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United seal victory with four-goal blitz - MATCH REPORT AND SLIDESHOW
Leyton Orient 1 Sheffield United 4 KEVIN Blackwell knows FA Cup away days aren't always romantic affairs for footballing heavyweights.
Brisbane Road, where Leyton Orient have won just twice since August, is hardly the most hostile of arenas but the Sheffield United manager will still have breathed a sigh of relief when a deluge of second-half goals, including two from Greg Halford, ensured his club's first dalliance with the competition this season did not end in acrimonious divorce.
Having overcome their League One opponents, Blackwell and his players are now contemplating the prospect of a tie against Charlton Athletic, having been paired with Phil Parkinson's side in the fourth round draw.
The scoreline failed to reflect Orient's contribution, particularly before the interval when JJ Melligan's penalty briefly threatened an upset, only for a furious dressing down and some much improved finishing to finally spur the visitors into life.
"I thought we were garbage at the start," Blackwell admitted. "We deserved to go behind. But after the break we were much more positive.
"The front three especially did much better."
Blackwell, working as an expert summariser for ITV television, had watched Histon embarrass his former employers Leeds at the previous stage of the tournament – a result which hastened Gary McAllister's departure from Elland Road.
With United fourth in the Championship table and the ink still drying on an extended contract, Blackwell's grip on his own job is not a matter for debate.
But his passionate address on the eve of this rearranged fixture, which included a prediction they can reach the final at Wembley in May, underlinedjust how much importance had been placed on progress.
Lose, Blackwell warned, and United could expect to be pilloried by supporters and press alike.
THE BOSS'S VIEW:
"I thought we were garbage at the start.
"We were still in the hotel, still on the bus or any-where but here.
"We deserved to go behind.
"But after the break we were much more positive.
"The front three especially did much better.
"At the beginning I thought only Darius Henderson was pulling his weight and I told them so."
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United earned 75,000 in prize money for last night's victory and while that figure pales into insignifance compared to the possible 3.5m Stoke City could pay in exchange for James Beattie, it still represents a welcome addition to Blackwell's fighting fund as he aims to strengthen his squad during the transfer window.
Certainly he must have been tempted to blow the lot during the opening 45 minutes as United, Sun Jihai and Henderson apart, appeared anxious and devoid of ideas – a bewildering state of affairs given Orient's miserable record on home soil.
A defence which included debutant Kyle Walker, who delivered a solid shift on the right flank of an experienced back four, was rarely troubled until Sam Parkin saw his claim for a penalty turned down – correctly – after tangling with Chris Morgan.
But Orient goalkeeper Glenn Morris was also a bystander and, as his colleagues warmed to the task, referee Iain Williamson did point to the spot when Matthew Kilgallon was adjudged to have handled Sean Thornton's shot.
Melligan, intelligent and industrious along the wing, made no mistake and United were in danger of suffering the type of setback which, speaking before boarding the train to London, Blackwell confessed would leave him "distraught."
Gradually though, United's experimental line-up cranked into life and drew level on the hour when Halford, pouncing upon Morris's error from a Cotterill corner, hooked the ball over his shoulder and into the back of the net.
Two minutes later Billy Sharp prodded home after Henderson's cut back and seven minutes after that Kyle Naughton, playing in an unfamiliar central midfield role, started and completed the move which signalled the end of Orient's challenge.
Morris redeemed himself by denying Cotterill, released by the England under-21 international, from close range and although Henderson was also denied as the ball spun loose, Naughton smashed it gratefully across the line.
Orient were a spent force and Walker, exploiting the gaps emerging in front of him, seized the opportunity to make his evening even more memorable by delivering the cross which saw Halford complete his brace.
"Kyle Walker did really well," Blackwell said. "He's a young lad and he's still learning so I'm not going to rush him. But he certainly staked a claim."
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Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
