Southwell City 4-1 Rainworth Miners Welfare

Southwell City 4-1 Rainworth Miners Welfare

United Counties League Division One

Monday 28th November 2022

A free Monday night and a chance to visit Southwell City’s new Centenary Sports Ground for this United Counties League Division One game against local rivals Rainworth Miners Welfare.

My only previous visit to Southwell was back in August 2013 when they were at the War Memorial Sports Ground and narrowly lost to a Mansfield Town XI in a pre-season fixture. That was roughly in the same era when Adam Murray (recently appointed as the new manager at AFC Fylde) bizarrely went ‘on loan’ to Rainworth from the Stags!

The Wrens were in the Evo-Stik Division One (South) back in those days and over the past decade they’ve competed in the now-defunct East Midlands Counties League and then the Northern Counties East League as recently as last season, before being allocated a place in the United Counties League Division One this year. 

Southwell are also recent newcomers to this division because they won the Notts Senior League in 2021/22 - thus achieving promotion which coincided with their move to this new facility.

Having spent four years working at Field Mill in the 2010s, and knowing various players who’ve been at Rainworth at one point or another in recent times, it was slightly surprising that there weren’t any recognisable names in their team.

Infact, the only familiar face on the pitch was Brad Peace who, about this time six years ago, made one fateful appearance playing under Adam Murray in a spell at Boston United when they got hammered 9-2 by AFC Fylde.

That was an occasion that Brad won’t want reminding about too much but this was one he’ll remember a little more fondly because despite the fact that both Southwell and Rainworth have been hovering around the wrong end of the table in recent months, his team-mates turned on the class in the second half to record a big three points.

On a bobbly pitch with an ever so slight slope to it, things initially looked to be going well for the Zebras because they took the lead in only the third minute when Ed Munton diverted the ball home from a set-piece to put them 1-0 up.

However, Rainworth were much the better team for the rest of the first half and they enjoyed more territory and pressure in their search for an equaliser. Rich Walton made a good save and a free-kick was also curled narrowly over, but the goal eventually came on 43 minutes when Nathan Benger forced the ball home after a bit of a scramble. Things could have soon got far worse for Southwell had it not been for Munton who produced a dramatic ‘double’ block on the line to ensure they were level at the interval - and not behind when they perhaps ought to have been!

At 1-1, the game was in the balance - and there’s little doubt that if it had carried on in the same vein then Rainworth would have been taking the points back to Kirklington Road, but Southwell got a grip on things after the restart and two quickfire goals by Liam Moran; the first of which ricocheted into the net more out of good fortune than anything else, followed by a penalty from their skipper Chris Bowles meant they ran out as comfortable winners.

The Zebras have still got plenty of things to improve but on a big night, in a big six-pointer infront of a ‘bumper’ crowd of people who clearly just didn’t want to watch the World Cup, they did what they needed to and got the points in the bag!

As for the ground, despite its location in the back and beyond which makes it difficult to find, it isn’t too bad. It’s modern. It’s clean. There’s hard standing on two sides, a cosy and relatively new clubhouse with TV screens, and at only £3 admission (cheaper than anywhere in the NCEL) plus decent parking facilities it’s not bad for what it is!

And there’s sure to be decent footage of the game because there was a guy sitting in a tent whilst flying a drone - complete with a ‘heliport’ pad for the drone to land on! Football at non-league level never ceases to throw up some remarkable sights!

Scunthorpe United (U18s) 7-2 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Scunthorpe United (U18s) 7-2 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

EFL Youth Alliance

Saturday 26th November 2022

I’ve said before that Scunthorpe United are decent at Under 18s level and it was a pleasure to witness this performance as they ripped apart Doncaster Rovers in the North-East Youth Alliance.

In one of the most ruthless attacking displays which I can ever recall at youth level and on a par with Bradford’s team from last year in terms of finishing, the Iron just took all their chances and racked up a scoreline so big that checking through the records, not even I can find out the last time that a Scunthorpe youth team scored seven times in a game!

