Sheffield United 3 Burnley 3: Mixed emotions for Speed

Granted, it was not even a victory – but it was still a result that stopped a slide and silenced the taunts.

"Did you cry down Wembley way?" the Burnley supporters had sung, harking back to events of May 2009.

Thanks to a late, late goal from Mark Yeates, it was the Blades who enjoyed the greater celebration this time around. Albeit muted.

Without that goal, it would have been four defeats in six games for the Blades whose failure to beat Burnley in the play-off final, and secure an immediate return to the top flight, has now resulted in a need to re-adjust expectations.

New manager Gary Speed's immediate priority is pulling away from the Championship relegation zone not pushing for promotion.

There were only two survivors in the Blades starting line-up from Wembley, namely Chris Morgan and Stephen Quinn; four in Burnley's, namely Brian Jensen, Jay Rodriguez, Chris Eagles, and the goalscorer Wade Elliott.

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Brian Laws has also taken over at the Burnley helm – another reason for Blades supporters to savour their point.

Leon Britton had returned to the Blades midfield in place of the injured Nick Montgomery while former Burnley defender Stephen Jordan had dropped to the bench to accommodate fit-again captain Chris Morgan.

The first half was a largely non-descript affair with both sides cancelling each other out.

Blades midfielder Johnny Ertl tested Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen early on but that was more or less it until the half-hour mark when Burnley wasted two golden opportunities.

Defender Andre Bikey was allowed space for a free header at a corner but bounced the ball down and over the crossbar.

Striker Chris Iwelumo then arrived a split second too late to convert a dangerous ball across the box from Chris Eagles.

Quinn forced Jensen to save low to his left as the Blades finally started to get a grip on the game 10 minutes before the interval.

During a period of intense pressure, Burnley's Jay Rodriquez was cautioned for a foul on Ritchie De Laet and then handled unintentionally. Fortunately for the winger, referee Eddie Ilderton was in forgiving mood.

The Blades had finished the first half well on top but the game swung Burnley's way in dramatic fashion shortly after the restart.

Dean Marney broke the deadlock, beating goalkeeper Steve Simonsen to a cross from Eagles and nodding the ball into the roof of the net.

Three minutes later, Ilderton awarded a controversial penalty to Burnley that Eagles rifled home. The Clarets were clearly delighted, especially as the ball was going out of play and De Laet's tangle with Tyrone Mears was hardly intentional.

To make matters worse for the Blades, Ilderton only pointed to the spot after his assistant had signalled for a foul.

But the Blades refused to give up and knew that the 2-0 scoreline flattered the visitors.

Bogdanovic bagged his first goal for the club to start the revival – seizing on a sloppy backpass from Mears before tucking the ball past Jensen.

Things hotted up and Burnley's Daniel Fox was lucky to escape with a booking after sliding across the turf to hack down De Laet.

Considering the current wave of hostility to the late tackle, Fox was on very dangerous ground. Ironically, it was still his final contribution to the game as he suffered a thigh injury.

Speed sent on substitutes Ched Evans and Matty Lowton in search of the equaliser and the latter duly delivered the goods.

Still only 21, Lowton has been mainly used in defence so far but is now impressing Speed in more advanced roles.

Playing as a central midfielder on Saturday, Lowton scored just four minutes after entering the fray with a shot from the edge of the box that took a heavy deflection.

Much to Speed's annoyance, the Blades pushed forward in search of a winner and the gaps they left at the back allowed Rodriguez to score one minute into stoppage time.

Amazingly, there was still time for another twist in the tale.

Burnley had two great opportunities to put the game out of reach – Jack Cork fired wide and Morgan pulled off a brilliant tackle to foil substitute Steve Thompson.

But Yeates had the final say, scoring with another deflected shot, long after many Blades supporters had already exited the stadium.

"Sometimes you get a feeling that a manager is backing you," said Yeates who fell out of favour with former manager Kevin Blackwell not long after his acquisition from Middlesbrough.

"Even when things don't come off, he still encourages me to do things but I have to make sure I put in performances like this week-in, week-out.

"I signed here to play but found myself more in and out than I probably would have expected," he added. "I wish the old manager all the best but under the new manager I think the way we play definitely suits me a lot more."

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Mark Yeates

The Blades winger capped an impressive personal display with the injury-time goal that salvaged a point for his side. Looks to be enjoying life again at Bramall Lane.

Villain: Brian Laws

As the former manager of United's arch-rivals Sheffield Wednesday, Laws was always going to get stick. Punched the air with delight whenever his Burnley side scored but a victory was snatched from his grasp.

Key moment

90th minute+5: Pure drama as Yeates levels deep into stoppage time with a deflected shot. Any Blades supporter on the way home must have wished they had stayed.

Ref watch

Eddie Ilderton: Might have shown a red card to two Burnley players – Fox for a late lunge on De Laet and Rodriquez for a handball just moments after being booked.

Verdict

Excellent entertainment at the end but the game overall showed there is still plenty of hard work ahead on the training ground for Sheffield United manager Gary Speed.

Quote of the day

You can't keep climbing a mountain, sliding back down, and expecting to climb it again.

– Blades manager Gary Speed gives his verdict on Saturday's dramatic game.

Next game

Hull City v Sheffield United, tomorrow, KC Stadium, Championship.

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