Sheffield United v Pompey – Saturday 8th February 2025
Following our credible goalless draw with high flying Burnley at Fratton Park, Pompey travelled to South Yorkshire in 20th place and 3 points above the drop zone to take on another promotion chasing side, Sheffield United. The Blades in 3rd place knew if they avoided defeat to us they would leapfrog Burnley (who were in FA Cup action) back into the automatic promotion places.
Bramall Lane has been the polar opposite to a happy hunting ground for Pompey over the years. To say The Blades have a curse over us on their home soil is a slight understatement. Since our last win there on Guy Fawkes day 1955, Pompey have lost 21 and drawn the other 4 of the 25 games in all competitions. So even the more optimistic of Pompey fans travelling to the steel city would not have earmarked this as a game we need to win against Chris Wilder’s side who have high hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League.
My only previous visit to Bramall Lane was on the opening day of the 2000-01 season. On that blisteringly hot August afternoon, a first half penalty then a wicked deflection in the second half off debutant and future Pompey legend Linvoy Primus saw the hosts run out 2-0 winners.
On Saturday, I made the 90-mile journey up from Birmingham and parked up around midday about a mile east of the city centre to start my sight-seeing. I haven’t seen much of Sheffield city centre on my previous visits, so Saturday was a golden opportunity to take in just some of the wonderful landmarks in the city centre.
As I made my way towards the city centre, I crossed Lady’s Bridge where I got a great picture of the River Don and Wicker Weir.
Then it was onto the nearby Kelham Island Museum which is situated on the man-made Kelham Island in the River Don. Part of Sheffield Museums, this sounds like a fascinating museum of the city’s industrial heritage to visit.
The same could be said about the National Emergency Services Museum on the corner of West Bar and West Green. Originally a latter-day Victorian Police and Fire Station, this has been used as a museum in its current format since the mid-80s.
As I meandered my way through the centre, I walked past Sheffield Cathedral in Church Street which in part is as old as the medieval times, made all the more interesting with its very 60s looking extension on the left.
Right in the hub of the city centre is the elegant Victorian town hall on Pinstone Street. If you look closely you can see from the red and white balloons the march of hundreds of Sheffield United fans against knife crime led by the parents of 15-year-old fan Harvey Willgoose who was so tragically stabbed to death last Monday at his school in the city. RIP.
Around the corner from the town hall is the Peace Gardens. Complete with the different water features, this is a lovely tranquil spot in the bustling city centre.
Millenium Square (as the name would suggest), is one of the legacies from that era of Sheffield’s Heart Of The City regeneration where the Winter Garden is situated that opened in 2003. Boasting over 2000 different plants, this has the added kudos for Sheffield as Europe’s largest urban glasshouse. With the recent Lunar new year taking place, the venue has been decorated in celebration of the year of the snake that we are now in. There is also an elephant sculpture I saw (presumably from a trail) which is my favourite animal – perhaps this was a sign that Pompey will finally win at Bramall Lane today.
As you walk out of the Surrey Street entrance to the Winter Gardens across Tudor Square is one of the most revered sporting venues in the world, the Crucible Theatre (used of course for the Snooker World Championship). Opened in 1971, this design is complimented well with its Victorian neighbour on the right, the Lyceum Theatre.
It was now around 1:45pm and time for a pre-match pub. I had heard from different fans about the Beer Engine pub on Cemetery Road which is less than half a mile from the ground. Its name didn’t disappoint and, as pictured below, does indeed have quite a choice on tap. As I was driving I could only have the one, so a pint of Sky Above was my choice as I enjoyed the nice mix of home and away fans inside.
I made the short walk over to the ground and with a good half an hour before kick-off, I still had time to walk around all four sides. Opened in 1855, Bramall Lane is a venue with a tremendous amount of sporting history, not least of all that both an FA Cup final replay and Ashes Cricket match were played here – more of the latter a bit later.
Sheffield United FC were founded in 1889 and are a club with a rich tradition. The late 19th and early 20th century was when they enjoyed their most successful period to date being champions of England once and four times FA Cup winners by 1925. They have remained a sizeable club reaching numerous FA Cup and League Cup semi-finals with an impressive 68 seasons in the top flight in their history. Plus like ourselves, they are one of only five clubs to have won all four English divisions.
The Blades have always played at this ground with a record attendance of 68k. Nowadays it holds an impressive 32k seats. It is the oldest professional football ground in the world still in use and was also a venue used at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.
