Sheff Utd Report Card

By: Dr Fishy
Date: 13/09/2001

DR FISHY has compiled match statistics and a report card for the Grimsby Town side that beat Sheff Utd 4-2 on penalties (3-3 AET) in the Worthington Cup 2nd Round.

Coyne: He had another impressive display in goal and made two or three very good saves. Just minutes before Grimsby's late equaliser by Bradley Allen Coyne rushed out of his goal to save at the feet of Devlin. Of course he made a great penalty save too.

Grade: B

McDermott: Another assured performance from the right-back. After Town went 4-3-3 he got forward quite often but as a result left the area behind him free, and several of Sheff Utd's attacks in extra time occurred through this. Held up the dangerous Peter Ndlovu quite a lot.

Grade: C+

Gallimore: His rich vein of form continues! In the first half Gally made two very timely interceptions to prevent a goal. One was a tackle on the edge of the six yard box, and the other was to head away from Peschisolido in a similar position. Didn't let Devlin run the show, as was the case both times last season. Showed great character to stand forward for a spot kick.

Grade: B

Groves: Was given quite a difficult task in marking Carl Asaba but dealt with it adequately. Inevitably Grovesey lost out in the air a bit, but he was his usual self in that the aimless balls forward from defence made a return after their absence at Highfield Road. Got the ball rolling in the shoot-out competition.

Grade: C+

Broomes: The on-loan Blackburn defender won't forget this debut in a hurry. A sweet volley gave him his first goal for the Mariners and he defended well too. Made a great tackle down the left in the first half which brought the crowd to its feet. He had a fair bit of pace but struggled a little just to settle in.

Grade B-

Pouton: Not quite an all-action-style performance from the former York player, but he did look good carrying the ball forward. until he tried to pass it. Used his left foot twice in the game, but all of his crosses into the box never found a target with Murphy and Curle coping in the air. Sorry Alan, not impressed with the penalty.

Grade: C+

Campbell: Was unfortunate not to win a penalty, and I'm not sure why Ulehnbeek lept for him. Swung in some terrific corners in Willems' absence and carried the ball well. Played much better when Gallimore was in support.

Grade: B-

Burnett: A bit of a lethargic performance from the golden-goal man. Didn't look as creative as we have come to expect and struggled with the pace of the game. Battled valiantly but without reward, and didn't provide sufficient cover for the wall that was Willems at Coventry.

Grade: D+

Butterfield: Our centre of midfield did struggle last night and that includes this youngster too, as well as Burnett. Though he tried, Sheff Utd's midfield were strong and physical, and Danny struggled to cope with it. Saying that, he kept the ball well and hardly made a mis-placed pass all game (even though all his passes were either to Groves or Broomes).

Grade: C

Rowan: Looked inventive for the half hour he was on the pitch for. He and Jevons looked creative without really fashioning an opening. We all hope the youngster recovers from injury soon.

Grade: C

Jevons: Had a bit of quality about him last night and looked like a player playing with a bit more confidence. Was invisible in the second half but came back more into the game when the team settled down into the 4-3-3 formation. His trickery out wide on the right won a few corners too. A very neatly-taken penalty at an important time.

Grade C+

SUBS

Jeffrey: This performance (he will hope) will silence his critics for a while. He did cause the Blades' defence some trouble and was always willing for the ball to be played to his feet. Showed good control and vision, but the lack of communication between himself, Jevons and Allen was clear. A lot of credit should be given to Jeffrey for standing up to take such a decisive penalty.

Grade: B

Allen: Had a great game on his return to the first team. It may have been a fortunate goal but it brought about the penalties which finally saw the Mariners progress to the third round. He showed a willingness to hold the ball and he passed it off well too.

Grade B-

Best part of Town's game: The way they got themselves back into the tie after falling behind twice. Sheff Utd kept the ball well and were a difficult team to break down, but Town did it on two occasions and finally inflicted the killer blow on the Yorkshire side with Jeffrey's spot kick.

Areas for improvement: The third Blades goal should have been prevented, as United only had two men forward in the attack and who were up against four Town defenders and Coyne. Still they managed to score. Town also look vulnerable on the break too.

Entertainment scale: End to end stuff, six goals, a red card, extra time and penalties, this game had the lot. Spoilt a little by the referee who somehow managed to anger both sets of fans. 9

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