February 2013

Sheffield United 0 Leyton Orient 0 ( Attendance: 16,540)

Blades Line-up : Long, Higginbotham, Maguire, Collins, McMahon, Flynn, Doyle, McDonald, Robson (De Girolamo 72), Kitson (Cresswell 72), Poleon (McFadzean 63).

Unused: Coyne, Westlake, Hill, Ironside.

Man Of The Match: George Long.

Leyton Orient: Jones, McSweeney, Vincelot, Cuthbert, Baudry, Cox, Smith, Clarke, Odubajo, James, Batt (Mooney 57).

Unused : Griffith, Macdonald, Grainger, Obafemi, Cook, Omozusi.

Referee: .Phil Gibbs (West Midlands).

Sheffield United's four-match winning run came to an end as they drew 0-0 at Bramall Lane to Leyton Orient and slipped off the top of League One.

There was a good chance for the Blades early on when Neill Collins stabbed the ball wide from Harry Maguire's knock-down.

Blades keeper George Long then made a good save from Shaun Batt, who was through on goal, before United's Dominic Poleon fired narrowly wide.

Moses Odubajo had a shot deflected wide during a good spell for Orient, with Romain Vincelot thwarted by Long after playing a one-two with Jimmy Smith and the keeper also making a fine save to keep out David Mooney's follow-up.

United's Ryan Flynn saw an effort strike a post and Michael Doyle's firm drive was well turned over by Jamie Jones.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Leyton Orient: Long 7 , Higginbotham 6 , Maguire 6 , Collins 6 , McMahon 6 , Flynn 6 , Doyle 6 , McDonald 6 , Robson 7 , De Girolamo 6 , Kitson 6, Cresswell 6 , Poleon 7 , McFadzean 6 .

AFC Bournemouth 0 Sheffield United 1 ( Attendance: 8,497)

Blades Line-up : Long, McMahon, Higginbotham, Maguire, Collins, Doyle, McDonald, Robson (Poleon 84), Flynn, Kitson, Murphy.

Unused : Coyne, Westlake, Hill, McFadzean, Ironside, De Girolamo.

Man Of The Match: Barry Robson.

Bournemouth: Jalal, Francis, Cook, Seaborne, Painter (McQuoid 45), Ritchie, Arter, O'Kane, Pugh, Grabban (Tubbs 73), Pitman (Fraser 68).

Unused: Allsop, Hughes, Fogden, MacDonald.

Referee: Gary Sutton (Lincolnshire).

Jamie Murphy's strike sealed Sheffield United's fourth straight win as they beat Bournemouth 1-0 to replace them at the top of the table.

A Marcos Painter slip allowed the striker to slot home left-footed with 20 minutes gone after his initial drive had cannoned back off a post.

The Blades started brightly and saw a stunning Barry Robson dipping volley crash back off the bar after only three minutes.

Bournemouth lacked a cutting edge against the Blades but came close to opening the scoring after eight minutes when the energetic Harry Arter saw a shot cleared off the line by Michael Doyle.

Ryan Flynn thought he had doubled United's advantage late on but his goal was disallowed after a foul in the box from Dave Kitson.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Bournemouth: Long 7 , McMahon 7 , Higginbotham 8 , Maguire 7 , Collins 7 , Doyle 7 , McDonald 7 , Robson 8 , Poleon 6 , Flynn 7 , Kitson 8 , Murphy 8 .

Sheffield United 3 Colchester United 0 ( Attendance: 16,860)

Blades Line-up : Long, McMahon, Higginbotham, Collins, Maguire, Doyle, McDonald, Robson (Poleon 58), Flynn (De Girolamo 90), Kitson, Murphy.

Unused: Coyne, Westlake, Hill, Ironside, McFadzean.

Man Of The Match: Kevin McDonald .

Colchester: Walker, Da Wright (Bond 86), Garmston, Okuonghae, Sears, Ibehre, Massey (Dr Wright 72), White, Porter (Compton 60), Thompson, Clifford.

Unused: Morrison, Bean, Eastman, Phillips.

Referee: David Webb (Lancashire).

