Brave Blues Blunt Brittle Blades

The big prize

It was a pretty quiet start to the game as both sides pressed hard for the ball in midfield with possession at a premium, the Blues youngsters not looking in away overawed by their Premiership Academy opposition on a pitch which actually looked in better condition than last night.

The Blades were the first to try and slice through in the seventh minute when right-back Matthew Lowton played the ball through the middle to Lloyd Kerry. Midfielder Kerry eagerly fed a slide-rule pass into the run of bulky striker Dean Oliver but United keeper Adam Bradley raced quickly off his line to collect at Oliver’s feet.

In the 17^th minute, what seemed like a five minute succession of long Carlisle throws into the Blades box, finally ended with left-back Matthew Blake hurling his latest throw in which the visitors defence smuggled clear.

Four minutes later, from yet another long Blake throw, striker Rob Bainbridge got a touch on, which central midfielder James Earl, loitering on the 18-yard line, turned into an excellent half-volley on the move with his right-foot which flew narrowly over.

With 22 minutes gone highly thought of United schoolboy forms player, Stephen Hindmarch, was sent racing clear down the right channel by midfielder James Earl. Hindmarch made it to the by-line and cut a good ball back from which Bainbridge, running in, had a shot blocked, the ball then broke to Earl but from 18 yards out he shot wide under pressure.

Shortly afterwards Blake nipped in well ahead of the visitors right-winger, and son of ex-Chesterfield boss, Nicky Law, Nicky Law, yes that’s right, he’s called Nicky Law as well. The United left-back sent Hindmarch racing clear down the left and he pulled the ball back to right-sided Blues midfielder Shaun Vipond in an inviting position on the left-angle of the box. Vipond got an awful connection though and sent his effort flying across goal and out for a throw-in on the East Stand side.

After 29 minutes Bainbridge was brought down out on the left and Earl swung the set-piece in with his trademark excellent delivery. Blades keeper Jamie Annerson flapped at the ball in an aerial challenge with Blues skipper Dan Kirkup, sadly for United though the ball hit an unsuspecting Hindmarch on the back of the head and bounced clear to set the visitors away on a counter-attack. Law sped away down the left and played in Oliver on the edge of the United box, Bradley and centre-half Terry Stewart, who seems to be growing in stature with every game, did well to jockey Oliver wide though as the Carlisle players raced back. Oliver eventually laid the ball back to the onrushing Blades left-back Kyle Naughton but his drive from the left-angle of the box with his right foot was pulled well wide.

Six minutes later Kirkup was left ruing a missed opportunity when, from an Earl corner, he was completely unmarked but could only head over from eight yards out. "Kirky" wasn’t left worrying about that missed chance for long however when the Blues took the lead sixty seconds later with an excellent individual goal from Hindmarch.

Blake worked hard to get to the ball first on the left-hand touchline after a clever touch off by Earl and hit a long curling ball way down the wing for Hindmarch to chase. Hindmarch isn’t the quickest striker but he made Blades centre-half Adam Chapman look like Douglas Bader on cannabis as he flew past him and carried the ball on into the box. Taking his time he drew Annerson off his line before lifting the ball sweetly over him and into the far corner of the net, a great goal by the youngster.

The visitors came flying back into it though after the setback of going 1-0 down and went close two minutes later. A cross in by Naughton came to centre-forward, and Blades Academy top scorer, Jordan Robertson, but he took far too long as he dallied on the ball. Fortunately for him though a Stewart tackle broke the ball back to Kerry who drove a powerful shot in from 15 yards out. Bradley parried the effort back out in front of the Carlisle goal where right-back Ashley Combe was on hand to hack clear with Sheffield bodies racing in.

A minute later and United were back on the attack in a free-flowing game. Blake hit a cross into the box which was dummied by Hindmarch on the bounce. Bainbridge picked up the loose ball and laid it back to Earl on the 18-yard line, Earl then tried a half-volley from there which had Annerson scrambling as it whistled past his far-post.

With 41 minutes gone central midfielder Jordan Eagers tried a speculative volley from 15 yards out but Bradley was able to watch it fly over his bar. Two minutes later some great play by United and some abject defending by the visitors put the Blues into a 2-0 lead and sent the majority of the 453 spectators in the main stand into raptures.

Vipond was brought down by Lowton 20 yards out on the left-angle of the Blades box and Blues dead-ball specialist Earl stepped up to take the set-piece. Earl curled the free-kick beautifully over the wall with his right-foot only to see it come crashing back off the underside of the bar. Kirkup was the only player on the pitch to follow the ball in though and was left with the simple task of side-footing home on the volley from, at the very most, three yards out. Earl had been dreadfully unlucky not to score himself but the Blades coaching staff must have been fuming with the dreadful display of ball-watching from the visitors as Kirkup was left all alone to score.

Shortly before the half-time whistle Blackburn based referee Mo Matadar booked United’s Earl for a late lunge on Blades left-winger Martin Donnelly, the free-kick in from Naughton being headed well over by tall centre-half Ryan Cresswell.

