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31st Marchheffield United 1 (Attendance: 5,825)
Simonsen, Lowton, Doyle, Evans, Williamson, N. Collins, Cresswell (O'Halloran 74), Maguire, McDonald, Quinn (Williams 90+2), Hill.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Hoskins, Beattie.
Booked: N. Collins 40.
Scorer: Evans 79.
Man Of The Match: Harry Maguire.
Hartlepool Line-up: Flinders, Austin, S. Collins, Hartley, Horwood, Sweeney, Murray (Boyd 81), Liddle, James (Brown 73), Noble, Monkhouse.
Subs Not Used: Rafferty, Humphreys, Baldwin
Sent-Off: Hartley 85 (second yellow card).
Booked: Monkhouse 41, Hartley 50, S.Collins 90.
Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire).
Ched Evans ensured Sheffield United stayed in the automatic promotion race after his penalty secured a 1-0 win at Hartlepool.
There was one change to the Blades starting eleven with Harry Maguire returning after recovering from a virus. He took his usual position in the heart of the defence with Matt Hill moving out to left back. Hartlepool were first to get the ball into the box and when Sam Collins headed down for Ryan Noble, the striker was able to get a volley in at goal but his volley was blocked by Hill and he cleared. There were speculative chances at both ends as Noble turned to shoot from distance only to watch his effort go wide of target while Evans saw his strike from the edge of the box go the same way. The hosts had the best real chance of the first half when Neil Austin sent a ball in from the right which found Andy Monkhouse at the near post. The winger showed a good touch to take the ball down and shoot at goal but Neill Collins blocked his effort which was then cleared. Richard Cresswell then went closest for the Blades as he burst into the area to try his luck on goal but, under pressure from Hartley, the striker saw his effort land on the roof of the net. Monkhouse picked up possession from Antony Sweeney to send a cross in from the left but as Sweeney arrived to get on the end of it, Neill Collins intercepted to head clear for the Blades.
At the start of the second half, Luke James played the ball out to the wing for Gary Liddle, who then sent a cross into the area. And, while Monkhouse arrived to meet the cross and sent his effort goal-wards, Blades goalkeeper Steve Simonsen collected the ball. Cresswell had a great chance on 62 minutes as he worked to create his own space before unleashing a powerful strike which just went wide of goalkeeper Scott Flinders right-hand post. Then, striker Noble picked up the ball on the edge of the area, he moved forward before curling a shot at goal which pulled the first real save of the game out of Simonsen as the Blades keeper was forced to tip it over his bar. Hartley met the resulting corner at the far post but his headed effort was cleared off the line. The Sunderland loanee Noble then found himself tussling with Neill Collins as he ran into the area with the powerful Blades defender blocking his final effort, and the Blades broke immediately and keeper Flinders had to save from Evans at the other end. A poor kick from keeper Flinders allowed Blades substitute Michael O'Halloran to burst into the box but he sent his strike over the bar. Shortly afterwards, Evans received the ball inside the Hartlepool area, the Lane striker was clearly tugged back by Sam Collins. The linesman flagged for a penalty and hosts were punished as Evans scored from the spot. Hartlepool substitute Adam Boyd went close to hitting the target from the edge of the box but his shot went just wide of the post. An things got worse for the home side when the linesman flagged and Hartley showed his frustration at the decision by bouncing the ball on the pitch and was subsequently shown a second yellow card and sent off. Late on, Sweeny had a chance for the hosts but the Blades held on for another valuable win.
Simonsen 7, Lowton 7, Doyle 7, Evans 6, Williamson 7, N. Collins 7, Cresswell 7, O'Halloran 6, Maguire 7, McDonald 6, Quinn 6, Hill 7.
28th Marchheffield United 4 Chesterfield 1 (Attendance: 20,159)
Simonsen, Lowton, Doyle, Evans (Beattie 79), Williamson, Collins, Cresswell (Hoskins 60), McDonald, Quinn (O'Halloran 82), Williams, Hill.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Egan.
Scorers: Williamson 38, Evans 49, 60, 63.
Man Of The Match: Ched Evans.