Sheffield United climbed back into the top two with a 3-0 home win over Colchester on Saturday afternoon. Barry Robson scored from the spot in the fourth minute after being fouled by Josh Thompson.

The visitors then enjoyed a good spell early on, with Freddie Sears seeing his free-kick deflected wide and Thompson heading over. Sears also had a shot on the run saved by United goalkeeper George Long and fired over, while David Wright put a long-range effort off-target.

The Blades came back into the game towards the end of the first half, with Michael Doyle having a 20-yard shot saved by Colchester goalkeeper Sam Walker. Doyle went close to putting United further ahead in first-half stoppage time when his long-range shot struck a post.

Kevin McDonald beat Walker with a low shot from distance in the 73rd minute to make it 2-0. Walker then made a good save from Kitson, turning the striker's shot wide.

Dave Kitson had been battered by the Colchester defence and had received no protection from the referee. But in the final moments of injury time he got his deserved goal, pouncing on the rebound after substitute Diego De Girolamo's shot had been parried by Walker.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Colchester: Long 6 , McMahon 6 , Higginbotham 7 , Collins 7 , Maguire 7 , Doyle 7 , McDonald 8 , Robson 8 , Poleon 6 , Flynn 6 , Kitson 8 , Murphy 7 .

Leeds striker Dominic Poleon has joined Sheffield United on loan until the end of the season. The 19-year-old academy graduate, who recently agreed a new contract at Elland Road, has made seven appearances for the Whites this season, scoring one goal. He is the leading scorer for Leeds' Under-21 side this campaign, having netted six times. Earlier this season, he spent time on loan with the Blades' League One rivals Bury, where he scored twice in eight matches. Poleon is looking forward to helping Danny Wilson's side in their bid to earn promotion to the Championship, with the club currently fifth in the table, five points away from the automatic promotion places. "It's another chance to get some experience and play some first-team football," said Poleon. "Sheffield United are near the top and I want to help them kick on to promotion." Wilson admitted he had enquired about Poleon's services in the January transfer window and is pleased to have finally landed his target. "He is young, raw and unpredictable, but he is quick and offers pace defenders won't like to defend against," he told the club's official website. "He can offer us a lot both in terms of starting games and also as an impact substitution from the bench. We need that extra striker and if we are to be successful, we need as many strikers available as possible."

Bury 0 Sheffield United 2 ( Attendance: 7,232)

Blades Line-up : Long, McMahon, Higginbotham, Collins, Maguire, Doyle, McDonald 7 , Flynn, Murphy, Robson, Kitson (Ironside 90), Forte (Robson 74).

Unused: Coyne, Westlake, Hill, McFadzean, DeGirolamo.

Man Of The Match: Jamie Murphy.

Bury: Carson, Skarz, Eastham, Schumacher (Worrall 63), Bishop (Healy 82), Ajose, Regan, Zubar, Thompson, Ebanks-Landell, Soares.

Unused: Jones, Carrington, Belford, Carole.

Referee: Graham Salisbury (Lancashire)

Sheffield United closed the gap on the automatic promotion places in League One to three points with a 2-0 win at Bury on Tuesday. Jonathan Forte's first goal since returning to the club on loan from Southampton and a Jamie Murphy strike sealed the points at Gigg Lane.It was a particularly disappointing night for Bury manager Kevin Blackwell, who was facing his former club for the first time since being sacked as manager in 2010. But revenge never looked on the cards as United enjoyed the better chances, Forte denied early on by Trevor Carson. The Bury goalkeeper also scrambled to keep out a Harry Maguire header while George Long tipped away a Nick Ajose effort at the other end. The Blades eventually went in front seven minutes before the break when Forte cut in from the flank to fire into the bottom corner. Ashley Eastham spurned a great chance to equalise soon after the break, blasting over from Steven Schumacher's free-kick. And Bury paid the price, allowing Murphy to seal the win with a powerful finish after some catastrophic defending from a corner.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Bury: Long 6 , McMahon 7 , Higginbotham 7 , Collins 7 , Maguire 7 , Doyle 7 , McDonald 6 , Robson 6 , Murphy 8 , Flynn 6 , Kitson 7 , Forte 7 .

