2012–13 Sheffield United F.C. season
Sheffield United Football Club participated in League One, the third level of English football in 2012–13, after having failed to win promotion, losing in the previous season's play-off final. Danny Wilson remained in charge for a second season and the club continued to reduce costs as they sought to adapt to life at the third level of English football. Many of the players involved in the previous season were either sold or released, while the likes of Nick Blackman, Tony McMahon, Shaun Miller and Dave Kitson were signed to replace them.
| 2012–13 season | |
|---|---|
| Group Chairman | Kevin McCabe |
| Chairman | Kevin McCabe (Group Chairman) Dave Green (from 12 October 2012) Christopher Steer (to 12 October 2012) (Football Club Chairman) |
| Manager | Danny Wilson (to 10 April 2013)[1] Chris Morgan (from 10 April 2013)[2] |
| League One | 5th |
| FA Cup | Fourth Round (eliminated by Reading) |
| League Cup | First Round (eliminated by Burton Albion) |
| Football League Trophy | Quarter final (eliminated by Coventry City) |
| Top goalscorer | League: Blackman (11) Kitson (11) All: Blackman (14) |
| Highest home attendance | 23,431 (vs Brentford) |
| Lowest home attendance | 15,744 (vs Walsall) |
| Average home league attendance | 18,611[3] |
The team went unbeaten in the league until November, briefly climbing to the top of the table, and returned to first place once again over the Christmas period. United had little success in the various cup competitions however, as they were beaten in the first round of the Football League Cup by Burton Albion, and by Coventry City in the Football League Trophy. They did manage to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup but were comprehensively beaten by Reading, a result which came amidst a rapid downturn in league form during January, that almost saw United almost drop out of the play-off places. After a brief recovery through February, the decline in results continued and following another string of poor results in April, Danny Wilson was dismissed as manager, with coach Chris Morgan being appointed as caretaker for the remainder of the season.
Despite the change of manager, United's form did not significantly improve and they finished the season in 5th place in the league, thus facing Yeovil Town in the play-offs. Having beaten Yeovil 1–0 in the first leg, they were defeated by two goals in the second and as such were consigned to remain in League One for at least another season.
Background edit
The previous season had been United's first in the third tier of English football for 23 years and had seen them install Danny Wilson as manager.[4] United had competed for automatic promotion throughout the season but when top scorer Ched Evans was handed a prison sentence after being convicted of rape in April,[5] the team's results tailed off towards the end of the season and they were overtaken by local rivals Sheffield Wednesday who claimed the final automatic promotion spot.[6] United reached the play-off final but were beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town, consigning United to a second season in League One.[7][8]
Team kit edit
In June United struck a deal with gaming company Redtooth to sponsor the team's away kit for the coming season.[9] It had been expected that the team shirts would be jointly sponsored by Westfield Health and Gilders as per the previous season but the club announced that the car dealers were to continue a commercial relationship with the club but would no longer be shirt sponsors.[9] At the end of July United officially launched their new away kit baring Redtooth's logo. In a change to the previous season the shirt itself was predominantly black with a light-red trim and a light-red diagonal stripe across the chest.[10] In September the club announced a new third kit, this one being all white, introduced to avoid further colour clashes.[11] At the end of that month the club also announced a new secondary kit sponsor, revealing that the GCI Com logo would be included on the back of the team shirts.[12]
Season overview edit
Pre-season edit
Pre-season began with 11 players being released, including former Player of the Year James Beattie, defenders Andy Taylor and Johnny Ertl,[13] and first choice stopper Steve Simonsen.[14] Three senior out-of-contract players were offered new terms with Kevin McDonald, Chris Porter and Lee Williamson being offered the chance to remain with United.[13] On 5 July Chris Porter signed a two-year contract with the option of a third,[15] while Academy graduate Jordan Chapell also agreed a new one-year deal.[15] The following day young right-back Matthew Lowton was sold to Premier League Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.[16][17] The Blades returned to pre-season training having arranged the now annual pre-season tour of Malta, followed by a string of low key friendlies.[18] With manager Danny Wilson seeking to improve the squad, on 13 July he signed 19-year-old striker John Cofie from Manchester United on a season-long loan.[19] The first game of pre-season came against non-league Ilkeston where a side relying mainly on young players and triallists were held to a 1–1 draw after Harry Maguire had opened the scoring.[20] A day later the Blades made their first permanent signing of the transfer window with 21-year-old right back Darryl Westlake signing a two-year deal with the option of a third year, with a fee to be agreed with his former club Walsall via a tribunal due to his age.[21]
The squad commenced their summer training camp on the island of Malta and their next fixture saw them record a comfortable 6–0 victory over local side Zejtun Corinthians.[22] As the training camp continued Chris Morgan announced during a question and answer session with the fans in attendance that he had decided to retire from playing due to a recurrent injury, and that he would now focus solely on his role as reserve-team coach.[23] The following day United confirmed that Kevin McDonald had signed a new two-year contract,[24] the news coming a couple of hours before the Blades were held to a 0–0 draw by Maltese side Hibernians.[25] Back in the UK, and with July almost over, United made a triple signing, handing two-year deals to defenders Tony McMahon who had been released by Middlesbrough, and former loanee Matt Hill who had left Blackpool, along with signing striker Shaun Miller for an undisclosed fee from Crewe Alexandra.[26] United's final game of July saw them take on Rotherham United at their newly opened ground, The New York Stadium, and recording a 1–0 victory thanks to a goal from loanee John Cofie.[27]