Harrison Poulter netted his 14th, 15th and 16th goals of the season to claim a well-deserved hat-trick and impress yet again - and both his work-rate and end product has been phenomenal whenever I’ve seen him this year, Tyrell Sellars-Fleming bagged twice to maintain his own decent form that he’s regularly produced over the past few months, Nat Wallace got a goal thanks to some smooth and silky footwork late on and Charley Strouther (some left-foot that lad has got) was also on the score-sheet too.

Jack Goodman grabbed both goals for Rovers and his desire to try and make something happen in quite an isolated position up top didn’t go unnoticed because for the second week running he was comfortably the best player in a DRFC shirt.

A few Rovers players might want to blame the pitch as they look for an excuse to deflect attention away from the scoreline - and, granted, the pitch was horrendous and the worst I’ve seen anywhere for a long time. And lets not forget the wonky goalposts either. The pitch was poorer than a public park with bobbles on it everywhere but it was still exactly the same for both teams and the result reflected the commitment, endeavour and application shown by those wearing a Scunthorpe shirt.

Scunny weren’t at their best in terms of ‘finesse’ or ‘style’ (and that was down to the pitch) and there were even a few passages of play which could best be described as ‘clumsy’ but they always looked in control of matters.

Josh Robertson and Harvey Cribb were the best midfielders by far because they picked up all the bits and pieces and loads of second balls between them - thus making an excellent contribution. Ben Pike had a solid first half where he read certain situations well and demonstrated a very specific maturity in all of his defensive work. Fin Abraham made a well-timed tackle to thwart Harry Wood inside the box and stop at least a shot, if not a goal, before half-time, whilst Charley Strouther’s mazy run in the second half where he carried the ball some 50-60 yards, weaved inside, beat about eight players and then shanked the ball straight out of play (cue a little scream afterwards in frustration) deserves a mention because the technique and close-ball control during that run, on that crap pitch, is just one little example of why I’ve really enjoyed seeing his performances this season. He looked sharp at certain times.

And, because I’ll pick up on everything, wearing the No.16 shirt with 16 goals to his name for the U16s in all competitions so far this year, I can't not mention Grayson Giles' superstitious hop onto the pitch with his left foot when he was brought on as a substitute either!

Scunthorpe’s record is now just two defeats in their previous 12 games (and in both of those defeats they were actually the better team) and that ought to prove they’re a team who shouldn’t be underestimated. They’ve got a group of lads who’ll roll their sleeves up, graft, show commitment and they taught Rovers a massive lesson in certain parts of the pitch - especially in the last 20-25 minutes when Rovers just capitulated altogether and things were very easy for the home team.

Solely in terms of chances created though, the game was actually closer than the scoreline suggests.

Josh Murtagh saved quite a few shots in the Iron goal and deserves credit where its due but there were one or two key moments during the 90 minutes - none more so than when Goodman had a goal disallowed for a very tight offside call which would have made it 2-2 late in the first half, and then when Poulter made it 3-1 with a goal right on the stroke of half-time.

If either of those incidents had panned out differently then who knows what might have happened, but by the full-time whistle Rovers were well-beaten and people will only really remember the result in the long-term!

Match Report

It was cold and freezing and the pitch was absolutely terrible!

The Iron could have been awarded a penalty inside the opening minute when Charlie Petch made a tackle on the edge of the box which was met with the sound of the referee’s whistle. Gut instinct made me believe the challenge was inside the box, rather than outside, the referee (probably guessing, rather than judging, considering a few of his later decisions) thought otherwise, and Harry Elliott-Bell headed over from the eventual free-kick.

Nevertheless, Rovers’ day quickly started to unravel because Scunny got the first of their seven goals just three minutes later as Charley Strouther burst into the box down the inside-right having managed to get a run on Chris Pooley and fired a low drive across Jake Oram and into the far corner. 1-0 to Scunthorpe!