Bramall Lane itself runs behind the away end on the west side of the ground. Originally a covered standing area, an upper tier of 3000 seats was added in 1966. As pictured below, this is nestled in between offices to the left and the new stadium corner and Hilton Doubletree hotel to the right. Meanwhile the former terrace in the lower tier was re-profiled in 1994 to house seats with a subsequent cantilever roof replacement.
Pictured below is the John Street stand to the north of the ground. This was the original main stand which like many stadiums from yesteryear was an Archibald Leitch construction. This survived until the mid-90s, including extensive WW2 damage in 1940, before its contemporary replacement opened in 1996.
As you can see from John Street, the ground is very much in a traditional residential area which includes Shoreham Street behind the Kop, the revered vocal end of the ground. This large covered terrace behind the goal had seats installed on it in 1991 with what looks like a slight extension to the left along with a larger replacement roof with less pillars on this famous old stand. I really liked the earthiness of the grass bank leading up to it and the suspended ramp to access the rear of this stand.
Feeling a tad peckish by now, I popped into the aptly named Chef United Café on Shoreham Street for my lunch. I then walked around Cherry Street on the south side of the ground where the stand is quite a distance away with a large car park in front.
As I eluded to earlier about an Ashes match being played here, well as well as Sheffield United FC, Bramall Lane was originally the home of both Sheffield United Cricket Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club with the sport being played here until as recently as 1973. Shortly after, this large single tier cantilever stand was constructed exactly where the cricket pitch itself was before the pavilion where the car park is now was sadly, but inevitably, demolished in the early 80s.
Although the exterior of this stand has now been signposted with the club’s red and shite stripes, I personally think the decidedly 70s bare concrete looked more unique. Nowadays this is known as the Tony Currie Stand after the club legend dubbed ‘Top Cat’ by The Blades fans.
In the stadium car park are statues of Joe Shaw who holds the record number of appearances for The Blades and Derek Dooley MBE who despite being a former player and manager at arch rivals Sheffield Wednesday, Dooley became United’s chief executive and later chairman by the late 90s. He would then oversee the club’s transformation as they returned to the Premiership in 2006.
This week Dooley’s statue has become a shrine dedicated to Harvey Willgoose with shirts and scarves laid here from several other clubs as well as the hosts.
Finally, I photographed another feature which really stood out. In the Bramall Lane corner of the Tony Currie stand is the ‘Legends Of The Lane’ hospitality area. Above the entrance is the William Potts of Leeds clock which used to be on the front of the old cricket pavilion which thankfully was retained in the 70s.
It was time now to make my way into my seat in what is now the H E Barnes Stand just minutes before kick off.
Pompey started the game with a confidence you wouldn’t expect from a side winless on the road in the previous 10 league games and on six minutes should have been ahead. Connor Shaughnessy lofted a long ball forward out of defence which Callum Lang nodded onto Colby Bishop, who was through on goal but opted to take it wide of Michael Cooper to slot home. But the United keeper got in a boot to deny Bishop as Lang’s deflected effort that Bishop played back to him was gathered by Cooper.
On 15 minutes, play stopped as the whole stadium gave an emotional minute’s applause for Harvey Willgoose in what was a tremendous show of solidarity as there has been throughout the past week.
When play resumed, Pompey again should have taken the lead with a gilt-edge opportunity on 18 minutes. Connor Ogilvie laid off a fine ball down the left wing from the half way line to Josh Murphy, whose inviting cross deflected past Colby Bishop at the near post to Callum Lang who from point blank range, albeit on the stretch, couldn’t get underneath it and volleyed over an open goal. A rare error from our ace marksman.
Pompey would rue this golden opportunity to take the lead when six minutes later the hosts won the ball in midfield and Ben Brereton-Diaz switched it wide to Gustavo Hamer who cut into the box and found the space between Shaughnessy and Rob Atkinson before curling a fine shot into the corner past Nicholas Schmid to put The Blades in front.
A familiar feeling once again at Bramall Lane, but Pompey, who had looked strong until now, didn’t give in and just three minutes later Shaughnessy played the ball across to Murphy who cut in and crossed for Ogilvie to slide home at the near post to the delight of our fans at the other end.