Chesterfield Line-up: Lee, Trotman, Thompson, Allott (Randall 70), Westcarr (Boden 70), Mendy, Hurst, Bowery (Ajose 70), Talbot, Smith, Moussa.
Subs Not Used: Ridehalgh, Whitaker.
Booked: Westcarr 48.
Scorer: Moussa 44.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Ched Evans scored a hat-trick as Sheffield United reclaimed second spot in League One with a 4-1 win over Chesterfield at Bramall Lane.
Harry Maguire missed the fixture with a virus and his place in the Blades starting line-up was taken by Marcus Williams, with Matt Hill switching to central defence to partner Neill Collins. Nathan Smith kept his place in the Spireites side after his Man of the Match performance in the Football League Trophy final last Sunday, also Neal Trotman came in for Simon Ford, and Craig Westcarr replaced the injured Jack Lester. United had the better of the opening exchanges going forward, a free kick near the edge of the Chesterfield 18 yard box was sent in by Lee Williamson but no-one gambled and the ball flew wide. Matt Lowton forced goalkeeper Tommy Lee into a good save before the rebound was fired over on 27 by Stephen Quinn. Craig Westcarr had an opportunity to cross in the next move, but was inaccurate. A second United corner on 28 was taken by Quinn and claimed by Lee after a spot of pin-ball in the Chesterfield box. Chesterfield broke through Lee's roll-out to Moussa and Westcarr played in Bowery, who curled a shot close to the corner of the United goal. Chesterfield won their first corner on the half-hour through Westcarr. Franck Moussa's corner kick was flicked goalwards by Josh Thompson at the near post and goalkeeper Steve Simonsen was forced to save at the expense of a second corner, which the keeper caught. At the end of a neat United move, Williamson was not closed down, and he gave United the lead on 37 minutes, firing home after picking up a chested-down ball from Evans. The visitors drew level when Westcarr worked the ball forward to Moussa on 43 minutes and the on loan midfielder took a few steps forward before curling a left-footed shot past Simonsen to make it 1-1. Hurst was late with a challenge on Evans and presented United with a free kick just outside the box. Evans fired a low shot towards the bottom corner but Lee got down to make the save look easier than it was. The half ended fairly on the balance of play so far, with both sides on level terms. The Blades won a corner off Hurst in the opening seconds of the second half. Williamson's corner was poor, but it hit a Chesterfield defender and went out to give Williamson a second attempt. This one was at least fired in and partially cleared, but Mendy unnecessarily challenged Evans in the box and the referee awarded a penalty, which Evans put past keeper Lee to give United the lead again. Nathan Smith was forced to pull Evans shirt just outside the box to concede a free kick after 58 minutes. Williamson passed the ball in to Evans and the move caught Chesterfield off guard and Lane striker was able to slip the ball into the net to make it 3-1. Evans fired against the post two minutes later but scored his third only two minutes after that, letting the ball run on before firing a rising shot into the roof of Lee's net to finsih the Spireites off, and put the Blades back into the second promotion position..
Simonsen 7, Lowton 7, Doyle 7, Evans 8, Beattie 6, Williamson 7, Collins 6, Cresswell 7, Hoskins 6, McDonald 7, Quinn 7, O'Halloran 7, Williams 7, Hill 7
22nd MarchSheffield United have signed forward Michael O'Halloran on loan from Bolton. The 21-year-old has moved to the League One promotion hopefuls for the remainder of the season. The Glasgow-born player is a product of the Bolton youth set up and has made two senior appearances this season in the FA Cup and League Cup. O'Halloran, who recently signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at The Reebok, has made one Scotland Under-21 appearance against Holland in February. "Michael is a player we've had our eye on for quite a while," Blades boss Danny Wilson commented. "He can play on either flank or in a central striker's role and amongst his numerous attributes he has got blistering pace."
20th Marchheffield United 5 (Attendance: 9,468)
Simonsen, Lowton, Hill, Collins, Maguire, Doyle, Williamson, McDonald (Williams 66), Quinn, Evans (Hoskins 86), Cresswell (Beattie 74).
Subs Not Used: Howard, Egan.
