Rhian Brewster’s Sheffield United promise after mum’s instinct proves right in Sheffield Wednesday moment
Rhian Brewster’s Sheffield United promise after mum’s instinct proves right in Sheffield Wednesday moment
Rhian Brewster fulfilled a prophecy from his mother by firing Sheffield United to an iconic Steel City derby double over arch-rivals Wednesday - and then admitted: “I hope this makes the fans still believe in me.” The former Liverpool wonderkid has had a wretched time with injuries since moving to Bramall Lane in 2020, with Blades supporters still to see the best of him in a United shirt.
That will hopefully change in the future, with the striker out of contract in the summer but discussions ongoing about a new one to prolong his stay in South Yorkshire. An injury-free end to the season will only benefit both Brewster and the Blades, with three points at Hillsborough moving United back level with Leeds at the top of the Championship and putting their Premier League destiny back into their own hands in the final eight games of the season.
The 24-year-old impressed off the bench in midweek against Bristol City but was a surprise starter for some in the heat of a Sheffield derby, at the expense of Callum O’Hare. But the striker’s mum made him promise to give her his shirt if he scored in the game, and Brewster was only too happy to oblige after tapping home Tyrese Campbell’s cross in front of the Hillsborough Kop.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Brewster admitted, still sat in his kit in a small interview room just off the tunnel. “It’s surreal, to be honest. With the injuries and stuff I’ve been through, I’ve obviously not done what I came to do, which was score loads of goals.
“But I just hope that this makes the fans still believe in me and show that I’m still willing to push, I’m still willing to fight. It feels amazing. It feels amazing, to be honest. The atmosphere was crazy, from both sets of fans. It was loud from the moment we were warming up to the final whistle. When I scored, it went silent. And then you just heard our amazing fans from the other end ... it was amazing.”
Even the most cold-hearted Blades fan would be hard-pressed not to feel delighted for the affable Brewster after his spell of injury frustration which has impacted a career that once saw him earmarked as one of the best young strikers in the world after helping England win the U17 World Cup eight years ago.
An iconic moment in a Sheffield derby can cement a player’s legacy at Bramall Lane, as the likes of Bobby Davison, Michael Brown and Mark Duffy did previously, and whatever happens in the future Brewster has now added his name to that list.
I actually got cramp as I was about to put it in the back of the net! But that wasn’t stopping me.
“I looked at Ty, he looked up and I just thought: ‘Please play it, please play it,’” said Brewster as he remembered his goal. “I actually got cramp as I was about to put it in the back of the net! But that wasn’t stopping me.
“I just had to make sure that it went in, and thankfully it did. It felt weird because it was like time stopped for a minute when it was coming across. I just thought: ‘Oh my God, yes.’ I put it in the back of the net and it was 1-0.”
The winner was important in the context of the game but also United’s season, with the Blades having fallen out of the top two a day earlier after Burnley’s victory at Swansea City. They face another promotion contender next up in Frank Lampard’s Coventry City and Brewster said: “Ultimately, we came here wanting to win, lik we do every game.
“There was a bit more commotion about it because it was a derby, but we came here to get the job done and get three points. It’s a big win, but now we just need to rest, recover and look forward to Coventry.”