As August began a United XI travelled the short distance to Hallam where two goals each from Ironside and Philliskirk were enough to secure a comfortable 4–0 victory.[28] Joe Ironside was on target again a few days later as both he and new signing Tony McMahon scored to give United a 2–0 victory at Morecambe.[29] With pre-season coming to an end reserve coach Chris Morgan took a young United XI side to Matlock Town where they recorded a 1–0 victory thanks to a goal from Erik Tønne.[30] Then, the day before the season opener against Burton Albion, United announced the signing of Blackburn Rovers striker Nick Blackman on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[31]
August and September: Too many draws edit
The Blades first competitive game of the season was a home League Cup tie against Burton Albion. Howard, Miller, Blackman, McMahon and McFadzean all made their first team débuts for United but with the game tied at 2–2 after extra time United lost on penalties for the second game in succession.[33] The Blades began their league campaign with a home game against newly promoted Shrewsbury Town, winning 1–0 thanks to a goal from former Shrewsbury loanee David McAllister.[34] A trip to Coventry City followed a few days later with United snatching a late goal for a 1–1 draw,[35] with the same result being repeated the following Saturday as the Blades were held to another draw by Colchester United.[36]
With the transfer window closing at the end of August, United continued to reshape their squad in an effort to reduce the wage bill, agreeing a new contract with Richard Cresswell for him to become player coach.[37] On the final day of transfer activity the club agreed to sell Stephen Quinn to Hull City for an undisclosed fee,[38] and allowed Nick Montgomery, the club's then longest serving player, to leave in order to move to Australia.[38] United concluded their summer transfer dealings by offering former Portsmouth striker Dave Kitson a short-term deal to run up until Christmas 2012.[32]
September began with a 5–3 victory over Bournemouth at Bramall Lane thanks in part to a brace of goals from Ryan Flynn.[39] Flynn was also a central figure in the following game as both he and fellow midfielder Michael Doyle were shown red cards against Scunthorpe United before the Blades came from behind to grab a 1–1 draw.[40] Off the field, the following week the club parted company with Chief Executive Julian Winter and Director of Academy Coaching John Pemberton,[41] citing ongoing restructuring. With the red cards for both Doyle and Flynn being upheld on appeal,[42] Danny Wilson bolstered the squad by bringing forward Paul Gallagher in on a months loan from Leicester City.[43] Back on the pitch Gallagher, Kitson and Westlake all made their United debuts as the Blades were held to a 1–1 draw by Bury at Bramall Lane,[44] whilst a 0–0 draw was the result when Doncaster Rovers visited Sheffield a couple of days later.[45] A third goal of the season from Neill Collins was enough to continue the Blades' unbeaten start with a 1–0 victory over Yeovil Town at Huish Park.[46] Despite the return of Michael Doyle and Ryan Flynn from suspension and a first goal from Dave Kitson, United were forced to settle for yet another 1–1 draw in their last game of September, versus Notts County at Bramall Lane.[47]
October and November: Long live King George edit
October started more positively for the Blades as a late goal from Paul Gallagher, his first for the club, snatched a victory in an away fixture against Hartlepool United.[48] United then made it two wins in a row on their travels as they defeated Leyton Orient 1–0 thanks to Nick Blackman's fifth goal of the campaign.[49] During the match Mark Howard suffered a thigh injury in the 11th minute, being replaced in goal by George Long, and was later ruled out for up to 12 weeks.[50] The following week, and despite attempts to retain his services, Paul Gallagher's loan period expired and he returned to his parent club.[51] The Blades also announced changes to the Football Club board, with chairman Chris Steer stepping down to be replaced by Dave Green, and Nigerian financier Jacob Esan being added as a director.[52] Despite George Long having made some impressive performances, Danny Wilson still looked to bring in another goalkeeper as cover and confirmed that former Wales international and free agent Danny Coyne had been invited to train with the Blades; but insisted that Long would continue to be first choice for the time being.[53] The Blades then entertained Oldham Athletic at Bramall Lane, a bad tempered match which saw Oldham score in the seventh minute of injury time to snatch a 1–1 draw,[54] and Lactics striker Lee Croft subsequently accused of racially abusing a ball boy.[55] Having received a bye for the first round, United began their Football League Trophy campaign with a 4–1 victory over Notts County at Meadow Lane.[56] Lecsinel Jean-François played for the first time in over six months after a knee injury, appearing for the last 15 minutes as a substitute, however he injured his other knee and was ruled out for a further two months.[57] Back in the league and a trip to Preston North End culminated in a 1–0 win thanks to a Dave Kitson goal,[58] before a Nick Blackman penalty was enough to claim the same result in a home game against Walsall.[59] With the month almost over the Blades beat the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsnenal by handing a three-year deal to 17-year-old Academy player Diego De Girolamo,[60] before another Nick Blackman spot-kick was enough to despatch Portsmouth 1–0 at Bramall Lane.[61]