In fairness, Donny responded okay to going behind and after Strouther went close with a curling effort on the quarter-hour mark, the visitors played some okay football to create a few openings. Justin Bennett was judged to be offside when he flashed a ball across the goal and midway through the first half Jack Goodman hit the side-netting with a low shot following a free-kick from out wide. 

After a slow start, Rovers were coming into the game a bit and stringing a few bits and pieces together but being ruthless is what matters and just past the half-hour, Tyrell Sellars-Fleming made it 2-0 to Scunthorpe in exquisite style as he latched onto a cross and showed a brilliant first touch to spin away from his man and open up the space to ruthlessly slam a half-volley into the net from about eight yards. 2-0.

Rovers didn’t chuck the towel in at this point (that happened in the second half) and they soon halved Scunny’s advantage from the penalty spot through Goodman who was judged to have been fouled by Strouther, just moments after Fin Abraham produced a great last-ditch tackle to prevent Harry Wood from probably scoring his first of the season.

Then came the moment which could have changed the game as Goodman was sent racing through on goal following a low ball. He looked onside, it was tight, and he demonstrated excellent technique to round the ‘keeper and finish only for the flag to go up at the very last moment and deny him an equaliser. Where’s VAR when it’s needed?

It proved crucial because after a near-post effort by Wood (who was one of Rovers’ better players) drew a save from Iron ‘keeper Josh Murtagh, Scunny went up the other end right on the stroke of half-time and Poulter produced an excellent finish as he breached the offside trap to race onto Josh Robertson’s piercing ball and lifted his shot over an advancing Oram. It found the target, it was an awkward one for Poulter to score (more difficult than many people probably realise) and the Iron now held a 3-1 lead.

In the same fixture last year, Donny trailed by two goals at the break and still went on to win so Scunthorpe knew they couldn’t get complacent and for a 20-minute spell after half-time, things were quite tight and the Iron defended their box quite well to limit chances. Eliott-Bell and Robertson were good in this period.

Rovers probably had more in the way of opportunities; Freddie Allen went close with a stinging near-post effort that was kept out immediately after the re-start and when Max Adamson (who looked good following his introduction) was subbed on just past the hour mark, he tried his luck with a strike from 30 yards which took a slight deflection and Murtagh did well to get something on it.

Nevertheless, the result was put to bed on 69 minutes when Poulter converted from the spot after Robertson was fouled. It was a penalty, no question, and at 4-1, quite a few heads in the Rovers team dropped altogether, cracks very quickly appeared, and the floodgates began to open!

Goal number five soon arrived after some tenacious work by Harvey Cribb in winning back possession and then slipping a low ball through the middle for Poulter made no mistake in burying his shot with machine gun like execution to complete his hat-trick.

Donny quickly pulled a goal back as Adamson unselfishly laid the ball into Goodman’s path for a straightforward finish from close-range but chances of a comeback at this point were slim to none for Rovers as they lacked shape and any real structure.

It was so quiet on the pitch it was almost scary, and with Scunny well on top, they added a sixth goal through Wallace who burst into the box and didn’t need a second invite to bury his effort and make it 6-2, before Sellars-Fleming then made it seven deep into stoppage-time with a predatory finish after Poulter recycled the ball across goal from Elliott-Bell’s free-kick.

Scunthorpe’s ruthlessness upfront was really good - their spirit, endeavour and small bits of quality was there to see in abundance and I’ve got no doubts that the two post-match debriefs will have contrasted quite greatly. There were certainly some happy faces as the Iron team made their way off after a little team huddle on the pitch.

Rovers will need to learn from this pretty quickly. The pitch can be blamed, the formation can be questioned, but there has to be more accountability and leadership across the pitch - and a 7-2 hammering (because the result is what people will see) is definitely a case of learning the hard way! It has to get better and it has to get better very quickly!

I half-sensed that something like this was coming and I wasn’t wrong!

Mansfield Town (U18s) 2-0 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Mansfield Town (U18s) 2-0 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

EFL Youth Alliance

Saturday 19th November 2022

It doesn’t matter who the players are, what level it’s at, what competition it’s in or even what era it is because Mansfield Town seem to have some sort of bogey team curse on Doncaster Rovers.

