LIFE’S Blades equal to cabbag
Chris Wilder’s Blades had to combat a cabbage patch pitch as well as one of the inform teams in Oldham.
But Jay O’shea’s second-half equaliser maintained their 10point buffer over the play-off group in the race to clinch automatic promotion.
John Sheridan’s team coped better in the opening 45 minutes to go in 1-0 ahead through Tope Obadeyi’s closerange volley.
But United, roared on by more than 4,000 travelling fans, hit back kicking down the slope to leave them needing four more wins to guarantee a first Championship return since 2010-11.
“We would have snapped everybody’s hands off to be going into the last seven games of the season four points ahead and 10 points ahead of third,” said Wilder. “The best teams come through tests, and I talked about it at half-time – teams that win things, teams that get promoted have halves like we did in the first half and come through it.”
United are now unbeaten in 10 matches, but it would have been even better had 26goal top scorer Billy Sharp taken one of three chances in the last five minutes.
First, he wastefully lifted over from substitute Paul Coutts’ set-up. Latics keeper Connor Ripley then stopped his point-blank effort and a last-gasp header went over. Wilder simply threw his arm around his captain’s shoulder at the final whistle, however, and marched over to salute the travelling army.
“We are a realistic crowd, we have been in this division for six years and we know that other teams might have come here and not got a result,” Wilder added. “We won’t get rolled over for lack of enthusiasm or effort.
“It didn’t suit us today but we have ended up getting a result. At the end of the season people will look back at this and think ‘it wasn’t a great display’ but it was a point towards where we want to be.”
It may come at a cost with Caolan Lavery set for a scan on suspected medial ligament damage and Matt Done forced off with concussion.
United play promotion rivals Millwall on Tuesday.
They trailed after loan man Obadeyi, a journeyman striker at his 12th professional club, climaxed a brilliant Oldham move involving Paul Green and Josh Law.
United paid a £50,000 loan fee for O’shea when taking him from neighbours Chesterfield in January.
And he seized on a James Hanson knockdown five minutes after the break to arrow an equaliser in from the edge of the area.
Oldham have been resurgent under Sheridan and were well worth a point.
He said: “Considering who we were playing – a team that’s already promoted in my eyes – it was a terrific performance from us. They’ve been turning teams over, but I felt we were better than them.”
We’d have snapped hands off for this position CHRIS WILDER
PHIL PARKINSON jokingly warned his own supporters not to be greedy after Bolton’s red-hot streak showed no signs of cooling.
Parkinson’s promotion chasers had smashed four on their last three away trips – and after racing into a two-goal lead at the Greenhous Meadow just after the hour, the 1,500 travelling fans were keen to see that run continue.
Goals from Mark Beevers and Adam
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IRISH DAILY MIRROR