November began with a trip to Bristol to face Bristol Rovers in the first round of the FA Cup. Despite conceding an early goal United came back to score twice in the second half and book their place in the second round.[62] Back in League One an away trip to Swindon Town ended in a 0–0 stalemate, but it was a result that allowed United to climb into the automatic promotion places for the first time in the season.[63] A few days later vice-captain Neill Collins extended his current contract by a further two years until Summer 2015 with the option of another year,[64] before the Blades unbeaten run finally came to an end as they conceded a controversial last minute penalty to lose 1–0 away at Milton Keynes Dons.[65] The following week Matthew Harriott was allowed to join Alfreton Town on loan, initially until 9 December,[66] while Harry Maguire made his England Under-21 début as a substitute in the 60th minute, coming on for Liverpool's Andre Wisdom in a 2–0 against Northern Ireland Under-21 at Bloomfield Road.[67] A few days later it was announced that Danny Wilson had been named League One Manager of the Month and that George Long had won League One Player of the Month for October.[68] Later the same day, Dave Kitson extended his contract until the end of the season with the option of another year; Kitson stated that "It wouldn't have sat comfortably with me to leave a job half done after integrating myself into a great squad".[69] At the end of a busy week free agent and former Wales national goalkeeper Danny Coyne signed a 28-day deal as cover for George Long as third choice keeper George Willis had sustained a minor injury preventing him from playing.[70] Seven days after the disappointing defeat at MK Dons, United returned to winning ways in emphatic style, convincingly beating promotion rivals Stevenage 4–1 at Bramall Lane, thanks in part to a brace from Shaun Miller who was making his first league start for United.[71] A mid-week home fixture against Crewe Alexandra followed which ended in a 3–3 draw, despite United having taken a two-goal lead in the first half.[72] The following day Jordan Chapell extended his loan with Burton Albion for a further month,[73] before the final game of November saw United slip to a damaging 2–0 defeat away at Brentford.[74]
December and January: (Briefly) Top of the league edit
On 1 December the Blades returned to winning ways with a late 2–1 victory over former United boss Micky Adams's Port Vale side in the second round of the FA Cup at Bramall Lane. Shaun Miller saved the day for the Blades with a brace in injury time after Vale had taken the lead in the first half.[76] With the Blades beginning to struggle with injuries Jordan Chapell was recalled early from his loan spell at Burton Albion,[77] and returned to the United first-team later that day as the Blades crashed out of the Football League Trophy on penalties to Coventry City.[78] Meanwhile, Matthew Harriott extended his loan deal with Alfreton Town until 6 January[79] and back in the league United returned to winning ways, defeating Carlisle United 3–1,[80] but were held to a 0–0 draw by table-topping Tranmere Rovers the following week.[81] After Danny Coyne extended his short-term contract to keep him with the club until the end of January,[82] United started their festive programme by rising to the top of the League One table following a 2–0 win over Crawley Town on their first ever visit to the Broadfield Stadium thanks to two goals from Tony McMahon,[83] before a comfortable 3–0 home win over Scunthorpe United on Boxing Day consolidated their place as league leaders.[84] With injuries and suspensions starting to weaken the first-team United finished the year by slipping to a surprising 2–3 home defeat to bottom club Hartlepool United,[85] a result which saw them drop to second in the table. On 28 December it was announced that due to injuries sustained against Scunthorpe United, Shaun Miller would be out for the remainder of the season and out up to nine months in total with a cruciate knee ligament injury; whilst Neill Collins would be out for around two months with a fractured cheekbone.[86]
The opening of the January transfer window allowed Danny Wilson to strengthen his squad by signing experienced defender Danny Higginbotham on a free transfer from Stoke City on New Years Day,[75] and both he and Elliott Whitehouse made their United débuts for United that afternoon in the South Yorkshire derby against Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium where the Blades needed late goals from Blackman and Kitson to rescue a 2–2 draw.[88] On 3 January Danny Wilson continued to revamp the squad by signing winger Jamie Murphy from Motherwell on a three and a half-year contract for an undisclosed fee,[87] whilst John Cofie's loan deal was terminated and he returned to his parent club Manchester United, despite claiming that he wanted to see out the season with the Blades.[89] Young forward Diego De Girolamo was called up to the Italy national under-18 squad[90] ahead of the Blade's third round FA Cup tie at Oxford United. Murphy made his Blades debut against Oxford United as they booked their place in the fourth round, running out 3–0 winners thanks to goals from McMahon, Kitson and Blackman,[91] earning United a trip to the Madejski Stadium against Premier League strugglers Reading.[92] United continued to struggle with injuries as defender Matt Hill was ruled out for six weeks with a fractured cheek bone following the game at Oxford.[93] United's transfer dealings continued with midfielder David McAllister leaving the Blades for former loan club Shrewsbury Town for an undisclosed fee,[94] Alfreton Town decided to extend Matty Harriott's loan for a third month,[95] and youth keeper George Willis signed his first professional contract with the Blades on a two and half-year deal.[96] United's disappointing league form continued as they were beaten 2–0 at home by Yeovil Town,[97] and allowed Notts County to score a late equaliser to draw 1–1 despite being reduced to ten men for much of the game.[98] With the transfer window close to completion United allowed young striker Danny Philliskirk to leave after cancelling his contract.[99] With the Blades game at Bury postponed due to weather conditions,[100] their next match was the FA Cup fourth round tie at Reading, a match which saw United crash out of the competition following a 4–0 defeat.[101] With a day of the transfer window remaining Reading agreed a deal to sign Nick Blackman,[102] only six months after he had arrived at Bramall Lane, and after he had rejected a move to Crystal Palace.[103] On deadline day itself former United youth player Jonathan Forte returned to the Blades on loan for the rest of the season from Southampton[104] and Scottish international Barry Robson signed a short-term deal until the end of the season.[105]
