SLAP-DASH BLADES NEED SHARPENING
SHEFFIELD United and Brentford shared the points, and the slaps, at a rain-soaked Griffin Park – and Chris Wilder is desperate for a more clinical edge in the Blades’ hunt for promotion.
Wales international Chris Mepham ensured the spoils were shared after cancelling out Chris Basham’s opener, with both teams reduced to ten men when Ryan Woods and Jamal Blackman slapped each other in the aftermath of the Brentford equaliser.
And Wilder, who admitted “Jamal gave the referee a decision to make”, said he was now looking forward to facing Cardiff, and Blades legend Neil Warnock, on Monday.
He said: “It was an excellent game and I thought we did enough to win it. We’re a bit frustrated and disappointed but not in a bad way.
“For Monday, from where we have been, every game in the Championship is a pleasure to be involved in, and it’s still all to play for, there will be plenty of twists and turns left.
“We need to be a little bit more clinical, but we’re in a good place, whether it’s for Monday or next week or the week after.
“If we are good enough and a bit more clinical we will be okay against Cardiff.”
Brentford created the first chance after ten minutes when Blackman parried Henrik Dalsgaard’s longrange effort.
Nico Yennaris and Neal Maupay both registered efforts before the halfhour mark and moments later Billy Sharp almost poked the Blades ahead but his effort dribbled wide.
The Blades reemerged for the second half with a renewed vigour and ten minutes later, took the lead.
Brentford struggled to clear and the ball bounced kindly to Basham, whose volley took a wicked deflection off Josh Clarke, wrong-footing Daniel Bentley and nestling in the corner.
The game became quite scrappy but sparked into life as Brentford drew level.
Ollie Watkins floated in a freekick which fell to Mepham, who poked home from eight yards.
Yet as the home fans celebrated, both teams were reduced to ten men.
Brentford midfielder Woods tried to get the ball from Blackman to restart the game and the two got involved in a scuffle with both players appearing to hit each other, leading referee Jeremy Simpson to send the pair off.
The game opened up as both sides searched for a second goal and the Blades would have won it but for some good saves from Bentley, who denied Basham, Leon Clarke and Clayton Donaldson twice to ensure the spoils were shared.
Bees boss Dean Smith, who couldn’t understand why Woods had been sent off and could appeal, said: “It’s a good point in the end, but I didn’t think we deserved much.
“On the ball we were very poor, a couple of weeks ago we played in the snow and played some sublime football but I think the conditions affected us and we never created any real chances.
“We had chances in the first 20, 25 minutes but our final ball wasn’t good enough.
“We’ll get the players straight back in to prepare for Monday [the game away at Bristol City].
“We’re looking forward to going to Bristol, it’s normally a good pitch so it should be a good game.”