And it struck yet again in this Youth Alliance game played on the main pitch at Field Mill.

Donny always struggle against the Stags - losing eight of the previous 10 games against them at U18s level prior to this one, and a second half opener by Ronnie Kokkinos followed by a thunderbolt from the ‘spectacular section’ by McKeal Abdullah saw the hosts deservedly pick up the points this time around.

The defeat also meant Rovers missed out on the chance to go joint-top of the North-East Youth Alliance table, maintaining my belief that the battle to be crowned champions will go down to the wire.

Match Report

Since Frank Sinclair took the reins on an interim basis in October, Rovers have looked refreshed, rejuvenated, adopted a brand new 3-4-2-1 formation, and played some of their best football of the season to date - keeping the ball on the deck a lot more rather than ‘shelling it’ and earning back-to-back wins over Grimsby and Lincoln in the past few weeks.

But this turned out to be a game they’ll quickly want to forget!

The first half was even enough because whilst Mansfield had a lot more territory and possession and Donny seemed to be constantly stuck behind the ball in their own half, those wearing a DRFC shirt actually carved out the better of the few chances which were created at either end.

After an uneventful opening 20 minutes where Mansfield’s Jakub Kruszynski hit a free-kick into the wall and not very much else happened, Rovers began to get on the ball and quickly crafted a couple of openings through some patient build-up play.

Jack Goodman saw a glancing header from Alex Fletcher’s right-wing cross easily kept out by Louie Turner and then, in the best chance of the half, he skimmed a low shot just a whisker wide of the post after Jak Whiting’s initial forward pass down the left and then Owen Scattergood’s good footwork and cut-back from tight to the byline set up the chance.

Rovers spent lots of time behind the ball anyway in the first half, but this was especially the case in the latter stages as half-time approached and a lot of focus and concentration was required to keep Mansfield out. 

Charlie Petch blocked an effort from Kokkinos and then leapt high to head away the danger from a corner; Fletcher produced a sliding interception to stop the Stags’ left-wing-back in his tracks when he threatened to burst away down the flank, and Tom Parkinson was excellent in his technique when he cleared a deep and troublesome cross which dropped dangerously at the back-post just a few minutes later. Whiting was also decent under pressure in a few one on one scenarios and Will Flint was tidy with his feet, strong, composed and efficient with his clearances when he needed to be.

With the game still 0-0 at half-time (and with neither ‘keeper having been properly tested), things were still very much in the balance but it was Mansfield who stepped up after the restart and delivered a team performance worthy of taking the points.

Taylor Anderson raised his game and began to dominate matters down the right-hand side and he’d already flashed one low drive across the area when another similar low ball into the centre was skewed across the face of goal and narrowly wide of the post by Alfie King in what was his last contribution before being replaced.

Rovers reacted by making their first change on the hour mark as Faris Khan replaced Scattergood and Khan almost made an immediate impact with a flick on which put Goodman through but, having initially appeared to have wrestled his way into a shooting position, his subsequent shot was blocked by a covering defender.

Two minutes after that chance, Mansfield took the lead as two of their best three players combined. Charlie Carter (excellent throughout - and on his 18th birthday weekend) squared a pass to Anderson out wide. He knocked it centrally towards Kokkinos and the striker managed to get the better of Petch with his feet before placing his shot calmly past Jake Oram.

At 1-0 down, the dynamic of the game needed to change if Rovers were to get anything, but just eight minutes after the opener (and one minute after Abdullah headed inches wide from an Anderson cross), the game was settled to a very large extent as Abdullah atoned for that miss with a thunderous strike at probably 100mph from the edge of the box which smacked the underside of the bar and crashed down into the net.

Oram had no chance of saving it. Wham. Bang. And Goodbye - because at 2-0 that was the game settled!