February and March: Moving back up edit
United's poor home form continued into February as they suffered their third consecutive home loss, going down 2–1 to Coventry City.[107] With United's home fixture against Crawley Town postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, the first time in ten years United had had to postpone a match for such a reason,[108] their next fixture was an away trip to Shrewsbury Town where goals from Michael Doyle and Dave Kitson helped them to a 2–1 victory and their first league win of 2013.[109] United registered back-to-back victories with a 2–0 away win over Bury,[110] before signing young striker Dominic Poleon from Leeds United on loan until the end of the season,[106] and allowing Chris Porter to sign a one-month loan deal with Shrewsbury Town.[111] United climbed back into the automatic promotion places as they registered their first home win of 2013, beating Colchester United 3–0.[112] On 18 February Coyne once again extended his stay with United keeping him at the Lane until late March.[113] A fourth straight victory saw United return to the top of the table, leapfrogging their hosts Bournemouth after a 1–0 victory.[114] Teenager Harry Maguire made his 100th start for the Blades in their next game,[115] but United slipped back to second place following a 0–0 home draw with Leyton Orient.[116]
March started with a 2–0 victory over Oldham Athletic,[117] before the Blades managed to hold onto second place in the league, despite being held to a second consecutive 0–0 home draw, this time against Milton Keynes Dons.[118] After United's scheduled trip to Crewe Alexandra was postponed due to a frozen pitch,[119] Jordan Chapell was loaned out to Torquay United until the end of the season.[120] The following day Chris Porter returned from his loan spell at Shrewsbury Town to increase United's striking options,[121] before United's away run was brought to a halt as Stevenage beat them 4–0 at The Lamex Stadium.[122] United signed young striker Joe Ironside to a two and a half-year deal,[123] before allowing Richard Cresswell to re-join his first ever club, York City, on a one-month loan deal.[124] Later the same day former United player Jamie Hoyland resigned his post as Academy manager.[125] Due to a lack of first team opportunities Erik Tønne was allowed to return to his native Norway for a trial with HamKam ahead of a potential loan move.[126] A busy week off the field concluded with young keeper George Long being named Young Player of the Month for February 2013 by The Football League.[127] United's fixture problems continued when their scheduled home game with Brentford was called off due to heavy snowfall,[128] meaning that their first game for two weeks came against promotion rivals Tranmere Rovers, with an own goal from Tranmere's Ash Taylor being enough to secure the points for United.[129]
April: Farewell Danny edit
April started with yet another goalless draw at Bramall Lane when Carlisle United held their hosts, despite being reduced to ten men for the final third of the game.[130] Two days later on-loan forward Dominic Poleon was recalled by his parent club, Leeds United, while Erik Tønne was allowed to join Norwegian side HamKam on loan until November 2013.[131] An away trip to Walsall provided yet another draw for United, with a second half goal from Chris Porter rescuing a point for the Blades.[132] United continued their disappointing home form into the following game when Crawley Town were 2–0 victors,[133] a result that saw Danny Wilson sacked the following day,[1] and being replaced by reserve team coach Chris Morgan for the remainder of the season.[2] The following day the club announced former player and Academy coach, David Unsworth as assistant to Morgan for the duration of his tenure.[134] The new management team's first action was to recall Jordan Chapell from his loan spell at Torquay United.[135] Chris Morgan's first game in charge saw Swindon Town visit Bramall Lane, with United running out as 2–0 winners, thanks to goals from Porter and Kitson.[136] Following an injury to one of his Achilles tendons, Richard Cresswell returned early from his loan at York City,[137] the day before a dramatic game home against Brentford saw three players sent off and four penalties awarded as the teams played out a 2–2 draw.[138] On the penultimate weekend of the season United, saw their hopes of automatic promotion extinguished as they were beaten 3–0 by already relegated Portsmouth,[139] although results elsewhere confirmed their place in the play-offs.[140] Their poor form continued with a 1−0 away loss Crewe Alexandra,[141] followed by yet another 0–0 home draw against Preston North End in the final game of the regular season.[142] Meanwhile, Academy prospects Conor Dimaio and Jamie McDonagh were called up to the Ireland under–18s and the Northern Ireland under–19s respectively,[143] while young defender Harry Maguire was named as the club's Player of the Year and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year, winning both for the second season in succession.[144]
May: Play-off Misery again edit
Having finished fifth in the final table, United were paired with fourth place Yeovil Town in the play-off semi-final. The first leg was played at Bramall Lane, where a close game resulted in substitute Callum McFadzean scoring the only goal, giving United a slender advantage going into the second game.[145] The second leg was another tight affair but United created few chances on goal and were beaten 2–0 by their hosts to record a seventh successive failure in play-off competitions.[146]
Squad edit
- As of the end of the season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Players leaving before the end of the season edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Transfers and contracts edit
In edit
Summer edit
