A look back at what happened to the Sheffield United heroes of Hillsborough from 1992 derby day win over Sheffield Wednesday
Exactly 32 years ago today Sheffield United fans were toasting a new cult hero as loanee Bobby Davison marked his dream debut with two goals in a 3-1 victory at the home of their rivals Wednesday. The striker had only signed on loan days before the game but made an instant mark after boyhood Blade Dane Whitehouse had put his side ahead.
It was the Blades' first double over the Owls for 30 years with Whitehouse opening the scoring after four minutes and Davison pouncing twice either side of Phil King's deflected strike which made it 2-1. “A lot of people don’t realise that Sheffield is a passionate city,” said then-United boss Dave Bassett. “They keep talking about Liverpool or Manchester and all these other places. But they have forgotten about Sheffield because there haven’t been any derbies here for a long time.
“Well, it’s about time people realised that Sheffield derbies are as important, as volatile and as passionate as any in the country. I’m not a Sheffield Wednesday hater. Yes, I want to win and I’m delighted we’ve won but games such as these are brilliant. Having them is good for the city and good for the people of Sheffield.”
But what happened to the Blades side from that memorable day on March 11, 1992? Let's have a look...
A popular defender remembered affectionately as something of a wildcard by former teammates, Barnes could play as well and played for Watford and Colchester United after leaving the Lane before injury forced his early retirement in 1997, keeping something of a low profile in the years since
Right-back Bradshaw started his career with bitter rivals Wednesday but it's at United where he is best remembered, clocking up more than 140 appearances for the Bramall Lane outfit between 1989 and 1994. He also starred for Manchester City, Wigan Athletic and Norwich City in a career which drew to a close at non-league Alfreton Town in 2005. He qualified as a bricklayer in Sheffield after retiring from the game and now runs his own construction company Photo: .
Midfielder Gannon was another player brought to the club by legendary boss Dave Bassett, initially on loan from Wimbledon during the 1988-89 season. He signed permanently on a free transfer for the start of the 1989-90 campaign and played a key role in helping United gain back-to-back promotions to the old First Division. He played more than 150 times for the Blades before leaving for Oldham in 1996 and after spells in coaching and scouting at Leeds and Blackburn, became European regional scouting manager for Manchester City
Left Brighton and Hove Albion, where he had previously worked as the club’s commercial and premium partnerships manager for 14 years, in 2017 having departed Bramall Lane two decades earlier. Worked as a trader in the City before joining United from non-league. Now a consultant with a Brighton-based company focusing on business development, lead generation and sponsorship activation
Photo: Peter Tuffrey
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