A few heads visibly dropped in the Rovers team at this point and although Goodman had a rising shot which clipped the crossbar on its way over in the latter stages, the Stags always looked comfortable enough and could even have scored a third goal when Abdullah had a low drive blocked inside a crowded area.

Team: Jake Oram, Alex Fletcher, Will Flint, Charlie Petch (Freddie Allen), Jak Whiting, Tom Parkinson (Chris Pooley), Josh Lindley, Jack Raper, Will Green (Justin Bennett), Owen Scattergood (Faris Khan), Jack Goodman. Unused Sub: Jamie Tomlinson.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, Mansfield were comfortably the better team and deserved to win and nobody can have any complaints about the scoreline.

The Stags were excellent. They controlled the game and dictated the tempo. They stopped Rovers from playing. They’d clearly done their homework. They had more possession. They had a game-plan and executed that game plan to perfection and the three best (certainly most effective) players on the pitch were all wearing an amber shirt - and when that happens, you’ve always got a good chance of winning!

Charlie Carter was absolutely excellent and a big moment in the game occurred when he stayed on the pitch just past the hour mark, having landed awkwardly on his back. If he'd gone off at that point, who knows how things might have panned out? He sat just infront of the defence, in a central spot, read things excellently, picked up lots of second balls, offered balance and was so assured in how he performed that I actually thought he was a first-year pro.

I found out afterwards it was his 18th birthday the other day and I just hope any birthday weekend celebrations last night ended with him crouched over a fish bowl at three o’clock this morning. The way he played in this game he’s got lots to celebrate and feel proud about because he was pretty decent.

Taylor Anderson was also aggressive throughout, was involved in the build up for the opener; might have even been involved in the build-up for the second goal too, and he produced four quality deliveries from the right flank in the second half, before a little piece of showboating near the end where he danced his way inside, tight to the byline and whipped a great ball right underneath the crossbar. His quality was consistent, his characteristics were strong (that stood out) and he really showed what he’s capable of, whilst Jakub Kruszynski (bar the early free-kick into the wall) offered little glimpses of quality by doing simple things in high areas to pose a significant threat. Then, McKeal Abdullah’s finish for the second goal deserves a mention, simply because it was so quality. Anyone reading this who hasn’t seen his goal should check it out and it really ought to be submitted for consideration in the next ‘LFE Goal Of The Month’ competition.

At the other end, Mansfield always have good ‘keepers whether it be Owen Mason (the G.O.A.T ‘keeper in the North-East Youth Alliance in recent times), Theo Avery (who I’ve heard good things about) or Louie Turner who played in this game and he’ll also be happy to have kept a clean-sheet - especially against Jack Goodman as they were in the same team in their days at Notts County’s academy. LT only had three major contributions but he did them well and he’s a ‘keeper who has my respect from seeing him a few times now.

From a Rovers perspective, you always learn more in defeat - and there’s lots that can be learned in this defeat!

Rather than specific individuals being at fault or playing badly, I think it was more a case that the limitations of this new 3-4-2-1 formation showed. If anyone watches the game back - especially the first 45 minutes, they’ll see that the two ‘Number 10s’ (Will Green and Owen Scattergood) actually dropped back into some really good positions when out of possession which is exactly what they’re meant to do. It worked against Grimsby (I can’t comment on last week at Lincoln because I wasn’t there) but in this game it just didn’t work whatsoever and the team as a whole always seemed to be too deep, constantly behind the ball and much too narrow whenever they did try and move it forward. They could never get it forward quickly because Jack Goodman cut such an isolated figure up top, so they had to be patient and retain possession which both Josh Lindley and Jack Raper did well to a certain extent, but that also allowed Mansfield to get behind the ball and get into shape. There weren’t any piercing passes and it’s notable that the best service Gooders received came from wide areas which started either via floated balls into the channels (two good ones by Will Flint in the first half) or attacking runs made by Jak Whiting or Alex Fletcher.