| Squad # | Position | Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | DF | Darryl Westlake | Walsall | Tribunal | 20 July 2012 | [21] |
| 6 | DF | Matt Hill | Blackpool | Free | 30 July 2012 | [26] |
| 29 | DF | Tony McMahon | Middlesbrough | Free | 30 July 2012 | [26] |
| 12 | FW | Shaun Miller | Crewe Alexandra | £60,000 | 30 July 2012 | [26][147] |
| 10 | FW | Nick Blackman | Blackburn Rovers | Undisclosed | 10 August 2012 | [31] |
| 14 | FW | Dave Kitson | Portsmouth | Free | 31 August 2012 | [32] |
| 35 | GK | Danny Coyne | Free agent | Free | 17 November 2012 | [70] |
Winter edit
| Squad # | Position | Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | DF | Danny Higginbotham | Stoke City | Free | 1 January 2013 | [75] |
| 23 | FW | Jamie Murphy | Motherwell | £100,000 | 3 January 2013 | [87] |
| 19 | MF | Barry Robson | Vancouver Whitecaps | Free | 31 January 2013 | [105] |
Loan in edit
| Squad # | Position | Player | Loaned from | Start | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | FW | John Cofie | Manchester United | 13 July 2012 | 3 January 2013 | [19][89] |
| 23 | FW | Paul Gallagher | Leicester City | 13 September 2012 | 10 October 2013 | [43][51] |
| 16 | FW | Jonathan Forte | Southampton | 31 January 2013 | 30 June 2013 | [104] |
| 22 | FW | Dominic Poleon | Leeds United | 13 February 2013 | 3 April 2013 | [106][131] |
Out edit
Summer edit
| Squad # | Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Steve Simonsen | Preston North End | Released | 30 May 2012 | [14][148] |
| 6 | DF | Johannes Ertl | Portsmouth | Released | 30 May 2012 | [13] |
| 9 | FW | Ched Evans | N/A | Released | 30 May 2012 | [13] |
| 10 | FW | James Beattie | Accrington Stanley | Released | 30 May 2012 | [13] |
| 16 | DF | Andy Taylor | Walsall | Released | 30 May 2012 | [13] |
| 23 | DF | Seamus Conneely | Sligo Rovers | Released | 30 May 2012 | [13] |
| — | DF | Marc Warren | Airdrie United | Released | 30 May 2012 | [13] |
| — | DF | Connor Brown | Oldham Athletic | Released | 30 May 2012 | [13][149] |
| 2 | DF | Matthew Lowton | Aston Villa | Undisclosed | 6 July 2012 | [16] |
| 14 | MF | Lee Williamson | Portsmouth | Released | 12 July 2012 | [150] |
| 5 | DF | Chris Morgan | Retired | N/A | 24 July 2012 | [23] |
| 28 | MF | Stephen Quinn | Hull City | Undisclosed | 31 August 2012 | [38] |
| 4 | MF | Nick Montgomery | Central Coast Mariners | Released | 31 August 2012 | [38] |
Winter edit
| Squad # | Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | MF | David McAllister | Shrewsbury Town | Undisclosed | 8 January 2013 | [94] |
| 22 | FW | Danny Philliskirk | Coventry City | Released | 25 January 2013 | [99][151] |
| 10 | FW | Nick Blackman | Reading | Undisclosed | 30 January 2013 | [102] |
Loan out edit
| Squad # | Position | Player | Loaned to | Start | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | FW | Jordan Chapell | Burton Albion | 23 October 2012 | 3 December 2012 | [73][77][152] |
| 18 | MF | Matthew Harriott | Alfreton Town | 12 November 2012 | 12 February 2013 | [66][79][95] |
| 9 | FW | Chris Porter | Shrewsbury Town | 13 February 2013 | 14 March 2013 | [111] |
| 21 | FW | Jordan Chapell | Torquay United | 13 March 2013 | 12 April 2013 | [120][135] |
| 17 | FW | Richard Cresswell | York City | 19 March 2013 | 15 April 2013 | [124][137] |
| 20 | FW | Erik Tønne | HamKam | 3 April 2013 | 30 November 2013 | [131] |
Contracts edit
New contracts and contract extensions.
| Player | Date | Length | Contracted until | Reference / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Chapell | 5 July 2012 | 1 Year | Summer 2013 | [15] |
| Chris Porter | 5 July 2012 | 2 Years | Summer 2014 | [15] |
| Kevin McDonald | 24 July 2012 | 2 Years | Summer 2014 | [24] |
| Richard Cresswell | 30 August 2012 | 1 Year | Summer 2013 | Became player-coach[37] |
| Michael Doyle | 21 September 2012 | 3 Years | Summer 2015 | [153] |
| Diego De Girolamo | 29 October 2012 | 3 Years | Summer 2015 | [60] |
| Neill Collins | 9 November 2012 | 2 Years | Summer 2015 | [64] |
| Dave Kitson | 16 November 2012 | 6 Months | Summer 2013 | [69] |
| Danny Coyne | 17 December 2012 | 1 Month | January 2013 | [82] |
| George Willis | 11 January 2013 | 2 Years, 6 Months | Summer 2015 | [96] |
| Danny Coyne | 12 January 2013 | 1 Month | February 2013 | [154] |
| Danny Coyne | 18 February 2013 | 1 Month | March 2013 | [113] |
| Joe Ironside | 18 March 2013 | 2 years, 6 months | June 2015 | [123] |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 62 | 47 | +15 | 79 | Qualification for League One play-offs[a] |
| 4 | Yeovil Town (O, P) | 46 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 71 | 56 | +15 | 77 | |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 56 | 42 | +14 | 75 | |
| 6 | Swindon Town | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 72 | 39 | +33 | 74 | |
| 7 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 55 | 48 | +7 | 71 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Notes:
- ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League Championship.
Season firsts edit
Player début edit
Players making their first team Sheffield United début in a fully competitive match.
Début goal edit
Players scoring their first goal for Sheffield United in a competitive fixture.
| Squad # | Position | Player | Date | Opponents | Ground | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | FW | Nick Blackman | 11 August 2012 | Burton Albion | Bramall Lane | League Cup[158] |
| 19 | FW | John Cofie | 24 August 2012 | Colchester United | Colchester Community Stadium | [160] |
| 14 | FW | Dave Kitson | 29 September 2012 | Notts County | Bramall Lane | [163] |
| 23 | FW | Paul Gallagher | 2 October 2012 | Hartlepool United | Victoria Park | [162] |
| 12 | FW | Shaun Miller | 17 October 2012 | Notts County | Meadow Lane | Football League Trophy[156] |
| 12 | DF | Tony McMahon | 22 December 2012 | Crawley Town | Broadfield Stadium | Free-kick[157] |
| 23 | FW | Jamie Murphy | 12 February 2013 | Bury | Gigg Lane | [168] |
| 19 | MF | Barry Robson | 16 February 2013 | Colchester United | Bramall Lane | Penalty[169] |
| 26 | MF | Callum McFadzean | 3 May 2013 | Yeovil Town | Bramall Lane | Play-offs[159] |
Competitive fixture edit
First ever meeting of the two clubs in a competitive fixture.