Booked: Williamson 42, Cresswell 45.
Scorers: Quinn 16, Evans 22, Lowton 27, Collins 45, Williamson 89..
Man Of The Match: Kevin McDonald.
Nptts County Line-up: Nelson, Sheehan, Edwards, Pearce (Kelly 66), Bishop, J. Hughes, Judge, Forte (Adebola 59), Freeman, Burgess (L. Hughes 59), Sam.
Subs Not Used: Bencherif, Mahon.
Booked: Bishop 45.
Sent Off: Bishop 80 (second yellow card).
Scorers: Judge 77, Kelly 90.
Referee: Geoff Eltringham (Tyne).
Notts County were left to rue a poor first-half showing as Sheffield United were comfortable 5-2 winners in a memorable performance at Meadow Lane.
Kevin McDonald was back in the starting line up for the Blades, it meant Lee Williamson moving to the right wing and Richard Cresswell partnered Ched Evans in attack. The Magpies made several changes to their starting eleven, with Mike Edwards, Lloyd Sam and Ben Burgess all returning. There were also a couple of surprises on the bench for the hosts. Lee Hughes made an unexpected return from a knee injury and Dele Adebola was announced as a last-minute loan signing from Hull City.
On a really poor playing surface the home side were the first to threaten when Alan Sheehan collected a clearance from one of his own corners. From the right wing, he picked out Burgess at the near post but the forward's effort cleared the crossbar. The Blades managed to take the lead from their first opportunity after Williamson played a pass into the feet of an unmarked Stephen Quinn. He turned quickly on the edge of the box and placed the ball confidently into the bottom-left corner with his right foot.
The second goal came seven minutes later when Cresswell flicked on Harry Maguire's now familiar loft forward. The ball made its way through to Evans who held off Mike Edwards, and the Blades top marksman managed to find the net with a low drive, squeezing the ball under a defender and goalkeeper Stuart Nelson from the narrowest of angles.
Jonathan Forte had an attempt for the hosts from range which was easily gathered before the Blades made it 3-0 soon afterwards. Sheehan's defensive header dealt with Williamson's initial set-piece delivery, but there was nothing stopping Matt Lowton's stunning first-time hit, which rocketed into the bottom-right corner sending the 3,315 Blades fans in the Jimmy Sirrel Stand into raptures. Burgess could have pulled a goal back for the Magpies, when he connected with Sheehan's back-post cross to force United goalkeeper Steve Simonsen into a low save. Forte later drilled wide of the top-left corner, following a quick burst of speed into the 18 yard box.
Cresswell almost added United's fourth, after escaping from marker Krystian Pearce. The Blades striker proceeded into the area and attempted to slot between Nelson's legs, but the keeper was able to divert behind with the inside of his left foot. In first half stoppage time, United were able to make it 4-0, when McDonald picked out Neill Collins. The defender, forward for a corner, rose high and found the top-left corner with a well-placed header into the net.
Five minutes into the second half, Kieron Freeman nearly led to the hosts pulling a goal back. His whipped cross was met inside the six-yard box by a Forte volley that swerved inches past the post. At the other end, Nelson was required to tip wide, reaching low to his right when McDonald targeted the bottom corner from range. From the resulting corner, the keeper then had to produce a spectacular parry to keep out Lowton's volley. With half-an-hour remaining, Notts County made two substitutions, Burgess and Forte were withdrawn and in their place was the debutant Adebola and Lee Hughes.
Evans had a direct free-kick deflected wide of the target, as the Blades searched for a fifth. McDonald came even closer moments later, rifling narrowly wide of the top-left corner. Lee Hughes fired into the side-netting for the Magpies and Alan Judge a had a shot that was plucked out of the air by United keeper Simonsen. With thirteen minutes remaining Judge managed to beat Simonsen, following a foul on Adebola. The Irishman curling a free-kick over the wall, into the top-left corner. Notts County were reduced to ten men soon after. Bishop had already picked up a booking in the first half but was shown a second yellow card for a foul on the half way line. Keeper Nelson made a leaping stop to keep it at 4-1 late on but he was unable to keep out Williamson in the 89th minute stike. A misplaced pass from Freeman was picked up by the Blades wide midfielder and he placed into the corner out of Nelson's reach. Substitute Julian Kelly grabbed another consolation goal for the hosts, with a header across goal which had been set up by Sheehan's free-kick. Overall a outstanding performance and result for the Blades, and it opens a two point gap from the following pack in the race for promotion.
