POWER OF TEN!
Swindon survive late Blades fightback in crazy tie
EVEN by the exalted standards of the Football League Play- offs, this was a match to live long in the memory. Ten goals shared by two swashbuckling teams, breathless drama at both ends and 13,000 lucky fans teetering on the edge of their seats through 99 unforgettable minutes.
The outcome is that Swindon are heading to Wembley — just — and Sheffield United face another season in League One after their eighth play-off failure.
Sadly, a classic game was marred when police drew batons to keep rival fans apart as Swindon followers stormed the pitch at the end.
Ahead 2- 1 from the first leg, Swindon made the perfect start with three goals in the opening 20 minutes. Two were scored by Ben Gladwin, a former removals man who was languishing in non-League just 18 months ago. His first was a thumping volley from the edge of the box and his second a tap-in after the rampant Nathan Byrne, Swindon’s match-winner at Bramall Lane, had hooked the ball across goal.
When Michael Smith muscled his marker aside to lash home and make it 5- 2 on aggregate, the contest seemed over, but the Blades rallied through a Nathan Thompson own goal and Chris Basham’s header.
A penalty from Smith on the hour restored Swindon’s cushion but substitute Steven Davies responded. Jon Obika made it 5-3 on the night, and Swindon seemed safe, only for Matthew Done to surge forward and curl home to give the visitors hope again.
Swindon fears turned to fullblown panic when Che Adams made it 5-5 and put the Blades just one goal behind.
The home crowd had to endure nine minutes of stop- page time before their Wembley passage and a final against Preston on May 24 was confirmed. Swindon manager Mark Cooper struggled to take it all in, saying: ‘I can’t put into words what I’ve just seen. It was a freak of a game.
‘It was torture, the worst game I’ve been through. I did not enjoy it at all. Going to Wembley hasn’t sunk in because of the drama. It must be the best play-off ever.
‘ It was like two heavyweight boxers trying to knock each other out. Fair play to Sheffield United, they kept going and kept scoring. But it was just a ridiculous game.’
Blades boss Clough said: ‘We were in it to the end. If you’re going to go down, you want to go down fighting and
we did that.’