Battling Blues blunted by Blades (From This Is Local London)

Battling Blues blunted by Blades

4:54pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in Wycombe Wanderers News By Andy Carswell

Sheffield United 3, Wycombe Wanderers 0.

AN heroic defensive display proved in vain as Sheffield United eventually managed to break down a determined Wanderers rearguard.

Once again the gulf in class between top and bottom of the division became apparent as Will Hoskins scored five minutes after coming off the bench for his debut on loan from Championship side Brighton, before £3million signing Ched Evans and Kevin McDonald’s deflected drive sealed it.

And yet for so long it looked as if Blues would hold out for a valuable point against a side flying high and looking for promotion.

A change to five at the back worked a treat as the central defensive unit of Dave Winfield, Louis Laing and Leon Johnson produced a passable imitation of a blue brick wall and blunted the Blades’ prolific attack.

United had possession of the ball for almost two thirds of the game but couldn’t break their way through Wycombe’s new-look five man defence as a weak header from Evans, which missed the target by a considerable margin, was all they managed in their efforts to raise the supporters from their collective slumber.

Indeed it was Wanderers who had the clearest opening early on as Stuart Beavon – left to feed off scraps as Neill Collins and Harry Maguire continually muscled him out the way – collected Winfield’s knock down, span on a sixpence and put his shot inches wide with keeper Steve Simonsen scrambling.

Referee Dean Mohareb waved away penalty appeals as Stephen Quinn blasted the ball against Winfield’s arm from close range, before the United midfielder headed across goal and out in a rare chance.

At times it looked like a game of attack versus defence, with Blues often having everyone bar Beavon back on the edge of the box to snuff out the threat.

Despite the relentless pressure goalkeeper Nikki Bull had a relatively quiet first half, his only save coming from a Quinn free-kick that was hit without any real venom into his midriff.

That was thanks to Winfield heading everything that came his way, Danny Foster making a superb sliding challenge to take the ball away from Evans as he shaped to shoot, and Johnson making an excellent clearing header just as Evans – again – looked like he was going to head home a simple goal.

The only heart in mouth moment came from the corner that followed Johnson’s intervention as the ball found Lee Williamson lurking on the edge of the box, but the midfielder placed his shot slightly too far wide of the post.

Matt Bloomfield went in the book for an alleged dive as Blues looked to break clear, but had the midfielder stayed on his feet he would have had a clear run at goal.

Clearly still aggrieved at that, Wanderers were relieved that McDonald’s powerful strike from outside the area thundered just wide with Bull a beaten man.

There was no let-up after the break and Blues breathed a collective sigh of relief as Evans blazed into the side netting from close range, with half of Bramall Lane leaping to their feet to acclaim the game’s opening goal.

Yet Wanderers came close to opening the scoring themselves on the hour as Beavon and Ben Strevens combined to create a chance for former Blade James Harper, who fired wide from 25 yards.

More chances continued to come the home side’s way as McDonald clipped wide and Richard Cresswell nodded over in his final act before departing to be replaced by debutant Hoskins, who was to make a devastating impact just five minutes later. Wanderers failed to cut out a ball in from the left hand side and Hoskins broke the offside trap to slip it past Bull.

But seconds earlier Wanderers could have gone in front when Simonsen couldn’t hold on to Beavon’s shot and he showed smart reactions to grab the ball at the second attempt with Foster bearing down on top of him.

It was a harsh lesson in taking your chances, and United soon had a second. Having defended so impeccably for so long it was a poor goal to concede as Wanderers failed to cut out and then deal with a Quinn cross from the right. Lecsinel Jean-Francois returned it to the middle where he picked out Evans, and the Welshman finally showed what he is capable of as he turned and slammed the ball home for his 19th goal of the season.

Wanderers received a further kick in the teeth as United fans celebrated the fact despised rivals Wednesday had fallen behind against Blues’ relegation rivals Exeter, who put a bit of breathing space between themselves and the bottom four.

Then in injury time McDonald, as he had been threatening to do all afternoon, got on the scoresheet as his shot from 25 yards out took a deflection and found its way past a flat-footed Bull and into the net.

Wanderers: Bull, Foster, Laing, Winfield, Johnson (sub McNamee), Basey, Harper, Bloomfield, Strevens (sub McClure), Whichelow (sub Lewis), Beavon. Substitutes not used: Grant, McCoy.

Attendance: 17,165