With storm Goretti and the cold snap that followed, having left snow and ice, the Non-League games in my area were mostly postponed. Looking for an alternative I was lucky to find the FA Cup third round match between Sheffield United and Mansfield Town. The added bonus was that all prices were drastically reduced to encourage a crowd on a cold mid Sunday afternoon with other games competing on TV. Most people would also have presumed that it was a non attractive fixture with Mansfield sitting in mid table in a division below United. With a lot of games to pay for in the 24 team Championship, and this game not part of those who had already paid for a season ticket, the reduction was a great idea. back at the start of the season I had watched Sheffield FC play in the early extra preliminary round.
It was a miserable wet, drizzly, afternoon driving into Sheffield, and I was lucky to find an on road parking space, in the slush, near Heeley City Farm. The drizzle and the warming temperature of 3.5 degrees were quickly clearing what was left of the snow and ice.
I have been to Bramall Lane a few times before but never written about Sheffield United on my blog. This stadium started life as a cricket ground circa 1850 and is reputed to be the venue of the first ever competitive football match in 1862 between Sheffield FC and Hallam. It is a great stadium fully seated and covered with a very flat grass pitch that was showing some wear in some areas.
United were formed in 1889 as a branch of the cricket club. Originally playing in the Midland Counties League they were elected to the football league second division in 1892. They managed to win the first level of English football as champions i 1897. They have mainly played in the top two leagues but have gone lower. Sheffield United have won the FA Cup on four occasions the last being over100 years ago in 1925.
Mansfield Town have never made it to the top league in England having been formed way back in 1897. Their Field Mill ground like Sheffield United’s was in use as early as 1861 and maybe even earlier.
Sheffield United 3 Mansfield Town 4
Sunday 11th January 2025, 14.30 kick off The Blades v The Stags
16th in the Championship v 12th in League One
Sheffield United; Red and White vertical striped shirts with black shorts, goalkeeper in all black.
Mansfield Town; Yellow shirts with some very thin blue vertical stripes with blue shorts, goalkeeper in all green.
The first 9 minutes were all Sheffield united but it was Mansfield who had the best chances when two shots were tipped over the bar by the home keeper. On 12 minutes Mansfield were ahead when a corner was headed out by United’s defence straight to ex Sheffield player Lewis Reed who hit it straight back, and the ball looped over everyone into the back of the net. But the Blades hit back quickly when with 19 minutes gone Gustavo Hamer received the ball on the edge of the goal area, he turned, made space and curled a beautiful shot into the top left hand corner of the goal.
The rest of the first half was a hotly contested game although Mansfield, the underdogs, regained the lead with minutes to go to the break. In a copy of their first goal, a defensive header out from a corner found Louis Reed again and his shot flew into the back of the net taking two deflections to get there.
The United fans around me discussed how it couldn’t get worse in the second half, yet it did, when five minutes after the interval after some scrapy play, Oates ran down half the pitch and sent in a perfect cross for Akins to slam the ball home. It was worse for United, only seven minutes later when Town made it four through Oates receiving a through ball on the left which he controlled and drove towards goal squeezing the ball between the keeper and the nearside upright.
Mansfield were in heaven, however the introduction of Patrick Bamford, newly signed from Leeds, brought some guile to Sheffield’s attack and he scored with 29 minutes left to play when he stretched out his leg to score after the ball was not cleared from a corner. There was more drama when under five minutes later Moriah-Welsh rifled the ball into his own net trying to clear a cross from the right.
You now expected an equaliser but Mansfield held on and even had two chances. When the whistle blew their near 5000 fans were joyous with the United fans streaming out quickly. This was a great win for the team one league below and for their Manager, Nigel Clough, who has been in charge for over 5 years, a long time in todays game.
No Chips but a very large sausage roll with very little pastry. It was tasty but had no hint of Hendersons Relish which it was advertised to have.
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