, who handed Naughton his first-team debut in September, said: "He can get bigger, get stronger, get quicker. He can't just sit there thinking that he has made it. An opportunity like this could be the beginning of an exciting run. "If you stand still in this game, you get passed, but Kyle is capable of keeping going and passing many others on the way if he applies himself." Naughton spent four months on loan at Gretna last season and Blackwell believes that experience has been a big factor in his development. Blackwell added: "Kyle has been developing nicely for about 18 months, not just the last few weeks in our first team."

Kevin Blackwell has admitted it would have been easy for him to pull Chris Morgan out of the firing line against Reading at the weekend.

Morgan has come under fire after leaving Barnsley striker Iain Hume with a fractured skull in United's 2-1 win over the Tykes on 8th November. However, the experienced defender played the full 90 minutes against the Royals at the weekend - a display Blackwell believes deserves praise. "It's been a difficult week for everyone and for no-one more so than Humey," he told the Sheffield Star. "But Chris is a great leader, a great skipper and a first-class lad too. "We know that here and they know it at Barnsley. I never thought about leaving him out. "He is careful about what he does on and off the pitch."

Blades Line-up: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Kilgallon, Sun, Spring (Sharp 45), Howard, Speed, Quinn (Halford 45), Beattie, Stokes (Henderson 79).

Man of The Match: Chris Morgan.

Reading Line-up: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Bikey, Ingimarsson, Armstrong, Cisse, Kebe (Gunnarsson 68), Harper, Stephen Hunt, Doyle, Noel Hunt (Long 76).

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).

The Blades finally lost their unbeaten home record after going 2-0 to Reading at the Lane. Kevin Blackwell made two changes from the team that beat Barnsley last weekend, with Ugo Ehiogu suspended, and Danny Webber missing out after picking up an injury in training. Matt Kilgallon was brought back into the centre of defence and Brian Howard was added to the midfield, allowing Alan Quinn to play an advanced role with James Beattie and Anthony Stokes. Chris Morgan conceded the game's first corner in the second minute when he kept Royals striker Kevin Doyle out, but from Stephen Hunt's delivery Andre Bikey was given space and volleyed over from eight yards out. After five minutes Reading grabbed the lead, Doyle received a throw-in on the left, and turned inside his man. He played a low ball into the feet of Kalifa Cisse, who side-footed home into the roof of the net from 16 yards. United looked for a quick response, but Stokes was rightly booked for a dive as he approached the edge of the six yard box, then Bikey cleared a looping cross from under the bar. The Blades then had a fair amount of possession, but could not do anything of note with the ball. They were clearly missing the attacking prowess of Webber, and lacked real width continually losing possession in midfield much to the frustration of the Lane faithful. Reading put together another move of note after 34 minutes involving the impressive Cisse and Doyle, but James Harper's long range effort from outside the 18 yard box was too close to Blades goalkeeper Paddy Kenny. United were second best through the half, but had two chances in quick succession, when Doyle was forced to head clear from inside his own six-yard box and from the resulting corner Stokes and Kilgallon were unable to turn the ball goal-wards despite Hahnemann losing sight of the ball. But, just before the break the Royals made it 2-0. Noel Hunt won a free kick down the right hand side, and quickly crossed into the danger area by Stephen Hunt. Doyle was on hand at the near post and stooped low to head home under pressure from Sun Jihai. Blackwell made two changes after the break, and brought on striker Billy Sharp replacing Matthew Spring and Greg Halford replaced Stephen Quinn on the right wing. United began the second half on the front foot, attacking the Bramall Lane end. And three minutes had elapsed, Sharp crossed and Beattie turned the ball towards goal but Marcus Hahnemann in the reading goal was down quickly to push the ball away. Halford’s probing run ended with a shot which was blocked, and minutes later, Beattie's effort hit the post, and Royals defender Ivar Ingimarsson nearly scored in his own net as he attempted to clear the ball. Stokes put a chance wide, and Brian Howard fired straight at Hahnemann. Indeed, United had pushed the visitors back for the first 15 minutes of the second half, but the Royals defended well and stood firm. United then seemed to run out of ideas and there was little real action. But United had some defending to do when Stephen Hunt ran into the Blades 18 yard box, and his pass was blocked by Morgan. After 79 minutes, substitute Darius Henderson replaced Stokes, and United were on the attack when Sun crossed for Beattie to head over. Sharp then tried his luck from range, but it was deflected wide. At the other end, Harper side footed straight at Kenny from 12 yards out. Late on, Sharp was denied by another good save from Hahnemann, and Howard put a good chance over. So, United’s home record has finally gone, and defeat will serve as a reminder that we don’t have a divine right to finish in the top two, and some work still has to be done if we are to do to be regarded as automatic promotion material. And Blades will face another difficult test when Wolves visit the Lane in ten days time.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Reading: Kenny 6 , Naughton 7 , Morgan 7 , Kilgallon 6 , Sun 6 , Spring 5 , Howard 6 , Speed 5 , Quinn 6 , Halford 7 , Beattie 6 , Stokes 5 , Sharp 6 , Henderson 6 .

