A solid base: Sheffield United’s new League One promotion charge

Despite being unconvincing, the Blades have a solid base on which to build a promotion challenge.

Matt Hill *celebrates* with Nick Blackman

There were two narratives to come out of Sheffield United’s 1-0 victory over Portsmouth on Monday night.

The first was that the Blades drew level on points with League One leaders Tranmere and the second was that the game, played in front of the Sky Sports cameras, was a shocker. A real shocker.

Indeed, there were very few chances. Very few passes strung together. Very few talking points. A lot of seemingly aimless long balls.

In the end, a Nick Blackman penalty was enough for a United victory for the second game running.

It was the first time I had seen the Blades this season after a number of key squad changes to the team I watched on a regular basis last season.

The most notable absentee from the majority of 2011/12 is 35-goal top-scorer Ched Evans, who was jailed for five years in April for rape. However, his absence was felt towards the end of last season as Danny Wilson’s men ran out of steam in their play-off push.

If Monday’s game was typical of United’s season so far (which, judging by the comments of locals after the game, it was), then Evans is not the only one who the Blades are finding it hard to come to terms with losing.

One of those players was Lee Williamson. Ironically, he played for Portsmouth on Monday night and had a poor game, deployed in a central midfield role by boss Michael Appleton. But last season he was a constant threat from the right hand side for United, acting as one of the main sources of supply for Evans’s 39 goals and chipping in with 13 goals himself.

In addition to failing to agree a new contract with Williamson, Blades sold Stephen Quinn to Hull, losing another creative influence from the other side of midfield and Matt Lowton who joined Aston Villa. Though Lowton was a right back, his most significant contributions were on his marauding forward runs, meaning the Blades lost yet more attacking flair.

It is hardly surprising, then, that the Blades lack more than a little cutting edge going forward. They haven’t replaced the above players with similar quality and are only joint 12th top goalscorers in League One after being top scorers by some distance last term.But what four 1-0 wins in their last five also suggests, is that Danny Wilson’s side has a core which many opponents will find hard to crack this season. This has proven the case so far – they are yet to be beaten and have the league’s meanest defence.

Former Blade Lee Williamson tussles with Ryan Flynn

But what the Blades have got, is solid foundations. Two players they managed to keep, are centre-halves Neill Collins and Harry Maguire. Collins was solid and experienced as ever on Monday night, while Maguire, still only 19, is mature beyond his years and will continue to improve.

It may not have been beautiful football from the Blades in Monday’s 1-0 win and four 1-0 wins in their last five suggest that may not have been a one off.

They won’t get promoted playing like they did on Monday every week, but it is a solid base to build on and one which will make the majority of League One managers envious of manager Wilson.

If they are joint top of the league and unbeaten without playing well after 15 games (almost a third of the season), then things bode well for the Bramall Lane club. They were pipped to the post in an enthralling promotion race by Wednesday at the end of last season, but come the end of 2012/13, Sheffield United may well go one better.

by Stuart Hill