Sheffield United 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Saturday, 16th December 2000
Nationwide League Division One
Venue: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 25,156
Referee: E.K. Wolstenholmer (Blackburn)
| SHEFFIELD UNITED | 1 (0) |
| Bobby Ford 55 (pen) | |
| SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY | 1 (0) |
| Ian Hendon (63) |
| SHEFFIELD UNITED | -V- | SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY | ||
| Simon Tracey | 1 | Kevin Pressman | ||
| Robert Kozluk | B | 2 | Ian Hendon | |
| Shaun Murphy | 3 | Ashley Westwood | ||
| Lee Sandford | 4 | Des Walker | ||
| Curtis Woodhouse | 5 | Steve Harkness | B | |
| Paul Devlin | 6 | Terry Cooke | ||
| Georges Santos | 7 | Steve Haslam | B | |
| Bobby Ford | 8 | Tony Crane | ||
| Michael Brown | 9 | Owen Morrison | B | |
| Patrick Suffo | 10 | Andy Booth | ||
| Laurent D’Jaffo | 11 | Efan Ekoku | ||
| Substitutes | |
| 53mins | David Kelly for D’Jaffo |
| 57mins | Matt Hamshaw for Booth |
| 61mins | Aaron Lescott for Crane |
| 78mins | Wayne Quinn for Santos |
| 78mins | James Thomas for Suffo |
| Unused | ||||
| Keith Curle | – | Michele Di Piedi | ||
| Nick Montgomery | – | Leigh Bromby | ||
| – | Chris Stringer | |||
| Managers | ||||
| Neil Warnock | – | Paul Jewell | ||
Notes
No notes
Match Report
Honours Even in Bramall Lane Derby, But Blades Left to Rue Missed Chances
The spoils were shared in a fiercely contested Sheffield derby at Bramall Lane, but it was the red half of the city that left feeling they had dropped two points. On a bitterly cold December morning, Sheffield United struck the woodwork twice and carved out the majority of opportunities in a match filled more with grit than glamour.
United’s recent penalty woes appeared to be behind them when Bobby Ford confidently converted a second-half spot-kick—his side’s second successful penalty in as many weeks. However, parity was restored just eight minutes later when Ian Hendon’s deflected free-kick denied the Blades victory. The clash, played in front of United’s biggest crowd of the season, offered few moments of flair, but the Blades displayed plenty of passion and resilience, no doubt stirred by manager Neil Warnock.
Warnock rang the changes from the side that had beaten Stockport and drawn with Barnsley. An injury sidelined Rob Ullathorne, while Nick Montgomery and David Kelly dropped to the bench. Curtis Woodhouse filled in at left-back, and the unpredictable Patrick Suffo joined Laurent D’Jaffo in attack.
The first half was largely scrappy, with both teams battling for control but struggling to create clear-cut chances. Long-range efforts dominated, seldom troubling the experienced goalkeepers.
Early on, Georges Santos forced Kevin Pressman into a save with a back-post header, while Suffo’s persistence nearly created openings for Ford and D’Jaffo. Wednesday responded with Owen Morrison’s low shot, tipped around the post by Simon Tracey, and a routine save from a Terry Cooke strike.
Devlin twice tested Pressman within the first 25 minutes, with the second attempt coming after a strong run from Rob Kozluk. On the half-hour, Santos surged forward but dragged his shot wide. Suffo later attempted an ambitious chip that had Pressman scrambling, but the ball sailed just wide.
As half-time approached, Wednesday applied pressure, and Efan Ekoku was inches from converting Andy Booth’s header in the six-yard box. Tempers briefly flared on 40 minutes when Kozluk and Morrison were booked following a minor confrontation—an incident that foreshadowed a more decisive second-half moment.
The second period was just five minutes old when controversy struck. Wednesday’s Steve Haslam, already booked, cynically delayed a United free-kick by booting the ball away. Referee Eddie Wolstenholme appeared ready to show a second yellow but ultimately opted for a verbal warning—a decision that incensed the home crowd.
Wolstenholme regained favour minutes later by awarding a penalty to United in front of the Kop. Morrison clipped Kozluk inside the area, and with regular taker Wayne Quinn on the bench, Ford stepped up to calmly send Pressman the wrong way with a composed finish.
United nearly doubled their lead immediately after the restart. Substitute Kelly won the ball and fed Suffo, whose low strike was turned behind by Pressman.
But Wednesday hit back on 63 minutes. Referee Wolstenholme awarded a free-kick against Michael Brown for a foul on Ekoku, and Hendon’s delivery took a wicked deflection to wrong-foot Tracey and level the score.
Just three minutes later, Ford rattled the crossbar with a fierce strike, and Suffo fired over in the scramble that followed. At the other end, Matthew Hamshaw’s solo run was halted by Tracey, and Morrison flashed another effort wide after running at the Blades’ backline.
The home fans found some ironic cheer when Wednesday boss Paul Jewell was dismissed for dissent—his second sending-off of the week. But the game remained finely poised, and both sides had chances to snatch victory.
On 81 minutes, Morrison blasted a shot straight at Tracey following a surging run by Cooke. With five minutes to go, United came agonisingly close once more as Devlin’s low drive from a free-kick struck the base of the post, leaving Warnock with his head in his hands.
In the dying moments, substitute James Thomas miscued from the edge of the area after Devlin had nodded down Quinn’s delivery, bringing a dramatic derby to a close.
UP THE BLADES 
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