Stockport County 0-2 Sheffield United

Stockport County 0-2 Sheffield United
Saturday, 2nd December 2000
Nationwide League Division One

Venue: Edgeley Park
Attendance: 6,460
Referee: M.J. Brandwood (Lichfield)

STOCKPORT COUNTY	0 (0)
SHEFFIELD UNITED	2 (1)
Paul Devlin 45, Wayne Quinn 88 (pen)

STOCKPORT COUNTY		-V-	SHEFFIELD UNITED
Andy Dibble	RED	1	Simon Tracey
Shane Nicholson	B	2	Gus Uhlenbeek
Mike Flynn		3	Shaun Murphy
Peter Clark		4	Michael Brown
Kevin Cooper		5	Laurent D’Jaffo
Ali Gibb		6	Paul Devlin
Jarkko Wiss		7	Georges Santos
Karim Fradin		8	Lee Sandford
Andy Tod		9	Bobby Ford
Aaron Wilbraham		10	Robert Kozluk
Kent Bergersen		11	Nick Montgomery

Substitutes
66mins	David Smith for Wiss
66mins	Robert Matthews for Nicholson
74mins	Layton Maxwell for Bergersen
82mins	Wayne Quinn for Montgomery
89mins	Phil Jagielka for D’Jaffo

Unused
Lee Jones		–	Patrick Suffo
Colin Woodthorpe		–	David Kelly
		–	James Thomas
Managers
Andy Kilner		–	Neil Warnock

Notes

No notes

Match Report

United Dig Deep to Claim Rare Away Win at Stockport

Late goals in both halves and a renewed sense of fight helped Sheffield United secure a rare and hard-earned away victory in an eventful clash at Stockport County.

While frustrated home supporters lingered after the final whistle to voice their displeasure at the manager and chairman, the travelling Blades contingent celebrated a solid and organised performance. Goals from Devlin and substitute Quinn—who calmly converted a late penalty—sealed the win for Neil Warnock’s reshaped side.

With Woodhouse suspended, and Uhlenbeek, Quinn, and Thomas left out, Rob Kozluk was recalled from his loan at Huddersfield, Bobby Ford returned to the midfield, and Rob Ullathorne made his debut.

On a crisp, clear afternoon, both sides set the tone early for an open and combative encounter. Kozluk immediately marked his return with a smart defensive cover, while Ullathorne saw his free-kick rebound off the wall.

United created a fine chance after 15 minutes when Devlin, playing in attack, delivered a teasing cross from the left. D’Jaffo rose to meet it but could only direct his header straight at Dibble.

Midfielder Montgomery found himself on the receiving end of some rough treatment from the County defence, though it was Ford who picked up the game’s first booking for a hefty challenge on Gibb.

Stockport had the ball in the net twice in quick succession but were denied both times—Flynn fouled Tracey before heading home, and Wilbraham’s effort was ruled out for offside.

United’s back line stood firm, with Murphy and Kozluk catching the eye through some crucial interceptions as County began to mount pressure.

Just before the interval, United broke the deadlock. Kozluk dispossessed a County player and released DEVLIN down the left. Though forced wide, Devlin managed to drill a low shot across Dibble and into the far corner.

The second half continued in end-to-end fashion, with neither team afforded much time or space. Ullathorne made a couple of important interventions, while Tracey remained largely untroubled thanks to the resilience of the defence.

D’Jaffo almost doubled the lead when he came close to converting Devlin’s fierce low cross, following good work by the lively Kozluk and Montgomery. Kozluk then broke forward himself, laying the ball back for a shot that flew over the bar.

Tracey was finally called into action with a quick reaction save, while at the other end, D’Jaffo twice went close only to be denied by last-ditch County defending.

A heart-stopping moment came when Santos sliced a clearance off his own head, sending the ball looping toward goal. Tracey reacted quickly to scramble across and palm it to safety.

With five minutes to go, D’Jaffo chased down what looked a lost cause, forcing a mistake from Dibble, who then brought him down in the corner of the box. The keeper was shown a red card, and stand-in stopper Tod could do nothing as QUINN confidently slotted the penalty into the net to seal the victory.