| Opposition | Date | Venue | Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawley Town | 22 December 2012 | Broadfield Stadium | Win | 0–2 | [171] |
Stadia edit
First ever visit to a stadium for a competitive fixture
| Venue | Opposition | Date | Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Stadium | Bristol Rovers | 3 November 2012 | Win | 1–2 | FA Cup[172] |
| Broadfield Stadium | Crawley Town | 22 December 2012 | Win | 0–2 | [171] |
| Kassam Stadium | Oxford United | 5 January 2013 | Win | 0–3 | FA Cup[173] |
| New Meadow | Shrewsbury Town | 9 February 2013 | Win | 1–2 | [174] |
Squad statistics edit
Appearances and goals edit
- As of 6 May 2013
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | League One/ Play-offs | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG | Mark Howard | 12 | 0 | 11+0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Darryl Westlake | 17 | 0 | 10+3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 3 | DF | HAI | Lecsinel Jean-François | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 4 | DF | ENG | Danny Higginbotham | 18 | 0 | 13+3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | DF | ENG | Harry Maguire | 52 | 5 | 45 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 6 | DF | ENG | Matt Hill | 41 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 7 | MF | SCO | Ryan Flynn | 44 | 3 | 36+1 | 3 | 3+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | MF | IRL | Michael Doyle | 52 | 3 | 45 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Chris Porter | 28 | 4 | 15+8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 11 | MF | SCO | Kevin McDonald | 51 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12 | FW | ENG | Shaun Miller | 19 | 8 | 7+8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 14 | FW | ENG | Dave Kitson | 36 | 12 | 30+4 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | DF | SCO | Neill Collins | 45 | 5 | 40+1 | 4 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | FW | BRB | Jonathan Forte | 12 | 1 | 7+5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | FW | ENG | Richard Cresswell | 20 | 1 | 2+14 | 1 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 18 | MF | IRL | Matthew Harriott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 19 | MF | SCO | Barry Robson | 18 | 2 | 11+7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | MF | NOR | Erik Tønne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | FW | ENG | Jordan Chapell | 4 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | ||
| 23 | FW | SCO | Jamie Murphy | 21 | 2 | 17+2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | FW | ENG | Joe Ironside | 17 | 0 | 2+12 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | ||
| 25 | GK | ENG | George Long | 44 | 0 | 37+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 26 | MF | ENG | Callum McFadzean | 12 | 1 | 3+7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 27 | MF | ENG | Elliott Whitehouse | 5 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 29 | DF | ENG | Tony McMahon | 42 | 3 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 30 | DF | ENG | Marcus Williams | 24 | 0 | 14+4 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 32 | DF | ENG | Terry Kennedy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 33 | DF | IRL | Aaron Barry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 34 | GK | ENG | George Willis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 35 | GK | WAL | Danny Coyne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 36 | FW | ITA | Diego De Girolamo | 3 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| Players who left before the end of the season: | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | SCO | Nick Montgomery | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10 | FW | ENG | Nick Blackman | 33 | 14 | 28 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | MF | IRL | David McAllister | 17 | 2 | 10+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 19 | FW | ENG | John Cofie | 18 | 2 | 8+8 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 22 | FW | ENG | Danny Philliskirk | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 22 | FW | ENG | Dominic Poleon | 7 | 0 | 3+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | MF | SCO | Paul Gallagher | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | MF | IRL | Stephen Quinn | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Top scorers edit
| Place | Number | Nation | Position | Name | League One | Play-offs | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | FW | Nick Blackman | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | |
| 2 | 14 | FW | Dave Kitson | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 3 | 12 | FW | Shaun Miller | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 4 | 15 | DF | Neill Collins | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 5 | DF | Harry Maguire | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 5 | 9 | FW | Chris Porter | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6 | 8 | MF | Michael Doyle | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 7 | MF | Ryan Flynn | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 29 | DF | Tony McMahon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 7 | 19 | FW | John Cofie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 16 | MF | David McAllister | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 23 | FW | Jamie Murphy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 19 | MF | Barry Robson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 8 | 17 | FW | Richard Cresswell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 | FW | Jonathan Forte | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 23 | FW | Paul Gallagher | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 11 | MF | Kevin McDonald | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 26 | MF | Callum McFadzean | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| TOTALS | 54 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 69 | ||||
Disciplinary record edit
| Number | Nation | Position | Name | League One | Play-offs | FA Cup | League Cup | JP Trophy | Total | ||||||
| 5 | DF | Harry Maguire | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| 11 | MF | Kevin McDonald | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 29 | DF | Tony McMahon | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 8 | MF | Michael Doyle | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| 14 | FW | Dave Kitson | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 6 | DF | Matt Hill | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 15 | DF | Neill Collins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 7 | MF | Ryan Flynn | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | FW | Shaun Miller | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 10 | FW | Nick Blackman | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 19 | MF | Barry Robson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 25 | GK | George Long | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 23 | FW | Paul Gallagher | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 18 | MF | Matthew Harriott | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 26 | MF | Callum McFadzean | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Chris Porter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 28 | MF | Stephen Quinn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 27 | MF | Elliott Whitehouse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 30 | DF | Marcus Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 70 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 3 | |||
Suspensions edit
| Squad # | Position | Player | Suspension | Start date | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | MF | Michael Doyle | 3 games | 8 September 2012 | Red card – dangerous play | [42] |
| 7 | MF | Ryan Flynn | 3 games | 8 September 2012 | Red card – dangerous play | [42] |
| 11 | MF | Kevin McDonald | 1 game | 23 November 2012 | 5 yellow cards to date | [175] |
| 29 | DF | Tony McMahon | 1 game | 26 December 2012 | 5 yellow cards to date | [176] |
| 5 | DF | Harry Maguire | 1 game | 29 December 2012 | 5 yellow cards to date | [177] |
| 29 | DF | Tony McMahon | 2 games | 1 April 2013 | 10 yellow cards to date | [178] |
| 5 | DF | Harry Maguire | 1 game | 16 April 2013 | Red card – second bookable offence | [179] |
Date of start of suspension assumed to be the date of the game during which the disciplinary incident occurred.