Blades Line-up: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Ehiogu, Quinn (Montgomery 87), Sun, Speed, Spring, Stokes (Kilgallon 32), Beattie, Webber (Halford 73).

Sent Off: Ehiogu (29 - violent conduct).

Man of The Match: James Beattie. see bottom of page.

Barnsley Line-up: Muller, Hassell (Odejayi 68), Moore, Guedes, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Colace (Rigters 90), De Silva, Devaney, Whaley, Hume (Mostto 35).

Sent Off: De Silva (29 - violent conduct).

Referee: Andy D'Urso (Essex).

Two goals from James Beattie helped Sheffield United to valuable 2-1 victory at Barnsley in a pulsating championship encounter in poor conditions. Blades manager Kevin Blackwell named an unchanged line-up, with Billy Sharp on the bench. Tykes manager Simon Davey made a couple of changes with Bobby Hassell and Simon Whaley coming into the side. The game kicked off in overcast blustery conditions, and within minutes of the start the first tough tackle went in, when Barnsley full-back Rob Kozluk fouled Stephen Quinn on the half way line.The first chance went to Barnsley after eight minutes had elapsed. Martin Devaney beat Sun Jihai on the right wing and crossed for Iain Hume, but Blades goalkeeper Paddy Kenny was in the right place to make a fine save. Anderson de Silva then fired a shot two minutes later from 30 yards out, but his low drive flew well wide of the United goal. Then, Hassell caused problems for the Blades back line as he broke down the right to cross for Whaley at the back post, but the Barnsley debutant saw his shot blocked after turning past full-back Kyle Naughton. After 14 minutes, Quinn crossed from the left flank, and Beattie headed into the side netting. And three minutes later, Quinn crossed again and Anthony Stokes had a great chance at the far post but Hassell headed clear. United continued the pressure and Quinn found Stokes once more, and he curled a shot past the post with Barnsley goalkeeper Heinz Muller looking on. But, the Blades dominance finally paid off after 20 minutes. Quinn sent Webber on a run into the Barnsley 18 yard box, and Webber turned quickly beating Hugo Colace and then pulling the ball across the face of goal for Beattie to tap in. With the chant of ‘Beattie’ ringing around Oakwell, the Lane marksman went close again. Full-back Naughton crossed and Darren Moore headed clear, but Beattie pounced on the loose ball on the edge of the box and produced a half-volley which Muller did well to turn around the post. Devaney had a chance for the Tykes after 27 minutes, first Moore flicked Kozluk's long throw into his path and the winger who produced a diving header which went wide of Kenny's post. Controversy struck the half hour when Ehiogu and Anderson were involved in a tussle on the edge of the area as the pair waited for a free kick. After a tangle, both players tried to throw head butts at each other, and the referee immediately showed a red card to both players. Soon after Chris Morgan fouled Hume from behind as the pair went for the ball in a crunching challenge, and then Argentinean midfielder Colace fired over for Barnsley. United made a substitution after 33 minutes when Matt Kilgallon replaced Stokes in an enforced tactical switch. And then the home side made their substitution when Miguel Mostto came on for Hume. Just before the break, Whaley delivered a free kick for Colace who volleyed straight at goal, and Kenny made a fine save. Jamal Campbell-Ryce then went close in stoppage time for Barnsley, as he brought a save from Kenny with a long range shot. Barnsley came out flying early in the second half. After 51 minutes, Kozluk was through on goal but again Kenny managed to parry from point blank range. And a few minutes later, Mostto met Hassell's cross, and saw his looping header go just over. The home side had a penalty claim turned down after 63 minutes, when Morgan and Moore clashed from a Kozluk free-kick. Barnsley then had a spell of sustained pressure. Mostto wasted a chance after neat work from Colace, and Campbell-Ryce fired over the bar two minutes later. This was followed by a 30 yard effort from Whaley, which went flying wide of Kenny’s post. Webber was replaced by Greg Halford after 73 minutes, and immediately he was involved in a good chance when he beat the offside trap and put the ball straight at the feet of Quinn, the Irish midfield man completely missed his shot with the goal gaping. It had been a bad-tempered match, and even more controversy stuck after 82 minutes when Kozluk headed and then handled the ball while under pressure from Quinn, just inside the 18 yard box. After taking the advice of the linesman the referee pointed to the penalty spot. This enraged Barnsley manager Davey, who was subsequently sent to the stands. With the Blades faithful behind the goal, Beattie blasted the ball low and to the right of German goalkeeper Muller into the corner of the net, to give United a 2-0 lead. Just two minutes later, the home side grabbed a goal back. Whaley sent over a cross from the left and substitute Kayode Odejayi lost serveral United players, and headed past Kenny from 12 yards out. With Barnsley piling forward for the equaliser it opened gaps at the back, and Gary Speed then looked to chip Muller but the ball went over the bar, and Beattie hit a 35 yard free-kick just wide of the post. But there was no way back for Barnsley and United held on for a well deserved victory which moves Blackwell’s’ men up to 4th place in the Championship table.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Barnsley: Kenny 7 , Naughton 7 , Morgan 6 , Kilgallon 6 , Ehiogu 5 , Quinn 7 , Montgomery - , Sun 6 , Speed 6 , Spring 7 , Stokes 7 , Beattie 8 , Webber 8 ,Halford 6 .