Whenever a team adopts a new formation there’s always going to be teething problems. It’s normal and as this is the first defeat since that change to a 3-4-2-1 was made, the next analysis session will definitely be a good one to learn from because there’s loads that can be chewed on, discussed, and it’s a good chance for the lads to improve themselves.

All that said, Mansfield do deserve credit because they were very good at what they did - and that ought to be taken into consideration too!

Rovers’ best player, without a shadow of a doubt was Jack Goodman. Despite being isolated, he still managed to get a few shots away, posed a nuisance to the defenders, his work-rate couldn’t be faulted and it’s something which the Mansfield coaching staff even picked up on as they praised his contribution at full-time.

The next game for Rovers is away at Scunthorpe next Saturday. Max Adamson, who missed this game due to rules around concussion, should be back for that one - as should Harry Wood who has now served his suspension after that ridiculous red card given to him by that idiot referee in the FA Youth Cup defeat at Lincoln.

The performance will need to be a lot better and certainly a lot more forceful. It won’t be easy either because Scunthorpe are improving and I think have lost just once in their past eight games (and that was a defeat at Barnsley where they were the better team) and I’m really looking forward to seeing certain players positively show what they can do.

I know who I’d love to see score the winning goal… so he’ll just have to go and score it!

Other results this weekend...

Huddersfield 0-1 Scunthorpe (if you foul Harrison Poulter, you pay the penalty).

Bradford 4-1 Burton (starting to sense the Bantams are in their groove again).

Harrogate P-P Rotherham (genuinely Rotherham's best result since August).

Hartlepool P-P Lincoln (that age-old problem of too much water affecting grass).

Maltby Main 3-0 Rossington Main

Maltby Main 3-0 Rossington Main

Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup Second Round

Wednesday 16th November 2022

The Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup dream is over for another year for Rossington Main after they were comfortably beaten by local rivals Maltby Main in this midweek fixture under the floodlights at Muglet Lane.

Things were very straightforward for Maltby, who play in the league above Rozzo, and they always looked in command, in control and just simply the better of the two teams.

Clinical up top and solid at the back, Aaron Sennett-Neilson’s early header put them ahead and soon enough they doubled their advantage thanks to Alister Haydock’s looping shot which found the net via the underside of the crossbar. 

Haydock then wrapped things up shortly after half-time when he got the ball just inside the box and drilled it into the bottom corner following a set-piece delivery from the halfway line.

Rossington played some tidy stuff at times during the first half and were perhaps unfortunate to find themselves two goals behind; Reiss Harrison put himself about and Harry Sheppard showed a few glimpses of what he can do with some decent work on a difficult and sloping pitch which didn’t help anyone. Manny Kianga also looked lively in parts and had a couple of shots, but the second half performance was very much a case of the ball coming straight back at Rossington whenever they attempted to get it forward and was largely poor.

Just like my recent trip to Armthorpe Welfare to see Tom Parkinson who is on loan there from Doncaster Rovers right now, the purpose of going to this game was to check up on the youngsters who are at Oxford Street from DRFC. 

Josh Lindley (in midfield), Alex Fletcher (in a slightly unfamiliar position at left-back) and Charlie Petch (at centre-back) all featured for Rozzo in this game and they were as good as anyone else in a blue shirt; not outstanding, not terrible either, but their effort levels couldn’t be questioned. Fletchy slid what would have been an inviting ball across the box late on albeit the flag was already up for offside, Josh had some tidy touches in midfield and applied himself well and Petchy defended solidly under pressure on a few occasions, but it was just one of those nights overall which nobody in a Rozzo shirt will want to remember for too long.

The visitors also had a couple of other ex-DRFC scholars in Myron Gibbons (who came on as a substitute in the second half) and Kian Johnson (who played between the sticks and is still training at Derby County every week), whilst Maltby also have one of DRFC's youth teamers from last season in their ranks in Alex Wolny although he probably hates cup competitions. 