Simonsen 7, Lowton 7, Hill 7, Collins 8, Maguire 7, Doyle 7, Williamson 7, McDonald 8, Williams 6, Quinn 7, Evans 8, Cresswell 7, Beattie 6.
17th Marchheffield United 1 Tranmere Rovers 1 (Attendance: 17,444)
Simonsen, Lowton, Hill (Cresswell 83), Collins, Maguire, Doyle, Williamson, Quinn, Hoskins (Beattie 83), Porter (Williams 71), Evans, .
Subs Not Used: Howard, Montgomery.
Scorer: Evans 31.
Man Of The Match: Lee Williamson.
Tranmere Line-up: Fon Williams, Holmes, Taylor, Goodison, Buchanan, Akins, Welsh, Wallace, Bakayogo (Weir 88), Brunt (Cassidy 67), Showunmi.
Subs Not Used: Coughlin, Robinson, Labadie.
Booked: Fon Williams 57, Wallace 70, Taylor 81.
Scorer: Akins 54.
Referee: Mark Haywood (West Yorkshire).
Sheffield United threw away a lead to draw 1-1 with Tranmere Rovers at Bramall Lane. The Blades made just one change with Neill Collins returning, at the expense of Marcus Williams, who dropped to the bench and Matt Hill moved out to left-back. There was one change to the Tranmere side with Zoumana Bakayogo coming in for Andy Robinson on the left side of midfield.
Matt Lowton went down after just 10 seconds after a strong challenge and there was a delay while the defender received treatment. Chris Porter almost opened the scoring for the Blades on four minutes when he stole the ball from Ian Goodison but his powerful strike went just past the right hand post. From the goal kick that followed Enoch Showunmi brought the ball down before shooting wide from 30 yards, while a cross from Bakayogo went straight through the Blades six yard box soon after. Showunmi raced half the length of the pitch on the counter attack on ten minutes, but his curled attempt from the edge of the area was blocked and Harry Maguire cleared.
Ched Evans put the ball in the Tranmere net four minutes later from outside the area but the whistle had already gone for a foul on goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams. The Blades took the lead on 31 minutes with a quick counter attack. After Brunt lost possession outside the Blades18 yard box, they raced up the left and the ball was played into the six yard box to Evans who controlled and turned in under pressure from Goodison for his 26th goal of the season. It was almost 2-0 two minutes later, goalkeeper Steve Simonsen launched the ball downfield after catching a Tranmere corner and though it looked like either Bakayogo or David Buchanan would comfortably deal with it wide on the left, the pair collided and the ball fell straight to a United player. The Blades surged forward while Bakayogo and Buchanan lay on the pitch but they could not take advantage of the extra man as Porter was unable to reach the cross at the back post. After the pair received treatment the game resumed and Bakayogo fired high over the bar following a free kick from John Welsh, while Brunt shot straight at Simonsen from 25 yards five minutes before half time. Brunt fired high and wide from outside the area at the start of the second half, while Bakayogo headed Will Hoskins header away from goal four minutes later at the other end. Bakayogo's persistence earned the visitors a corner on 50 minutes and it led to the equaliser. Welsh whipped in a cross into the six yard box where Akins headed past Simonsen and into the net to make it 1-1. The Blades responded strongly and it needed a goal line header from Buchanan to keep out Collins header before goalie Fon Williams produced a fine one handed save to deny Porter. Tranmere had a great chance to go ahead themselves on 61 minutes. A superb through ball from Showunmi sent Brunt through on goal but his attempt to go round keeper Simonsen and shoot into an empty net was twice brilliantly thwarted by the keeper. With 21 minutes remaining, Ash Taylor almost diverted a cross into his own net but Fon Williams reacted quickly to gather on his line. Fon Williams did well to keep James Beattie's header the right side of the goal line as he back tracked to make the save on 84 minutes, while Cassidy headed wide from a Welsh corner soon after. United piled forward late on but the visitors defended resolutely to hold on for a point.