Manager Kevin Blackwell is planning to open contract talks with goalkeeper Paddy Kenny. Republic of Ireland international Kenny's current deal expires at the end of the season and is optimistic the former Bury keeper will stay at the Lane. "We're going to sit down with Paddy either this week or the next," said Blackwell in the The Sheffield Star . "Then we can have a chat. "That was what I told him I'd do not so long ago - find a time when we don't have any midweek matches - and that's still the same now. "Then, hopefully, we can take things further when the chairman is back in the country. "Paddy is still young as far as goalkeepers go. He's still got his best three or four years ahead of him and hopefully those best years will be with us. "Nobody has been on to us, though."

Kevin Blackwell saw James Beattie score both goals in the 2-0 win over Plymouth, and then tipped him to fire United to promotion.

United endured a frustrating first half in Saturday's Championship clash against Argyle at the Lane as they piled up chances without scoring, but Beattie changed all that in the second half. First he lashed home a 48th-minute penalty after being brought down in the area, and eight minutes later he got his second with a powerful free-kick from just outside the area. " We are hoping Beattie's goals will be the difference in getting us promoted, and that's why that club has gambled in that department," said Blackwell. "We're fortunate to have him. He's a great team player, he's a great lad in the dressing room, the players love him to bits and the staff love working with him and long may that continue."

United certainly needed to find some top-quality finishing after wasting a string of chances in the first half, and Blackwell acknowledged the importance of having someone who could convert. "I could have been coming in and having a cigar at half-time but as it was I would have been chewing it instead of smoking it," he said. "But there's no doubt that when the lads find their scoring boots we're going to give someone a hiding." The secret of United's recent success has been at the other end where they have now kept four consecutive clean sheets. "We've talked about it from day one, having clean sheets," he said. "If you can have a clean sheet and a solid base you can win games 1-0." .

