Sheffield United 1-0 Stockport County
Tuesday, 24th October 2000
Nationwide League Division One
Venue: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 13,542
Referee: F Stretton (Nottingham)
| SHEFFIELD UNITED | 1 (0) |
| Shaun Murphy 68 | |
| STOCKPORT COUNTY | 0 (0) |
| SHEFFIELD UNITED | -V- | STOCKPORT COUNTY | ||
| Simon Tracey | 1 | Carlo Nash | ||
| Gus Uhlenbeek | 2 | Shane Nicholson | B | |
| Shaun Murphy | 3 | Mike Flynn | B | |
| Keith Curle | 4 | Peter Clark | B | |
| Wayne Quinn | 5 | Kevin Cooper | ||
| Nick Montgomery | 6 | Ian Thomas-Moore | ||
| Paul Devlin | 7 | Jarko Wiss | ||
| Michael Brown | 8 | Andy Tod | ||
| Bruno Ribeiro | 9 | David Smith | ||
| Marcus Bent | 10 | Robert Clare | ||
| David Kelly | 11 | Grant Brebner | ||
| Substitutes | |
| 59mins | Aaron Wilbraham for Tod |
| 69mins | Colin Woodthorpe for Clare |
| 75mins | Layton Maxwell for Woodthorpe |
| 86mins | Georges Santos for Montgomery |
| 87mins | Laurent D’Jaffo for Kelly |
| 90mins | Jon Newby for Bent |
| Unused | ||||
| Lee Sandford | – | Alan Bailey | ||
| Frank Talia | – | Lee Jones | ||
| Managers | ||||
| Neil Warnock | – | Andy Kilner | ||
Notes
No notes
Match Report
Murphy’s Law: Blades Break Through as Shaun Seals Vital Win
United took 67 minutes to break down a resilient Stockport County but were rewarded with three more vital points at Bramall Lane on Tuesday evening. The Blades continued their impressive home form, recording their sixth win in seven matches in Division One.
The decisive moment came from central defender Shaun Murphy, who rose above the County defence midway through the second half to head home the winner. It was a goal that separated the sides in a match where chances were at a premium and defences largely held firm.
Manager Neil Warnock made several changes to the United line-up following the disappointing 4–2 defeat at Norwich City the previous Saturday. Keith Curle replaced Lee Sandford in defence and also took over the captain’s armband. In midfield, Bruno Ribeiro and 18-year-old Nick Montgomery, making his full debut, came in for Georges Santos and Curtis Woodhouse. Montgomery partnered Michael Brown in the centre and put in a mature, hard-working display that nearly earned him man of the match honours before being substituted for Santos with five minutes to go.
United started brightly and almost made an early breakthrough when Marcus Bent chased down a Stockport clearance just four minutes in to win a corner. Stockport’s best period came midway through the first half, when Mike Flynn beat Simon Tracey in the air and headed across goal, but nobody could apply the finishing touch. Ian Moore also missed a good chance from a Kevin Cooper corner, failing to convert from close range.
As the half wore on, United began to take control. Michael Brown tested Carlo Nash with a fierce drive, and Bent attempted a spectacular overhead kick which flew just over. The best opportunity of the half came just before the break when Bent crossed from the right, Devlin flicked on, and Wayne Quinn found himself eight yards out with only the keeper to beat—but his shot struck Nash’s legs.
The second half saw United enjoy the lion’s share of possession and press for the opener, although clear-cut chances remained limited. Paul Kelly missed the target from a tight angle after pressure from Bent and Murphy had unsettled the Stockport defence. The breakthrough finally came on 67 minutes from one of many corners United had forced. Quinn delivered an inswinger from the right and Murphy rose superbly above Nash to nod the ball into the unguarded net from six yards.
Eleven minutes later, a near-identical corner saw Bent beat Nash in the air but his header flew narrowly over. United continued to push, with Devlin seeing a powerful half-volley blocked by Peter Clark. Stockport’s best chance of the second half arrived on 75 minutes when substitute Aaron Wilbraham latched onto a through ball from David Smith and whipped in a low cross for Moore, but again the striker failed to convert from inside the six-yard box.
The referee added four minutes of injury time, but United’s defence, marshalled confidently by Murphy, stood firm and saw out the win with little trouble. It was a solid, determined performance that extended United’s unbeaten start to the season and once again underlined their strength at home.
UP THE BLADES 
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