International Call-ups edit
| No. | P | Name | Squad | Competition | Opposition | Date | Cap | Goals | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | DF | Harry Maguire | England U21[67] | Friendly | Northern Ireland U21 | 13 November 2012 | Y | 0 | Sub[67] |
| 36 | FW | Diego De Girolamo | Italy U18[90] | Granatkin Memorial Cup | Belgium U18 | 6 January 2013 | Y | 0 | Sub[180] |
| Belarus U18 | 8 January 2013 | Y | 0 | Sub[181] | |||||
| Saint-Petersburg U18 | 10 January 2013 | Y | 0 | Sub[182] | |||||
| Iran U18 | 11 January 2013 | Y | 1 | [183] | |||||
| Czech Republic U18 | 13 January 2013 | Y | 1 | [184] | |||||
| Friendly[185] | Austria U18 | 6 March 2013 | Y | 1 | |||||
| – | MF | Jamie McDonagh | Northern Ireland U19[143] | Friendly | Wales U19 | 1 May 2013 |
Matches edit
Key edit
Win Draw Loss
Football League One edit
| 18 August 2012 | Sheffield United | 1–0 | Shrewsbury Town | Bramall Lane |
| 15:00 | McAllister 4' | (Report) | Attendance: 18,286 |
| 21 August 2012 | Coventry City | 1–1 | Sheffield United | Ricoh Arena |
| 19:45 | Elliott 62' | (Report) | Blackman 84' | Attendance: 12,621 |
| 25 August 2012 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Sheffield United | Colchester Community Stadium |
| 15:00 | Morrison 72' | (Report) | Cofie 17' | Attendance: 4,017 |
| 1 September 2012 | Sheffield United | 5–3 | Bournemouth | Bramall Lane |
| 15:00 | Flynn 24', 31' Cofie 43' Cresswell 60' Blackman 90+3' (pen.) | (Report) | Elphick 20' Barnard 48' Pugh 87' | Attendance: 18,790 |
| 8 September 2012 | Scunthorpe United | 1–1 | Sheffield United | Glanford Park |
| 15:00 | Clarke 60' | (Report) | Collins 83' Doyle 14' Flynn 71' | Attendance: 5,533 |
| 15 September 2012 | Sheffield United | 1–1 | Bury | Bramall Lane |
| 15:00 | Blackman 10' | (Report) | Sweeney 12' | Attendance: 16,866 |
| 18 September 2012 | Sheffield United | 0–0 | Doncaster Rovers | Bramall Lane |
| 17:45 | (Report) | Attendance: 17,925 |
| 22 September 2012 | Yeovil Town | 0–1 | Sheffield United | Huish Park |
| 15:00 | (Report) | Collins 55' | Attendance: 4,117 |
| 29 September 2012 | Sheffield United | 1–1 | Notts County | Bramall Lane |
| 15:00 | Kitson 51' | (Report) | L. Hughes 57' | Attendance: 18,814 |
| 2 October 2012 | Hartlepool United | 1–2 | Sheffield United | Victoria Park |
| 19:45 | S. Howard 78' | (Report) | Kitson 27' Gallagher 89' | Attendance: 4,027 |
| 6 October 2012 | Leyton Orient | 0–1 | Sheffield United | Matchroom Stadium |
| 15:00 | (Report) | Blackman 59' | Attendance: 4,882 |
| 13 October 2012 | Sheffield United | 1–1 | Oldham Athletic | Bramall Lane |
| 15:00 | Blackman 52' (pen.) | (Report) | Smith 90+6' | Attendance: 18,188 |
| 20 October 2012 | Preston North End | 0–1 | Sheffield United | Deepdale |
| 15:00 | (Report) | Kitson 43' | Attendance: 11,536 |
| 23 October 2012 | Sheffield United | 1–0 | Walsall | Bramall Lane |
| 19:45 | Blackman 14' (pen.) | (Report) | Holden 13' | Attendance: 15,744 |
| 29 October 2012 | Sheffield United | 1–0 | Portsmouth | Bramall Lane |
| 19:45 | Blackman 66' (pen.) | (Report) | Attendance: 18,946 |
| 6 November 2012 | Swindon Town | 0–0 | Sheffield United | The County Ground |
| 19:45 | (Report) | Attendance: 8,354 |
| 10 November 2012 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1–0 | Sheffield United | Stadium mk |
| 15:00 | S. Williams 90' (pen.) | (Report) | Attendance: 9,835 |
| 20 November 2012 | Sheffield United | 3–3 | Crewe Alexandra | Bramall Lane |
| 17:45 | Miller 4' Maguire 30' Blackman 51' | (Report) | Ellis 42' Pogba 45' Aneke 2012, sheffield, united, season, sheffield, united, football, club, participated, league, third, level, english, football, 2012, after, having, failed, promotion, losing, previous, season, play, final, danny, wilson, remained, charge, second, season, club, con. Sheffield United Football Club participated in League One the third level of English football in 2012 13 after having failed to win promotion losing in the previous season s play off final Danny Wilson remained in charge for a second season and the club continued to reduce costs as they sought to adapt to life at the third level of English football Many of the players involved in the previous season were either sold or released while the likes of Nick Blackman Tony McMahon Shaun Miller and Dave Kitson were signed to replace them Sheffield United2012 13 seasonGroup ChairmanKevin McCabeChairmanKevin McCabe Group Chairman Dave Green from 12 October 2012 Christopher Steer to 12 October 2012 Football Club Chairman ManagerDanny Wilson to 10 April 2013 1 Chris Morgan from 10 April 2013 2 League One5thFA CupFourth Round eliminated by Reading League CupFirst Round eliminated by Burton Albion Football League TrophyQuarter final eliminated by Coventry City Top goalscorerLeague Blackman 11 Kitson 11 All Blackman 14 Highest home attendance23 431 vs Brentford Lowest home attendance15 744 vs Walsall Average home league attendance18 611 3 Home coloursAway coloursThird colours 2011 122013 14 The team went unbeaten in the league until November briefly climbing to the top of the table and returned to first place once again over the Christmas period United had little success in the various cup competitions however as they were beaten in the first round of the Football League Cup by Burton Albion and by Coventry City in the Football League Trophy They did manage to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup but were comprehensively beaten by Reading a result which came amidst a rapid