About this time last year, Wolny stripped into his kit on the touchline at Glanford Park and was about to make his professional debut as a substitute in a Papa John’s Trophy clash against Scunthorpe, only for Rovers to concede two very quick goals which meant the change was canned and he stayed on the bench. He was released in the summer and never did feature for the first team and, this time around, he was ineligible to play in this game having featured for Worksop Town in Round One.

If Maltby reach the final again - just as they did last year when they were beaten by Worksop, ironically, there’s every likelihood that game will be played at the Eco-Power Stadium (especially if the DRFC hierarchy believe they can make a few quid out of it) and Wolny would be ineligible for that game too. Typical. 

Rossington’s main focus (you see what I did there) is always going to be about how they perform in the league this year, and their attention will now switch back to getting enough points on the board to ensure they’re in the Play-Offs (at least) come the end of the season.

They've spent money to attract good players but it’s fair to say they’ve lost their way since they were beaten by Campion in a top of the table six-pointer last month. Tonight's loss was their fourth in their last six outings so a quick improvement is needed - and if they don’t pick up a reasonable points tally over their next few fixtures against Wakefield and Staveley before the end of this month, followed by some tricky-looking fixtures in December, they'll be lucky to still be in the Play-Off spots at the turn of the year.

The pressure is on and they’ll have to respond.

Sheffield United (U21s) 1-2 Crystal Palace (U21s)

Sheffield United (U21s) 1-2 Crystal Palace (U21s)

Premier League Cup

Monday 14th November 2022

A night out at Bramall Lane and this game somehow ended in defeat for Sheffield United despite the fact they were much the better team against Crystal Palace.

The Blades, playing against 10 men for the entire second half after Kofi Balmer's dismissal in first half injury-time, performed very well - getting the ball down and knocking it about with style and confidence, seizing the initiative when they had to, and showing unquestionable effort and commitment in their search for a positive result.

After Ademola Ola-Adebomi's opener late in the first half had put Palace ahead, United battled tremendously and eventually got back on level terms when the undisputed 'Man Of The Match' Owen Hampson slotted home with about a quarter-of-an-hour to go.

That equaliser was met with a roar inside Bramall Lane but the dust had barely settled when John-Kymani Gordon went straight down the other end and somehow rifled a shot past Jordan Amissah from the acutest of acute angles to put Palace ahead again.

And there was an inevitable sense that this was just going to be one of them nights in the dying minutes because having had two penalty shouts waved away earlier in the half (the second of which was an absolute stone-waller when Hampson was deliberately pulled back), Finley Potter struck a post, Hampson had a shot blocked and Andre Brooks drew a flying save from the Palace 'keeper all in the space of just one of six agonising minutes of injury-time.

When your luck is out, your luck is out... and it just wasn't to be United's night!

Despite the scoreline, what the Blades' performance proved beyond doubt is that there's nothing whatsoever between themselves and a typical Category One team - the fact Bristol City walloped Newcastle, 4-0, in the other group game also shows 'categories' should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Palace had some decent players, albeit they looked very much to be a team of individuals, whereas the Blades were the more fluid, cohesive and stronger team containing all the stand-out performers across the 90 minutes. 

Individually, the best player on the pitch was Owen Hampson who was excellent with his relentless work-rate from linking things up to getting into exploitative positions to score. It resulted in one goal (brilliant from the technique to the clinical execution with the shot), it should have resulted in another when he got in-behind but seemed to square it across the box to Jili Buyabu rather than shoot himself, but he was bright, lively, has earned and now cemented his place in this team. He also played well in the defeat at Barnsley the other week.

Louie Marsh's technique and his ability to glide past opponents, evident three times in the second half (the run down the touchline, the chance and the assist for the goal) was a brilliant example of why I love watching him. It was still a frustrating night given that he didn't score and moreover the scoreline itself, but watching him feels so worthwhile. I love what he's about and I know I'm right to draw comparisons with Aaron Collins at Bristol Rovers who I love to pieces having seen him at the same age. His ability is so evident; he's joint-top scorer in the league for a reason and I'm rooting for him to flourish and his name to become known to as many people as possible; that's how much I rate him!