Blades Line-up: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Ehiogu, Sun, Spring, Speed, Quinn, Stokes (Sharp 65), Beattie, Webber (Halford 86).

Man of The Match: Sun Jihai.

Plymouth Argyle Line-up: Larrieu, Doumbe (McNamee 65), Timar, Seip, Barker, Marin (Fallon 58), Summerfield, Duguid, Clark (Mackie 76), MacLean, Gallagher.

Referee: Scott Mathieson (Cheshire).

Two second half goals from James Beattie helped United to a 2-0 win at Bramall Lane. Kevin Blackwell made one change to the starting line-up with Gary Speed coming in for Brian Howard, and Mat Kilgallon was on the substitute’s bench. Paul Sturrock made three changes to his team with Krisztián Timár in defence, and Mathias Doumbe in for David McNamee. Winger Nicolas Marin replaced Jim Paterson who dropped to the bench. The match kicked off with United defending the Shoreham Kop end and Blackwell’s men were soon on the offensive. Speed was quick to swoop on a mistake by Marcel Seip, and intelligently fed the ball to Danny Webber to run towards goal. French defender Doumbe just did enough to prevent the Blades winger from squaring the ball directly into the path of Beattie, and his shot was turned wide by the legs of Romain Larrieu in the Argyle goal.

The Pilgrims had their first chance when Luke Summerfield crossed and Chris Morgan headed clear under pressure from Paul Gallagher. The game lacked cohesion in the early stages, and bereft of clear-cut chances. The defensive battles between Morgan and Paul Gallager, Beattie and Timar, Ugo Ehiogu and Steve McClean were interesting enough viewing. Gallagher launched a long-range shot which went over the bar; Beattie then had a chance to open the scoring after a deep corner had evaded everyone and landed at his feet, but he sliced wide of Larrieu's near post, and Anthony Stokes got the better of Seip, and fired a low curler that Larrieu did well to turn wide. And Speed wasted a chance volleying wide from close range.

United started the second half meaning business. Beattie sent the ball to Webber and from the right he found Stokes who stroke past Timar with ease. In a desperate attempt to get a challenge in, Chris Barker bundled the Blades left sided forward over. The referee who had kept his book and whistle in his pocket for most of the afternoon immediately pointed to the penalty spot. And after a moment’s hesitation, Beattie stepped up for hit a thunderous strike into the top left corner to give the Blades a 1-0 lead.

Plymouth had defended well up to this point but the goal gave United a fresh impetus for more, and they started to put the visitor’s goal under siege. Luke Summerfield conceded a free-kick on the edge of the box about 20 yards from goal. Beattie and Stokes stood over the ball before Beattie hit a low powerfully hit strike which zipped past Larrieu into the bottom right corner. That was pretty much the end of the game; Plymouth had set their stall out from the start to defend and waste time and now faced an impossible task they had to push forward. Pilgrims manager Sturrige responded by bringing on Rory Fallon for the inconspicuous Marin, and Fallon joined MacLean and Gallagher up front in a more ambitious 4-3-3 formation.

Blades goalkeeper Paddy Kenny had been under employed for most of the afternoon, but had to react when Summerfield hit a 30 yard strike and soon after and then the Blades keeper stopped MacLean who had got the better of Morgan following Fallon’s ball, but the Scottish striker miss hit the shot straight to Kenny. After 85 minutes, Matthew Spring found Blades substitute Billy Sharp and he cut the ball back to Beattie, but the Lane marksman hit a low shot which Larrieu parried away. In injury time Sun Jihai curled a shot over the crossbar. The final second were played out as United kept possession to the cheers of the Lane faithful. It’s a victory which lifts the Blades to 5th place in the Championship.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Plymouth Argyle: Kenny 6 , Naughton 6 , Morgan 7 , Ehiogu 7 , Sun 8 , Spring 7 , Speed 7 , Quinn 6 , Stokes 7 , Sharp 6 , Beattie 7 , Webber 8 , Halford - .