Sheffield United 1-1 Barnsley
Saturday, 17th October 1998 – KO: 15:00
Nationwide League Division One
Half-Time: Sheffield United 0-1 Barnsley
Venue: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 23,180
Referee: T. Heilbron
| Sheffield United | 1 |
| Wayne Quinn 48 | |
| Barnsley | 1 |
| Jan Fjortoft 31 |
| Sheffield United | -V- | Barnsley | ||
| Simon Tracey | 1 | Lars Leese | ||
| Chris Wilder | 2 | A De Zeeuw | ||
| Wayne Quinn | 3 | Darren Barnard | ||
| Des Hamilton | 4 | Nicky Eaden | ||
| Lee Sandford | B | 5 | Scott Jones | B |
| Roger Nilsen | 6 | Matty Appleby | ||
| Dean Saunders | 7 | Martin Bullock | ||
| Nicky Marker | 8 | Darren Sheridan | ||
| Gareth Taylor | 9 | Jan Fjortfoft | ||
| Curtis Woodhouse | 10 | John Hendrie | ||
| Graham Stuart | 11 | Robbie Van Der Laan | ||
| Substitutes | ||||
| 83mins | Clint Marcelle for John Hendrie | |||
| Unused | ||||
| Nick Henry | Adie Moses | |||
| Petr Katchouro | Sean McClare | |||
| Paul Devlin | ||||
| Managers | ||||
| Steve Bruce | John Hendrie | |||
Match Report
Sheffield United and South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley had to share a point at Bramall Lane, despite the Blades coming from behind with a Wayne Quinn free kick. Typically, former striker Jan Fjortoft stole the headlines and netted in his first return to his former club.
It was a hard-fought clash in appalling rain-soaked conditions, difficult for both sides. Though the Blades fell behind on the half-hour mark, manager Steve Bruce was perhaps the unhappiest of the two managers after failing to convert chances, despite Wayne Quinn curling home his free-kick three minutes into the second half.
Both clubs have a player-manager structure at the helm, and whilst Bruce was unavailable through suspension, his opposite number, John Hendrie, led from the front, alongside Fjortoft, owing to the injured Ashley Ward, who was absent through a hip injury.
The Tykes took the lead on 28 minutes through fortunate circumstances. Robin van der Laan’s projected cross into the box didn’t appear threatening at first, but a slight deflection that off-balanced defensive duo Lee Sandford and Roger Nilsen allowed FJORTOFT to execute full advantage and within a flash the ball had bounced on the sodern surface and lifted over Simon Tracey and into the Blades net, sparking his traditional aeroplane celebration.
United, for their efforts, came away disappointed that a point was shared after missing golden opportunities to find the net. Quinn, who would eventually find the net, threatened from early doors as his distance free-kick was easily met by the palms of Lars Leese, whilst Van Der Laan through himself to prevent Gareth Taylor from prodding home almost on the line. After being sandwiched between Darren Sheridan and Darren Barnard, Dean Saunders was denied a penalty claim.
At the other end, Fjortoft could have doubled his and the Reds’ tally for the day, but his right-footed effort was expertly tipped onto the bar by Tracey. It was a save that proved vital, for three minutes after the re-start, United claimed a deserved leveller, and like the visitors’ opening goal, through a fortunate event. Scott Jones had given the Blades a free-kick 25 yards from goal after he hauled down Saunders. Quinn stepped up and his curling free-kick lacked pace on the muddy pitch, but Leese lost his footing and slipped and could only watch in horror as the ball drifted into the goal.
Barnsley responded brightly and could have stolen the lead again immediately, but Van Der Laan missed his pass to Martin Bullock, and the chance was gone.
The remainder of the game saw chances few and far between for both clubs, but United almost snatched it at the end, but Saunders’ powerful drive rose high over the bar, with both sides settling for a point in what wasn’t the most memorable game between the two clubs.
UP THE BLADES 
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