Jili Buyabu, playing at left-wing-back, was also a pleasure to watch with his energy; twisting, turning, doing the occasional stepover and producing an excellent all-round attacking display. His contribution in bursting to the byline and whipping in a cross which Theo Williams fired over on the half-volley in an early chance was superb and he performed really well. Andre Brooks was energetic at times further ahead of him, showed pace and tried to make things happen whenever he cut inside and wasn't afraid to just pull the trigger and have a pop. It didn't pay off, but I couldn't fault it - especially in the second half. Theo Williams was 'persistent' and clearly has the making of a good player (that's been evident when I've watched him before too). He works hard, had a few chances in a 5-10 minute spell in the first half - including one where the Palace 'keeper did well to make himself big and make the shot more difficult, and whilst I actually think he was unlucky to be substituted, his replacement Antwoine Hackford looked lively and contributed a lot in the last half-hour and nearly made positive things come to fruition.

At the back, Finley Potter showed what he was all about and defended in a no-nonsense old fashioned manner; grappling and tussling from the fourth minute onwards with Palace's centre-forward who had his hands all over him, then epitomising bravery when he put his neck on the line (literally) to block a thunderous 25-yard drive by a Palace attacker who'd fended off Sai Sachdev and was running straight towards him. It's a shame he didn't equalise right at the end when his effort came back off the post but, that aside, it was a good performance and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I know he's a good player anyway, hence the England call-up a while ago, and whilst I didn't get to see him last year because of his injury, this game taught me what he was all about.

I hadn't seen Frankie Maguire play properly until a few weeks ago either where I absolutely loved his performance against Barnsley and, in a similar deep-lying position, he again read things well in this game. He demonstrated another side to what he's about; being tenacious and aggressive to go with his quality on the ball. He won tussles, made some very good defensive interceptions at 0-0 - including one on the halfway line midway through the first half where he won the ball through showing more commitment. There was a header just afterwards, close to the byline and under pressure which he leapt to win well (and needed to win too because if he hadn't there'd have been problems). What he lacks in height he made up for with commitment. His quality and passing range was okay and across the last two performances that I've seen, then I've already got so much belief in him and what he can do with a football.

The game dynamic and how things panned out - plus the fact more things went down the opposite flank, meant Sai Sachdev had a quiet night in comparison to others but he still had an early shot when Louie Marsh slipped the ball to him after a quick-throw, and he looked to have been caught in the face by John-Kymani Gordon's flailing hand (unintentional) in the same move where Finley Potter eventually blocked the shot with his neck. I can't comment too much on how either Nicksoen Gomis or Connor Barrett performed simply because they weren't put under the same sort of intense pressure by Palace's attackers that United showed at the other end, and whilst Jordan Amissah might feel a bit disappointed with the goal he conceded at his near-post which turned out to be the winner, the plaudits in my opinion need to go to the attacker for being able to find what looked an impossible angle and having the audacity to shoot, let alone nailing it to absolute perfection.

Leo Gaxha will also be happy to have got some minutes when he was brought on and United properly went for it. He was involved in quite a few bits and pieces - especially very late on, had one shot blocked, although I'd want to see him for longer before commenting on his performance.

Overall, it's always a pleasure to watch Sheffield United.

The quality and depth in their ranks cannot be denied; I appreciate watching quality which is why I always enjoy watching them and they ought to be pleased with how they performed, despite the result. The tempo, adrenaline, determination and effort levels were all present, luck sadly wasn't - hence the scoreline, but playing like this and making the 1% improvements here and there, it'll only be a matter of time before they get the results their performances merit.

Team: Jordan Amissah, Sai Sachdev, Jili Buyabu, Finley Potter, Connor Barrett (Leo Gaxha), Nicksoen Gomis, Owen Hampson, Frankie Maguire, Theo Williams (Antwoine Hackford), Louie Marsh, Andre Brooks. Unused Subs: Luther Williams, Dylan Wharton, Levis Pitan.