Sheffield United: Sunburnt fans, a classy touch and that awful drum - Things we noticed from Blades' first friendly

Sheffield United made a winning start to their new season as they beat Casa Pia 2-1 in their first friendly on Friday evening.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Daniel Jebbison scored the winner after Sander Berge had dragged the Blades back on level terms, with a healthy following cheering on the Blades in the soaring temperatures.

Here are a few things we noticed from the game that you may have missed ...

That's got to hurt

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Unitedites travelled over in good numbers for this game, considering the inflated price of hotels and flights courtesy of a nearby festival and the cost of living crisis engulfing the nation at the minute.

Boss Paul Heckingbottom joked that a few wives had been tricked into a week in Portugal, with United 'accidentally' playing at the same time, but it was a good following - one appreciated by players and manager alike.

Read More
Watch: Sheffield United boss's verdict as Portugal training camp ends on a winni...

Heckingbottom took time to chat to a few fans and pose for selfies before the game, returning for more afterwards, while Ollie Norwood also went over to make time for the supporters.

Sheffield United line up before their first friendly against Casa Pia on Friday night (Sheffield United)Sheffield United line up before their first friendly against Casa Pia on Friday night (Sheffield United)
Sheffield United line up before their first friendly against Casa Pia on Friday night (Sheffield United)

With United sporting a white shirt for the game, there was at least some red representation in the stands courtesy of a particularly sunburnt Blade, who looked to have spent a little too much time in the open and neglected the suncream in the middle of a heatwave.

A new set-piece taker?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With John Fleck on the bench for the first half, Ben Osborn assumed responsibility for all United's set-pieces from the right hand side - and there were a few as the Blades piled on the pressure.

Each of the former Forest man's deliveries were dangerous and Berge's equaliser came from one, while Rhian Brewster and John Egan both had good chances from Osborn's good corners.

It's not been a facet of his game that has been highlighted since he came, but it may prove a useful weapon in the armoury this season as United look to improve their offensive output from set pieces.

'We don't need a drum...'

Full marks to the energetic Casa fan who spent time in the second half running up and down the main stand with a giant flag bearing his team's badge, especially in the soaring heat.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Less enjoyable was his fellow supporter who insisted on banging a drum for what seemed like large periods of the second half, in an attempt to whip up an atmosphere.

Slightly misjudging the situation somewhat, he also went over to the stand containing Blades fans and, in the spirit of the friendly occasion, tried to get them going too.

Amongst the more printable replies were songs including "We're Sheff United, we don't need a drum," with other chants asking in rather less polite terms what he was carrying in his hand and suggesting that Casa were, let's say, a rather inferior version of Sporting Lisbon ...

(For the record, they were right. United don't need a drum. Please.)

A hot one

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Friday was the hottest day of United's pre-season camp so far, with temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius in the afternoon and it will have been a test of character as much as fitness to try and impress in conditions like that.

It was warm enough trying to watch and cover the game on the shaded press balcony and full marks to the member of the visiting press corps who took one for the team and volunteered to find refreshments at half-time for the rest of the balcony.

The temperatures were so high earlier in the week that one reporter's iPhone stopped working midway through a video and the same journalist burnt his hand opening a door that was in direct sunlight at half-time. Slightly different to a freezing winter's night in Blackpool, it's fair to say!

An unusual approach

English folk seem to have a certain snobbery when it comes to football - 'we invented the game' and all that. But overseas teams have reinvented the wheel in many occasions and Casa Pia's unusual pre-match warm-up routine certainly had tongues wagging in the away end.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rather than the usual 'boxes' we see in England to get the legs pumping, Casa organised a full training ground-style corner kick routine in their goalmouth half an hour before kick off - with defenders tasked with clearing and strikers told to score.

That then changed into a full-scale shape session using the home side's entire half, before the game then got underway.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.