Shrewsbury Town 1 Sheffield United 2 ( Attendance: 7,232)

Blades Line-up : Long, McMahon, Higginbotham, Collins, Maguire, Doyle, McDonald, Flynn, Murphy (Robson 75), Kitson (Ironside 90), Forte.

Unused: Coyne, Westlake, Hill, McFadzean, DeGirolamo.

Man Of The Match: Michael Doyle.

Shrewsbury: Weale, Jacobson, Jones, Richards, Taylor (Summerfield 45), McGinn, Doble (Bradshaw 63), Parry, McAllister, Mambo, Gayle.

Unused : Anyon, Purdie, Edwards, Goldson, Wildig.

Referee: Mark Heywood (Cheshire).

Sheffield United breathed fresh life into their promotion hopes with a 2-1 win at Shrewsbury. It was a first win in six league games for Danny Wilson's side. The Blades made much of the running in the first half but there was no way past inspired Shrewsbury goalkeeper Chris Weale. Weale made a flying save to his right to claw away Kevin McDonald's 20-yard drive and then came racing off his line to bravely block from Ryan Flynn at his near post following a strong run from the winger. Weale then took centre stage again with a brilliant save to keep out a dipping free-kick from the edge of the box whipped over the defensive wall by Tony McMahon. United's pressure was finally rewarded in the 63rd minute, skipper Michael Doyle stabbing the ball home from close range after Shrewsbury were unable to clear a left-wing cross. Nine minutes later and it was two-nil, with the experienced Dave Kitson taking a touch to steady himself before drilling an unstoppable 25-yard shot into the corner of Weale's net. Shrewsbury, without injured striker Marvin Morgan, found chances hard to come by although they halved the arrears three minutes from time when a 35-yard free-kick from Stephen McGinn, on loan from Watford, found its way in to deny goalkeeper George Long a clean sheet.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Shrewsbury: Long 5 , McMahon 7 , Higginbotham 7 , Collins 7 , Maguire 7 , Doyle 7 , McDonald 7 , Flynn 7 , Murphy 7 , Robson 6 , Kitson 7 , Forte 6 .

Sheffield United 1 Coventry City 2 ( Attendance: 17,511)

Blades Line-up : Long, McMahon, Higginbotham, Collins, Maguire, Doyle, McDonald, Flynn, Murphy (Robson 71). Porter (Forte 54), Kitson.

Unused: Coyne, Westlake, Cresswell, Ironside, De Girolamo.

Man Of The Match: Dave Kitson.

Coventry City: Murphy, Baker, McSheffrey (Fleck 74), Jennings, Elliott (Thomas 69), Clarke, Christie, Wood, Edjenguele, Moussa, Adams.

Unused : Clarke, Cameron, Dunn, Barton, Ball.

Referee: Christopher Sarginson (Staffordshire).

Sheffield United suffered a third straight home defeat as Coventry won 2-1 at Bramall Lane. Leon Clarke gave the visitors a 14th-minute lead and struck again three minutes from time to give them all three points after Dave Kitson had equalised in the 72nd minute for United. Coventry's Carl Baker wasted a great early chance, firing off-target from a good position after Stephen Elliott's ball found him unmarked at the far post. Elliott was the provider again when Clarke scored with a shot from around the six-yard box. As Coventry continued to dominate in the first half, Baker had a shot charged down and Clarke fired in a low shot which was deflected wide. Jonathan Forte, who has rejoined the Blades on loan from Southampton, shot straight at keeper Joe Murphy soon after coming on as a substitute early in the second half. United fought their way back in the second half and Kitson found the net with a header from Barry Robson's corner but Clarke struck the winner, seizing on the loose ball after goalkeeper George Long parried Franck Moussa's low drive.

Blades Player Performance Ratings v. Coventry City: Long 6 , McMahon 6 , Higginbotham 6 , Collins 6 , Maguire 6 , Doyle 5 , McDonald 6 , Flynn 6 , Murphy 5 , Robson 7 . Porter 5 , Forte 6 , Kitson 7 .