Sheffield United v Bristol City: Two wonderful young talents edge Blades closer to Premier League
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It was followed by the kind of performance which would have made the late Sheffield United captain proud, as Paul Heckingbottom’s side displayed courage, grit and sheer bloody-minded determination to eke out a result which saw them move eight points clear in second place with four league matches remaining. Probably a little too much for their manager’s liking with Bristol City causing all manner of problems until substitute James McAcAtee produced the all-important finish.
Enjoying the freedom of playing for nothing but their own professional pride, Nigel Pearson’s men were every bit as dangerous as Heckingbottom had warned beforehand. Competing without pressure is not a luxury United have enjoyed since cementing their position in the second of the Championship’s two promotion berths. There were moments, particularly before the break, when it appeared to weigh heavily upon the hosts’ shoulders.
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Hide AdMcAtee’s introduction proved to be the pivotal moment of the contest. The 20-year-old’s omission from United’s starting eleven had raised eyebrows; particularly as he is ineligible for selection against his parent club Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend. The decision to leave him on the bench for the first-half of the fixture seemed even more perplexing when, having already injected some much needed impetus into United’s work, he combined with Iliman Ndiaye to break the deadlock during the closing stages. Like his City colleague Tommy Doyle, who must also sit-out Saturday’s showpiece at Wembley, McAtee will be difficult to replace when he returns to the Etihad Stadium. The same goes for Ndiaye, who is destined for the top-flight no matter how the rest of the season unfolds.
With Anel Ahmedhodzic back in defence and John Fleck anchoring their midfield, United opted for a mix of youth and experience against opponents their manager greatly admires. The energy and pace which has earned City Heckingbottom’s respect was quickly in evidence, with Sam Bell drawing a superb tackle from the returning Bosnian centre-half and Harry Cornick shooting straight at Adam Davies who was again deputising for the suspended Wes Foderingham.
With City showing a purpose which belied their position in mid-table, United appeared laboured and lethargic by comparison. On the rare occasions when Ndiaye and Oli McBurnie were presented with an opening during the first-half, they either took the wrong option or fluffed the right one.
Ndiaye, who sometimes looks as if he could beat an entire defence on his own, was nevertheless guilty of trying to weave his way past one too many markers when a pass to his fellow striker would have been preferable. Then McBurnie screwed a shot well wide of the post before following suit with a header from Jack Robinson’s centre midway through the first period.
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Hide AdMcAtee announced his presence by testing Max O’Leary’s handling immediately after the interval, bringing a conviction United’s game had sorely lacked beforehand. Sander Berge fired a long-range effort over the crossbar as they finally began to move through the gears.
With a little under a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, United finally engineered the breakthrough when Ndiaye’s delightful check pass caught City’s rearguard napping and found McAtee, who rifled an angled drive past O’Leary and into the far corner of the net.
MORE: McAtee becomes a man
