Sheffield United 0 Birmingham City 4: Wilson retains faith in Blades squad for promotion challenge

DANNY WILSON remains convinced that he has the squad to take the League One automatic promotion race down to the wire.

That is in spite of defeat at leaders Charlton being followed by Saturday’s chastening FA Cup exit at Bramall Lane.

Wilson’s Blades may well have matched Charlton but on Saturday they bowed out to opposition that had greater quality in several areas, including the most important, finishing ability.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Sheffield United manager confessed he would rather Premier League Wolves had won the replay in the previous round against Birmingham.

“I’ll say it publicly now – I didn’t want to play these. I would have taken Wolves and the reason I say that is because they would have made 11 changes and put out a ‘second team’. Birmingham have put out a very strong side in all their cup games this season and we knew that would happen today,” said Wilson.

It was a defeat that had to be taken on the chin and one which Wilson does not believe will have any effect on his third-placed side’s league prospects.

It is certainly not going to force him to make any panic moves before the transfer window closes at 11.00pm tomorrow night, although Blackpool striker Billy Clarke has been linked with a return to Bramall Lane where he played six games on loan earlier in the season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Clarke, however, led the Blackpool attack against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday so may still figure in Ian Holloway’s plans.

Wilson, who has had no bids for any of his players, added: “I have got to be happy with the squad. You always want to bring somebody in, you always want a spark with one or two but the economics dictate.

“I am hoping nobody goes out but it will go right to the wire. We have not had any offers which is a relief but I’m a bit too long in the tooth in this game and know it can hit you late on. The last few days of the transfer window are the important ones and it’s when you can’t respond by bringing in replacements that makes it difficult.”

With that in mind, Wilson has contingency plans in place but he is happy with the character of his squad.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“There will be no pyschological scars from today – absoultely not,” said the manager, who named the same starting line-up as he had employed against Charlton, giving the cup the respect it deserved.

“They have done very well against a side who are pushing for the Premiership and who have Premiership players.

“We were beaten by the better team but the scoreline was not a true reflection.

“I think this squad here is capable of going the distance. We will push as hard as we can with what we have got and that is not being despondent. That’s a fact. We have got some good players here and maybe it might just give us a real focus for Saturday’s game at Colchester.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Blades actually made a bright start against Birmingham, Ched Evans twice testing the visitors’ ‘Cup goalkeeper’ Colin Doyle.

But they were behind in the 18th minute, Wilson claiming it was a soft goal to concede while others saw it as a great finish, right-footed left winger Nathan Redmond, a 17-year-old being watched by several Premier League clubs, making a diagonal run to meet a low drilled corner from Jordon Mutch and rifle the ball home from 14 yards.

Lone striker Adam Rooney cracked the second into the roof of the net from six yards as he met a low cross from ever dangerous right winger Chris Burke in the 38th minute.

Undaunted, the Blades hit back as they atttacked the Kop end after the break and should have got a foothold back in the game.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

First, Richard Cresswell narrowly failed to convert Stephen Quinn’s cross in the six-yard area and then what had been a water-tight Birmingham defence opened again in the 53rd minute.

Right-back Matt Lowton clipped the ball into the area, Lee Williamson saw his shot cannon off Doyle but Lowton could only slice the rebound against a post and the oportunity was gone.

It was not long before the Blades’ nemesis, Wade Elliott, scuppered all hope of a comeback.

Elliott secured Burnley’s promotion to the Premier League in 2009 with his Wembley winner in the play-off final against the Blades and this time defenders backed off as he drove at them before striking the ball inside Steve Simonsen’s left-hand post in the 59th minute.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

That was virtually it and Birmingham, who externded their unbeaten run to nine games, enjoyed a spell of ‘ole football’ before Rooney toe-poked in the fourth from David Murphy’s 79th-minute cross to complete a Sheffield double for the visitors, who knocked the Owls out of the FA Cup last season.

“I’m not distraught whatsoever. I’m quite pleased with the performance. The areas we have to be better in are in the final third areas and get the end product of good play that results in goals,” added Wilson.

“That’s what they did against us today. They got in similar situations but they finished them off and that was the difference.

“When you get the oles and all that stuff, the game is gone but you wouldn’t have known in the first half hour where the teams were. We gave as good as we took but a goal gives you a spring in your step, two goals give you a real spring, three and four and you can play walking.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Should those chances we created had fallen to them, they would have put them in because they were very clinical.”

Sheffield United: Simonsen, Lowton, Maguire, Collins, Jean-Francois (Williams 61); Williamson, McDonald, Doyle, Quinn (Flynn 72); Cresswell (Porter 72), Evans. Unused substitutes: Montgomery, Ertl, Philliskirk, Long.

Birmingham City: Doyle, Spector, Davies, Caldwell, Murphy; Burke (Gnahore 80), Mutch (Reilly 80), Gomis, Redmond; Elliott; Rooney. Unused substitutes: Ibanez, Fahey, Zigic, Valles, Butland.

Referee: L Mason (Lancs).