Simonsen 6, Lowton 6, Hill 6, Collins 7, Maguire 7, Doyle 6, Williamson 7, Quinn 6, Hoskins 6, Beattie 6, Porter 6, Williams 6, Evans 7, Cresswell 6.
14th March Danny Wilson expects on-loan defender Matt Hill to make a major contribution to Sheffield United's promotion challenge this season. Hill has started in all three of the Blades' games since being drafted in from Blackpool until the end of the season earlier this month to help ease a spate of injuries and suspensions at the club. Wilson said: "The one thing you get with Matty, and I worked with him down at Bristol City when he was a kid, is wholehearted displays, he's a very committed player. "He's a fantastic person, a tremendous team player and if anyone's seen him without a smile on his face I'd like to know when that was. "I've never seen him down. He's great to have around the dressing room and offers a great deal as well. He understands this league and offers a great deal of experience. He'll do very well for us
13th Marchheffield United 1 (Attendance: 4,572)
Simonsen, Lowton, Williams, Maguire, Hill, Doyle, Williamson, Quinn, Hoskins (Cresswell 71), Porter (Beattie 81), Evans.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Egan, Montgomery.
Booked: Hill 27, Evans 86.
Scorer: Hoskins 32.
Man Of The Match: Harry Maguire.
Colchester Line-up: Williams, Okuonghae, Gillespie, Izzet, Bond, Odejayi, Henderson (Duguid 89), Eastman, Wilson, Wordsworth, White..
Subs Not Used: Rose, Heath, Vincent, Sears.
Booked: White 53, Izzet 86, Wordsworth 90+2.
Scorer: Gillespie 56.
Referee: Trevor Kettle ( Berkshire).
Sheffield United had to settle for a point from a 1-1 draw with Colchester at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.
United had the same side as from the weekend with Will Hoskins keeping his place on the right of midfield and Chris Porter continuing his striking partnership with Ched Evans up front. The match kicked off with the 1,060 Unitedites in good voice and there was a couple of early chances at both ends. A shot from Chris Porter saved by Colchester goalkeeper Ben Williams and at the other end, Ian Henderson got past his man after cutting inside, but goalkeeper Steve Simonsen was able to collect down at his near post for the Blades.
From a throw, Kayode Odejayi flicked the ball on to Anthony Wordsworth whose overhead kick went over the United crossbar for the hosts. Evans flashed an effort across the face of goal after a first real spell of pressure from the Blades. A Stephen Quinn in-swinging corner from the right to the near post is cleared by Brian Wilson. Michael Doyle was then booked for a foul on Wordsworth and from the free-kick Steven Gillespie produced a shot on goal for Colchester. United looked the better of the two sides and deservedly went ahead after 27 minutes. From inside the penalty area Hoskins found himself with acres of space on the right side of the 18 yard box. He took his time before slotting the ball past Williams to make 1-0 to the Blades. It was a fairly quiet remainder of the half with United on the front foot, but not really posing anymore meaningful threat in front of goal. Colchester seemed to have little to offer other than the long ball forward.
At the start of the second half, Quinn looked for the run of Evans through the middle but his cross was well claimed by keeper Williams. John White went into the book for hauling back Quinn on 52 minutes. Evans had an effort at goal from outside the18 yard box which went wide left of the goal and a from inside the box a shot by Quinn went over the bar. But against the run of play the home side got their equaliser when Odejayi originally held the ball up well and laid the ball off to Gillespie inside the penalty box and he fired a superb effort in off the bar past Simonsen. Evans got past Tom Eastman down the right but once again his cross flashed across goal with nobody attacking it. Ian Henderson tricked his way into a shooting opportunity, but his effort was saved down to Simonsen's right from long range.
