The Sporting Hack

Sheffield United 1-0 Stevenage (Agg.1-0) Npower League 1 play-off semi-final second leg. Bramall Lane Attendance: 21182 Sheffield United booked their place in the League 1 play-off final and a potential Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield Town at Wembley.   The Blades edged past Stevenage in a nervy re-run of Friday night’s drab goalless semi-final first leg, courtesy of Chris Porter’s late header (right) . The fact that Danny Wilson’s men missed a spark was understandable as they relied heavily on the lone forward Porter with James Beattie, Richard Cresswell and Will Hoskins all out through suspension or injuries. After one of the poorest first halves of football in recent memory, both sides came out after the break galvanised by the fact that they had 45 minutes to create something meaningful or face extending the tedium. Thank goodness then for Luke Freeman, the Stevenage midfielder, who, by looking inventive and industrious in equal measure, proved to be t...

Sheffield United 3-0 Wycombe Wanderers npower League 1, Bramall Lane, Attendance: 17,165 Loan signing Will Hoskins came off the bench on his Sheffield United home debut to break the stubborn resilience of relegation threatened Wycombe. The introduction of the former Rotherham United striker (right) on his return to South Yorkshire provided fresh impetus to a frustrated Blades outfit and triggered further strikes from his forward partners Ched Evans and Chris Porter. The win moved United up to third place within a point of city rivals Wednesday - who fell at Exeter – and with two games in hand. It was no less than Danny Wilson’s men deserved too, accounting for 70% of possession, as the Buckinghamshire side invited wave after wave of pressure from the first minute. Chances came with an alarming regularity in the first period, but forcing Wanderers ‘keeper Nikki Bull into anything strenuous seemed a bridge too far. Despite Scottish winger Ryan Flynn replacing the ineffectual Le...