Preston North End 0-2 Sheffield United
Friday, 9th August 2024 – 20:00
Championship
Half-Time: Preston North End 0-1 Sheffield United
Venue: Deepdale
Attendance: 17,948
Referee: Robert Madley
Assistant Referee 1: Blake Antrobus
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Williams
Fourth Official: Anthony Backhouse
| PRESTON NORTH END | 0 |
| SHEFFIELD UNITED | 2 |
| Ollie Arblaster 12, Gustavo Hamer 55 |
| Preston North End | -V- | Sheffield United | ||
| Freddie Woodman | 1 | Adam Davies | ||
| Jack Whatmough | 2 | Alfie Gilchrist | ||
| Liam Lindsay | B | 3 | Anel Ahmedhodzic | |
| Andrew Hughes | 4 | Jack Robinson | ||
| Brad Potts | 5 | Harrison Burrows | ||
| Ben Whiteman | 6 | Andre Brooks | ||
| Stéfan Teitur Thórdarson | 7 | Ollie Arblaster | ||
| Robbie Brady | 8 | Vinicius Souza | ||
| Sam Greenwood | 9 | Gus Hamer | ||
| Will Keane | 10 | Callum O’Hare | ||
| Emil Riis | 11 | Kieffer Moore | ||
| Substitutes | ||||
| Milutin Osmajić for Will Keane | 65mins | |||
| Kaine Kesler-Hayden for Sam Greenwood | 65mins | |||
| Mads Frøkjær-Jensen for Stéfan Teitur Thórdarson | 72mins | Femi Seriki for Alfie Gilchrist | ||
| 73mins | Anis Ben Slimane for Gus Hamer | |||
| 79mins | Rhian Brewster for Andre Brooks | |||
| Kian Best for Robbie Brady | 87mins | |||
| 90mins | Sydie Peck for Callum O’Hare | |||
| Unused | ||||
| David Cornell | – | Ismael Coulibaly | ||
| Duane Holmes | – | Ivo Grbic | ||
| Ryan Ledson | – | Louie Marsh | ||
| Theo Mawene | – | Harry Souttar | ||
| Jordan Storey | – | Auston Trusty | ||
| Managers | ||||
| Ryan Lowe | Chris Wilder | |||
Match Report
Blades Cut Loose on Opening Day
Sheffield United made a winning return to the Championship with a confident 2–0 victory at Preston, shaking off last season’s Premier League woes in impressive style. It took just 12 minutes for the Blades to get off the mark, as academy graduate Ollie Arblaster fired in from the edge of the box – his effort taking a wicked deflection to wrong-foot Freddie Woodman.
After the break, Woodman turned from unlucky to unfortunate, throwing the ball straight to Gustavo Hamer, who coolly lofted a 30-yard chip over the stranded keeper and into the empty net. A gift – and a moment of real class.
It was Sheffield United’s first league win since February and their first clean sheet of the year. After a bruising campaign that ended in relegation, three wins, 104 goals conceded, and a 16-point total, this was a welcome and well-earned boost.
Starting the season on minus two points due to financial defaults, the Blades now move into the black – and look like a side determined to make amends. Chris Wilder handed debuts to four summer signings, but it was Arblaster who stole the spotlight, scoring his first goal for the club.
Preston, meanwhile, saw their struggles continue. Last season ended with five straight defeats and no goals, and this defeat extends that barren spell. Ryan Lowe’s side lacked punch, and never looked like recovering once Hamer doubled the lead.
Next up, United host Wrexham in the League Cup, while Preston welcome Sunderland – both looking to build momentum. But on this evidence, it’s the Blades who have sharpened up for the fight ahead.
Preston manager Ryan Lowe:
“(The mistake) sucks the life out of you, the players, the staff. But there’s no blame culture on Freddie. He’s been fantastic for us.
“He’s pushed himself to get back for this game after a slight niggle. When keepers make mistakes, you get punished like that.
“We’ve lost to an ex-Premier League team that’s come down. Did we give them a run for their money? Yes, we did.
“Was it good enough at the top end to potentially get more chances? No, but we know that and we need to be better at the other end with our decision making, but it’s constructive criticism.”
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder:
“We showed we can play a different way. We controlled the tempo and pace of the game. I thought the two in midfield were incredible and dominated that area of the pitch.
“I keep saying it’s a fresh beginning. Not being disrespectful, that includes my period (last season) as well. This is a new team with the biggest amount of changes of any club in the Championship this season.
“We still have work to do and there is a hell of a long way to go and a hell of a lot of work to do.
“We will have difficult days, but we have to enjoy days like this as well because of the incredible nature of the Premier League and what that was all about last year.”
UP THE BLADES 
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