Odejayi went on a run from inside his own half. After holding off and turning two players the striker weaved his way into the box, but his shot was saved comfortably by United keeper Simonsen at his near post. In the final minute of normal time an In-swinging corner taken by Lee Williamson from the left by-line is saved by keeper Williams. With three minutes added on Wordsworth received a yellow card for pulling back Williamson. Evans struck the resulting free kick but goalie Williams claimed it yet again down to his left. So, a draw is perhaps a disappointing outcome against such one dimensional opposition, but as long as United keep winning at home and picking up at least a point away, they will be in with a good chance of second spot at the end of the season.
Simonsen 6, Lowton 6, Williams 6, Maguire 7, Hill 6, Doyle 7, Williamson 7, Quinn 6, Hoskins 7, Cresswell 6, Porter 6, Beattie 6, Evans 7.
10th Marchheffield United 2 (Attendance: 7,414)
Simonsen, Hill, Williams, Lowton, Maguire, Doyle, Hoskins, (Montgomery 66), Williamson, Quinn, Porter (Cresswell 77), Evans.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Egan, Beattie.
Booked: Maguire 61, Cresswell 90+1.
Scorer: Evans 6, 51..
Man Of The Match: Ched Evans.
Brentford Line-up: Moore, Saunders (McGinn 36), Douglas, Donaldson, Berahino, Forshaw (Weston 54), Logan, Diagouraga, Bidwell, Dean (Osborne 76), Legge.
Subs Not Used: Lee, Thompson.
Booked: Diagouraga 22.
Referee: Chris Sarginson (Staffordshire).
Sheffield United closed the gap at the top of League One to 10 points with a 2-0 win at play-off chasing Brentford.
United had five changes with the return of Harry Maguire and Matt Lowton to the defence. Marcus Williams was recalled and Chris Porter partnered Ched Evans in a 4-4-2 formation.
Brentford started the better of the two sides, an Adam Forshaw volley went wide and against the run of play United grabbed the lead. The ball was played long by United goalkeeper Steve Simonsen and Chris Porter rose above Leon Legge to head down to his strike partner Evans. The Blades front man worked his way past Jake Bidwell and fired an inerrable low shot past goalkeeper Simon Moore.
An acrobatic effort from Toumani Diagouraga went wide and Simonsen held on to a Legge header but United could have been out of sight at before the break as they missed some excellent chances. Evans missed the best of them when Moore, Legge and Harlee Dean got in a mess trying to deal with a long Lowton ball forward, it eventually dropped to Evans but with the Brentford keeper stranded he shot wide.
The Blades had another good chance moments later when Will Hoskins got in behind the Bees defence and cut back inside, his cross found Porter on the far side but Moore went full stretch to keep out the striker's header. Evans had a header deflected wide soon after and then Williams made an important clearance for United inside his six-yard box when Diagouraga swung a ball in from the left and keeper Simonsen held on to a low Adam Forshaw free-kick. Into the second half and Evans missed the target from the left side after being well fed by Lee Williamson but Moore's poor goal kick went straight to him and the Blades striker raced clear, rounded the Brentford goalkeeper and rolled the ball home. The home side did create openings but United largely kept them out with good defending. A weak Clayton Donaldson header was saved and a Niall McGinn shot deflected wide before Myles Weston and Saido Berahino missed the target with long range efforts. Berahino forced Simonsen into a save with a curling shot, but United's front two were still a threat on the break and Moore made a save to deny Porter following nice neat play on the edge of the penalty area. Maguire headed wide from the resulting corner.
Brentford had most of the possession and territorial advantage in the latter stages but United's defence was well organised and up to the task. Late on, Moore saved with his legs to deny Evans a hat-trick and Williamson also had a shot blocked while at the other end Karleigh Osborne volleyed over from a corner.
Simonsen 6, Hill 7, Williams 7, Lowton 7, Maguire 7, Doyle 7, Hoskins 6, Montgomery 6, Williamson 7, Quinn 6, Porter 7, Cresswell 6, Evans 8.
6th Marchheffield United 2 (Attendance: 5,003)
Simonsen, Hill, Taylor (Beattie 90), Egan, Ertl, Doyle, Williamson, Flynn (Hoskins 84), Quinn, Cresswell (Porter 79), Evans.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Montgomery.