Not content to go in level at half time, Pompey were in the ascendancy and continued to threaten with Matt Ritchie’s free kick being saved and Lang firing just wide. Then on 37 minutes came mighty close again to taking the lead when Murphy, having such a great game, unleashed a shot outside the box that crashed against the cross bar with Cooper well and truly beaten before United cleared the danger.
Lightning struck again for Pompey on 43 minutes. Murphy once again tormented The Blades defence on the wing and in an almost carbon copy of Lang’s earlier miss, Murphy’s low cross bounced past Bishop again at the near post and this time Ogilvie scooped over what looked a certain goal. But the hosts always posed a threat and right on half time from a corner, Hamer got in a good header that Schmid had to dive down low to keep out.
HT: Sheffield United 1-1 Pompey
In a first half where a comfortable lead would not have flattered Pompey, you always felt the hosts would start the second half much stronger. But it was Pompey who looked more like the home side and four minutes after the restart, Lang was fouled on the edge of the box. Bishop got on the end of Murphy’s free-kick with a striker’s finish with the outside of the boot into the roof of the net.
But Bishop’s and the fans’ joy was short lived as the Pompey striker was deemed to be offside when the free kick came in.
Undeterred by this, Pompey continued to attack and dominate the match before Andre Dozzell’s effort fizzed over from another Murphy free kick. Then Lang squared to Murphy who took aim with a low drive from just outside the box that Cooper had to parry away from going into the bottom corner. Murphy had another long-range chance when the ball fell to him on the outside of the box after United failed to clear the corner, which Cooper made a decent save to tip over.
All this in the first 10 minutes after the break saw Wilder make a treble substitution for United and just after the hour, the home side showed what was well and truly still in their locker. From a throw in, the ball broke back to Hamer who cut in like he did for his first half goal, but this time curled his shot just wide of Schmid’s right hand post.
Despite this let off, Pompey continued to push to go in front and on 68 minutes Lang hooked the ball through two United defenders onto Bishop, who shaped to shoot as United captain Jack Robinson slid in his path to narrow the angle as Bishop was unable to keep his shot on target.
Mousinho made his first substitution on 72 minutes with Sunderland loanee Adil Aouchiche replacing Ritchie in midfield. The Blades then made their fourth substitution who, along with a previous player who had come off the bench, would prove decisive a minute later. Pompey were unable to clear a cross from the home side as the ball was lost in midfield and played forward by Hamer to Thomas Cannon which was squared out wide to substitute Rhlan Brewster, whose first time ball was slide home from close range by fellow substitute Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
A real body blow for Pompey who had once again got caught out by a goal against the run of play. At 2-1 the game was on a knife-edge with Pompey continuing to attack. But from a corner United counter attacked in two against two with Cannon blazing over when playing in Rak-Sakyi might well have been a better option.
On 82 minutes United made their final substitution as Mousinho made a double swap with Shaughnessy making way for new signing Hayden Matthews in defence, whilst in midfield Kaide Gordon, on loan from Liverpool, was brought on for Dozzell.
As the final 10 minutes began to peter out, our final change was made when skipper Marlon Pack came on in the last minute for Freddie Potts.
With the game slipping away from Pompey, having dominated so much of the afternoon, the hosts almost rubbed salt in the wound five minutes into stoppage time. Hamer played in Brewster who shot from the edge of the box and this time the cross bar came to our rescue as the ball crashed down off it with the United striker unlucky not to add a third.
FT: Sheffield United 2-1 Pompey
Att: 29,104 (2,514 Pompey fans)
So this extraordinary Bramall Lane jinx continues for Pompey which was tough to take and was put further into context when Blades boss Wilder refused to sugar coat his side’s performance, and to his credit said Pompey dominated them in all aspects of the game. But The Blades moved back into 2nd and only two points behind leaders Leeds United. Meanwhile, Pompey remain in 20th place on 30 points, but now only 2 points above Derby County whose stoppage time penalty rescued a draw at Norwich City.
Pompey can take a lot of plus points from this game, although that is now our 11th away league game without a win and a game everyone knows, but for some glaring chances missed, we should have taken three crucial points from. My concern is yet again that this adds more pressure on how well we do at home if we are to retain our Championship status.
Up next is the visit of Cardiff City to Fratton Park tonight. The Bluebirds travel to PO4, for the first time since our 1-1 Championship draw with them in August 2011, 1 point above us with a game in hand and with everything to play for in this crucial relegation six-pointer. PUP PPU.
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