Sheffield United (U21s) 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday (U21s)

Sheffield United (U21s) 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday (U21s)

Professional Development League

Monday 20th February 2023

Even on a quiet day you can’t stop Louie Marsh and the top scorer in the Professional Development League has done it again!

Having bagged twice in the win at Hillsborough back in October, the talisman got what turned out to be the winner in this game by heading home from John Fleck’s cross in the 67th minute.

And, judging by how he was swaying from side to side in his interview afterwards - another trait of Marshy’s on derby day (albeit one which must really annoy the poor cameraman), you could tell he was absolutely buzzing to have grabbed his 16th goal of the season.

It was harsh on Wednesday though because they did reasonably well to contain United for large spells after a game-changing moment which occurred during the first half when they were reduced to 10 men.

Up to that dismissal, the game was quite finely balanced.

Aside from a flock of pigeons which had no sense of direction and looked a bit lost (strange little creatures) there weren’t any chances whatsoever until the half-hour mark when Adam Davies pulled off a terrific diving save from a free header at a set-piece to keep United on level terms.

During a five-minute spell of pressure, the Owls had two other corners; Oliver Arblaster clearing both at the near-post, but then came the red card incident which had a massive impact on things.

Firstly, Adam Adetero shouldn’t have been on a yellow card in the first place but had been very harshly booked for an earlier tackle close to the halfway line which nobody other than the referee thought warranted a card. However, when Antwoine Hackford showed a great glimpse of what he’s all about and burned him for pace, the Owls defender lunged in with a tackle on the edge of the box, didn’t get to the ball, and a second yellow card (this one warranted) was quickly forthcoming.

From that point onwards, it was always going to be difficult for Wednesday but in fairness, they dug in and made themselves difficult to break down - limiting the Blades to only a few openings.

Marshy’s strike from the resulting free-kick after the red card came back off the wall; Ismaila Coulibaly then tested Owls ‘keeper Jack Hall with a curling effort having picked the ball off Hackford’s toes following a decent run closer to half-time, and by the hour mark the scoreline was still 0-0.

United were always on top in terms of possession and just needed something to show for it - and after lots of patience, the breakthrough eventually came on 67 minutes as Fleck whipped in a cross from the left and Louie Marsh connected with a diving header to direct the ball into the back of the net.

It’s in the big moments in games where good players produce the goods and often shine - and nobody whatsoever can deny that Marshy is a good player!

A second goal could have soon followed as Hackford was involved in a few bits inside the Wednesday penalty box where the ball just wouldn’t quite sit right for him to put it in the net and he was also the beneficiary when Marshy produced a clever (very clever) dummy in another good move.

Sydie Peck (another top player with the right drive and desire to succeed who’ll have benefitted from his 11 appearances at Oldham) came on in a triple change with Kyron Gordon and Andre Brooks for United for the last quarter-hour - and as good as Wednesday were at keeping their shape and making themselves difficult to be broken down, they lacked a drive to take the situation by the scruff of the neck and properly push forward in search of an equaliser.

It was all down to the earlier red card; if it was 11v11 in the latter stages, it would have probably been a very different dynamic, but the Owls did conjure up a few bits.

In one move, Levis Pitan tracked back well and blocked a shot from Favour Okunwuli but even if the ball had gone in, the offside flag went up anyway) and then deep into injury-time, Jay Glover whipped a teasing set-piece ball into the area which didn’t quite drop for anyone in a blue and white shirt as United were eventually able to clear their lines after a few nervous seconds.

Overall, the best team won. Wednesday can’t be faulted whatsoever for their work-rate before and especially after the red card with how much extra running they had to do in midfield (very noticeable) but they’ll wonder how different it might have been if it wasn’t for Adetero’s dismissal.

Individually, two players stood out and made a really good impression (again in both instances).

There’s already a reason why I respect Oliver Arblaster so much - and even though there were some sloppy things in this game; a quick free-kick that went straight out of play in the first half, one or two loose passes, and the tackle in the corner late on, he was by far the best midfielder on the pitch who pulled all the strings.

The way he can bring a ball under control with his technique and first touch, drive with it and just glide past opponents - even when he’s under pressure and space is limited is phenomenal. The perfect example of this was on 35 minutes when he won it in his own half, carried it and threaded it on. He also reads a game so well when he’s not in possession to pick up so many good positions from which he can cause damage, shows brilliant awareness by instantly screening and planning his next move and his all-round game is already of such a high standard.

It’s all noticeable when you’re sat high up in the stands with elevation and every time I see his name on the team-sheet, I feel privileged to be watching him. Anyone who watches these games on a consistent basis will know exactly what he can do - so all else I can really say is keep it up, keep listening to those around you, never change and just keep getting better whilst making memories with some of your best mates in football.

The other player who put in a really good performance was Jili Buyabu.

Along with a good height (over 6ft), a good physique and being deceptively strong, he contributed a lot both offensively and defensively - especially in the first half when he was very impressive. He got into some high positions, linked up well with those close to him, tracked back and put his foot in when it was needed (evidence being a good interception in first half injury-time close to the dugouts) and there are a lot of likable qualities in his game.

It’s not the first time he’s impressed me this year with the same characteristics; the fact he’s playing well on a consistent basis shows he’s a good player, and this performance should put some respect on his name because he’s doing well and deserves credit where it's due.

Although it wasn’t Wednesday’s day in terms of the result, it was good to see Jay Glover get a full-game under his belt - and especially one which required so much thought and extra running, along with wearing the captain’s armband and putting in a quality set-piece delivery late on. I’ll always back him (he knows that) and I’ve got no doubt that at some point he will shine and be absolutely buzzing about things.

It was the first time I’ve seen Rio Shipston (my bad) and I didn’t mind whatsoever how he drifted centrally quite a bit, got involved in a few physical duels, battled, and threaded some nice passes about - including one just before the break where his technique was excellent. There were still a few sloppy bits and areas for improvement but there was also no shying away or ‘hiding’ in situations and it’s easy to tell why he’s highly-rated. I’d be more than happy to watch him again - and the same also goes for Will Trueman who came off the bench, put a ball through late on when the offside flag went up, and looked okay with some of his contributions.

But it was United’s day to celebrate - and here’s hoping those silly pigeons have found somewhere quieter to settle by now!