Scorers: Williamson 65, Evans 76.
Man Of The Match: Lee Williamson.
Walsall Line-up: Grof, Sadler, Butler, Lancashire, Macken, Hurst, Taundry (Beevers 41), Paterson (Nicholls 48), Bowerman (Grigg 77), Cuvelier, Mantom.
Subs Not Used: Peterlin, Walker.
Scorers: Mantom 55, Macken 73, Nicholls 81.
Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire).
Walsall beat Sheffield United 3-2 to climb out of the League One relegation zone and halt the Blades promotion push.
United had two new loan players making their debuts, John Egan and Matt Hill, both brought in to ease the defensive crisis at the Lane.
It was a low key opening from both sides, a cross from Andy Taylor was headed over by Ched Evans for United, and then a neat move by Walsall saw George Bowerman head into the path of Kevan Hurst, but the former Blades player was well off target. Chances were still at a premium at the half hour mark, both defences found themselves very much on top at this stage. A corner from Hurst was met with a header from Andy Butler that was cleared, and a another Walsall raid ended with Jamie Paterson attempting to pull the ball back into the danger zone but to no end. Three minutes into the second half the hosts made a substitution when Paterson made his way out of the action to be replaced by Alex Nicholls. Walsall grabbed the lead soon after when Egan conceded a corner under pressure from Bowerman. A short corner on the right went to Sam Mantom, who was completely unmarked and the debutant curled the ball into the top far corner of the net to make it 1-0. United goalkeeper Steve Simonsen again denied Bowerman from close range, after sloppy defending from Egan, and the hosts mustered a couple more corners in quick succession. A high ball into the area by Mantom was met with a header from Olly Lancashire but the Blades were able to clear. But shortly after, the Blades were back on level terms. A break down the right eventually found its way to Evans and he cleverly teed up Lee Williamson to fire home from about 12 yards out.
United continued to apply some pressure for a period, and a well-worked corner picked out Ryan Flynn in space and he lined up a strike that was beaten away by Walsall goalkeeper David Grof. Richard Cresswell was also denied by Grof after a short back-pass from by Andy Butler. A moment later Hill's shot, from a corner, was unknowingly blocked by Cresswell. The Saddlers went back in front from a long punt downfield. Jon Macken got the better of poor defending from Hill and the Republic of Ireland striker calmly slotted the ball past Simonsen. The scores were level again when Egan sent the ball wide right to Stephen Quinn and he played a excellent ball through to Evans in the centre. The Blades striker left defender Lancashire for dead and slotted the ball into the far corner of the net to make it 2-2.
But it did not last and the Blades defensive frailties were again exposed when Hurst linked up with Mat Sadler on the left and his cross was perfect for the head of Nicholls who easily out jumped his markers to plant the ball beyond Simonsen's reach and give the home side the victory.
Simonsen 6, Hill 5, Taylor 6, Egan 5, Ertl 5, Doyle 6, Williamson 6, Flynn 5, Hoskins 5, Quinn 6, Cresswell 6, Porter 6, Evans 6.
3rd Marchheffield United 2 Oldham Athletic 3 (Attendance: 17,267)
Simonsen, Lowton, A. Taylor (Hoskins 86), Jean-Francois (Ertl 36), Maguire, Doyle, Flynn, Williamson, Quinn (Beattie 89), Cresswell, Evans.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Porter.
Booked: Lowton 66, Evans 76.
Sent-Off: Lowton (second yellow card) 67, Maguire (straight red card) 90+1.
Scorers: Lowton 22, Evans 38.
Man Of The Match: Michael Doyle.
Oldham Line-up: Cisak, M'Voto, Brown, Morais (Reid 73), Adeyemi, Tarkowski, C. Taylor, Lee, Winchester (Marsh-Brown 45), Mellor, Kuqi.
Subs Not Used: Diamond, Bouzanis, Smith.
Booked: Brown 51,Taylor 66.
Scorers: Cresswell (og) 65, Lee 69, Kuqi (pen) 90+2.
Referee: Jonathan Moss (West Yorkshire).