United came out after the break knowing that they would have to keep things tight for the opening fifteen minutes with the visitors likely to have had a stinging rebuke in the changing rooms. Three minutes in Naughton hurled a deep throw into the box which Cresswell hit on the turn, his left-footed effort was weak though and went into Bradley’s side-netting.

Two minutes later Donnelly fouled Vipond 30 yards out in the right-hand channel. Earl’s ball in broke to Vipond on the left-angle of the Blades box but he got a poor contact with his left-foot and Annerson was easily able to throw his cap on it.

Sixty seconds later Naughton, who was probably the victor over Blake in the long throw stakes on the night, sent his latest one into the Carlisle box. The ball came to Eagers who must have though he’d scored with his side-footed effort only for Bradley to make a stunning full-length low save at his far-post as he pushed the ball around the woodwork for a corner.

It was all the visitors now as they pressed forward for a way back into the game but some resolute defending from the Blues kept them out. Oliver played the ball into Kerry on the edge of the box but with the United back-line harrying him he had to rush a shot on the turn and only succeeded in hitting it straight at Bradley.

With 55 minutes gone there were huge appeals for a penalty from the home fans. Earl hit a corner in from the right which went over everyone to Hindmarch at the back-post. Hindmarch headed down but the ball was blocked by Donnelly who was guarding the far stick, there were big shouts for a spot-kick from both spectators and players alike but referee Matadar waved play on.

The Blades were soon pushing on again though and four minutes later a long-ball up from Lowton was headed wide of the United far-post by Cresswell from 12 yards out. Shortly afterwards Blake brought down Law on the United left, Naughton curled a cracking ball in but the Carlisle defence stayed strong and Combe punted clear. Sixty seconds later, after a constant spell of pressure and balls into the Cumbrians box, Law hooked a 15-yard half-volley miles over.

It had been a tough period in the game for the young Blues but they came out of the other side of it unscathed and in the 68^th minute almost made the score 3-0. Hindmarch made a superb run down the left as he left two players in his wake and cut into the Blades box, perhaps he should have had a shot on goal but instead he laid the ball back to the onrushing Gary Baker. The Carlisle midfielder was stretching to reach the pass eight yards out and he couldn’t control his finish as he sent it slicing wide of Annerson’s post, it was a great chance to put the game to bed but in the end it mattered not.

The first substitution of the night came in the 70^th minute when Chapman came off to be replaced by Joel Birks as the Blades went to three at the back in their quest for a goal. Three minutes later they had a good chance to get that goal when Robertson turned on a Naughton throw but he could only fire into the Carlisle side-netting from 15 yards out in the left-side of the box. It should really have been a free-kick to the Blues though when Stewart was shoved off the ball by Oliver as the throw came in.

In the 75^th minute it looked like Hindmarch was in the clear as he chased down a long Bradley goal-kick over the top of a static Blades back-line. The young striker dallied on the opportunity for too long though and and Naughton was able to get back and make a good covering tackle.

A minute later Law crossed in from the right to Bradley’s near-post, Bradley looked to have the ball in his grasp but he inexplicably dropped it straight to the feet of Oliver who could only blaze well wide from a tight angle.

That was the signal for a change apiece as both sides looked to move things around for different reasons. United brought centre-half Matty Bell on in front of the back four to replace the hardworking Baker while Donnelly was taken off with attack-minded Keith Quinn coming on for the Blades.

With 11 minutes to go yet another Naughton long throw came flying into the United box, the ball ended up at Cresswell’s feet 15 yards out but his side-footed effort was well stopped by Bradley who clutched the ball in at the second attempt.

In the 81^st minute there was some pinball from a Blades cross into a Carlisle box packed with bodies as Eagers got the final toe-poke in which pinged back off the post. United were safe though as the East Stand assistant referee had already raised his flag for offside against one of the Sheffield players.

With six minutes to go in the tie the effort the Carlisle youngsters had put in was typified in a nutshell by Martin Graham. The second year YTS right-back was playing in an unaccustomed central midfield role throughout which he took to like a duck to water. A corner was swung in by substitute Quinn and came out to Eagers 25 yards from the Cumbrians goal. Eagers got a firm strike in but Graham threw himself full length in front of the drive to get a superb block in as he put his body on the line for the United cause.

A minute later Carlisle right-winger Mike Stewardson came on for Bainbridge, who had led the line well all evening. Four minutes later Robertson was booked for dissent for the visitors after he had given a free-kick away for handball in the centre-circle, the Blades getting visibly frustrated as they saw the tie had all but gone from them.

There was still time in the three minutes added on for Birks to hit a nice ball in which Cresswell could only head over Bradley’s bar from 12 yards out, the final whistle going seconds later and bringing scenes of jubilation from the Blues youngsters out on the heavy pitch.

So it’s into the last eight of the FA Youth Cup now, doesn’t that sound good – "the last eight". It’s been an unbelievable effort from the lads to get this far and a quarter-final tie away to either Burnley or Liverpool is the game awaiting them after five consecutive home draws in the competition.