An injury-time goal gave Oldham an unlikely win 3-2 at Sheffield United in a game spoilt by poor refereeing decisions.
Andy Taylor returned to the Blades starting eleven after a 14 month absence through injury. Taylor was at left back with Lecsinel Jean-Francois moving to centre-back. He replaced Neill Collins who missed the match for personal reasons. The Latics had loan-signing Reece Brown playing the holding role just in front of the back four with Shefki Kuqi as the lone striker.
Richard Cresswell had the first goal attempt of the match for United but fired narrowly wide after Oldham had failed to clear a corner. The visitors first chance came the way of central-defender James Tarkowski, but his downward header from a corner went into the ground and looped over the crossbar. Alex Cisak was the first goalkeeper forced into action as he pulled off a save low to his right to keep out a close-range header from Matt Lowton. United went ahead after 20 minutes when Jean-Yves M'voto was robbed of the ball by Ched Evans as he tried to usher the ball out for a goal kick. Evans raced along the by-line and cut the ball back for Lowton to convert from inside the six-yard box. The visitors had a great chance to draw level when Tom Adeyemi raced through on goal after a poor defensive clearance from Jean-Francois. Adeyemi's shot was superbly parried by goalkeeper Steve Simonsen and the ball went inches wide of the upright. Shortly after, Jean-Francois was taken from the field on a stretcher with his left leg in a splint after a collision with Kuqi as they challenged for a loose ball in front of the Shoreham Kop. The Blades increased their lead in the 38th minute when a flick from Michael Doyle released Evans who, from the right edge of the box, fired a low shot into the far corner for his 22nd goal of the season. Just before the break Ryan Flynn volleyed over and Lee Williamson had a shot blocked after a surging run from Lowton.United came within inches of scoring a third goal at the start of the second half when Doyle curled a delightful shot from the edge of the box which beat keeper Cisak but struck the upright. The visiting keeper then made a save low down at his near post to divert a goal bound shot from Evans round the post for a corner.
The Latics found the net afer 64 minutes when Cresswell put through his own goal under pressure from James Tarkowski from a Filipe Morais corner. Lowton was booked for holding on to the ball as the United players went to take the kick-off. Chris Taylor was trying to get the ball from the Blades full-back even though it was Uniteds’ kick-off. The referee was losing the confidence of everyone with his handling of proceedings, he mistakenly showed a red card to Evans and then quickly retracted it. And then Lowton was shown a second yellow card for a challenge on defender Tarkowski inside the visitors 18 yard box. The Latics equalised when Marsh-Brown set up Lee and he curled a shot into the top far corner of the net from the right side of the penalty area. Evans produced a deadly turn in the box, but could only shoot straight at keeper Cisak from six yards. Oldham struck the decisive blow in stoppage time when Reid burst through on goal and was brought down by Harry Maguire who was sent off for denying a goalscoring chance. Kuqi stepped forward to score from the spot sending Simonsen the wrong way and giving the visitors the victory, albeit with the help of an incompetent referee.
Simonsen 6, Lowton 6, A. Taylor 7, Jean-Francois 7, Ertl 6, Maguire 6, Doyle 7, Flynn 6, Williamson 7, Quinn 7, Cresswell 6, Evans 7.
1st March Danny Wilson claimed Scunthorpe skipper Sam Togwell's dismissal helped Sheffield United fight back to win 2-1 on Wednesday.Togwell was shown a straight red card in the 38th minute following a challenge on Michael Doyle after Mark Duffy had given the visitors a 31st-minute lead. Second-half goals from Lee Williamson and Stephen Quinn gave the hosts all three points. Wilson said: "The biggest factor was the sending-off. He was a bit late and I presume that's what the referee thought. "We weren't at our best. In the first 45 minutes, Scunthorpe played very, very well. It's not often that teams come here and cause us problems like that. "We weren't at the races really and took too long on the ball. They attacked well. We stuck in there and there's no argument about it, the sending-off changed the game. "We needed to get some aggression into the game and you saw the difference in the second-half. Quinn and [Richard] Cresswell were both chomping at the bit to play and they did the business for us."
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