downturn in league form during January that almost saw United almost drop out of the play off places After a brief recovery through February the decline in results continued and following another string of poor results in April Danny Wilson was dismissed as manager with coach Chris Morgan being appointed as caretaker for the remainder of the season Despite the change of manager United s form did not significantly improve and they finished the season in 5th place in the league thus facing Yeovil Town in the play offs Having beaten Yeovil 1 0 in the first leg they were defeated by two goals in the second and as such were consigned to remain in League One for at least another season Contents 1 Background 2 Team kit 3 Season overview 3 1 Pre season 3 2 August and September Too many draws 3 3 October and November Long live King George 3 4 December and January Briefly Top of the league 3 5 February and March Moving back up 3 6 April Farewell Danny 3 7 May Play off Misery again 4 Squad 4 1 Out on loan 4 2 Players leaving before the end of the season 5 Transfers and contracts 5 1 In 5 1 1 Summer 5 1 2 Winter 5 1 3 Loan in 5 2 Out 5 2 1 Summer 5 2 2 Winter 5 2 3 Loan out 5 3 Contracts 6 League table 7 Season firsts 7 1 Player debut 7 2 Debut goal 7 3 Competitive fixture 7 4 Stadia 8 Squad statistics 8 1 Appearances and goals 8 2 Top scorers 8 3 Disciplinary record 8 3 1 Suspensions 8 4 International Call ups 9 Matches 9 1 Key 9 2 Football League One 9 3 Play offs 9 4 FA Cup 9 5 Football League Cup 9 6 Football League Trophy 9 7 Pre Season and friendlies 10 Honours and awards 10 1 PFA League One Team of the Season 10 2 Football League Young Player of the Month 10 3 League One Manager of the Month 10 4 League One Player of the Month 10 5 League One Team of the Week 10 6 Club end of season award 10 7 Fans Player of the Month 11 References 12 External linksBackground editMain article 2011 12 Sheffield United F C season The previous season had been United s first in the third tier of English football for 23 years and had seen them install Danny Wilson as manager 4 United had competed for automatic promotion throughout the season but when top scorer Ched Evans was handed a prison sentence after being convicted of rape in April 5 the team s results tailed off towards the end of the season and they were overtaken by local rivals Sheffield Wednesday who claimed the final automatic promotion spot 6 United reached the play off final but were beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town consigning United to a second season in League One 7 8 Team kit editIn June United struck a deal with gaming company Redtooth to sponsor the team s away kit for the coming season 9 It had been expected that the team shirts would be jointly sponsored by Westfield Health and Gilders as per the previous season but the club announced that the car dealers were to continue a commercial relationship with the club but would no longer be shirt sponsors 9 At the end of July United officially launched their new away kit baring Redtooth s logo In a change to the previous season the shirt itself was predominantly black with a light red trim and a light red diagonal stripe across the chest 10 In September the club announced a new third kit this one being all white introduced to avoid further colour clashes 11 At the end of that month the club also announced a new secondary kit sponsor revealing that the GCI Com logo would be included on the back of the team shirts 12 Season overview editPre season edit Pre season began with 11 players being released including former Player of the Year James Beattie defenders Andy Taylor and Johnny Ertl 13 and first choice stopper Steve Simonsen 14 Three senior out of contract players were offered new terms with Kevin McDonald Chris Porter and Lee Williamson being offered the chance to remain with United 13 On 5 July Chris Porter signed a two year contract with the option of a third 15 while Academy graduate Jordan Chapell also agreed a new one year deal 15 The following day young right back Matthew Lowton was sold to Premier League Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee 16 17 The Blades returned to pre season training having arranged the now annual pre season tour of Malta followed by a string of low key friendlies 18 With manager Danny Wilson seeking to improve the squad on 13 July he signed 19 year old striker John Cofie from Manchester United on a season long loan 19 The first game of pre season came against non league Ilkeston where a side relying mainly on young players and triallists were held to a 1 1 draw after Harry Maguire had opened the scoring 20 A day later the Blades made their first permanent signing of the transfer window with 21 year old right back Darryl Westlake signing a two year deal with the option of a third year with a fee to be agreed with his former club Walsall via a tribunal due to his age 21 The squad commenced their summer training camp on the island of Malta and their next fixture saw them record a comfortable 6 0 victory over local side Zejtun Corinthians 22 As the training camp continued Chris Morgan announced during a question and answer session with the fans in attendance that he had decided to retire from playing due to a recurrent injury and that he would now focus solely on his role as reserve team coach 23 The following day United confirmed that Kevin McDonald had signed a new two year contract 24 the news coming a couple of hours before the Blades were held to a 0 0 draw by Maltese side Hibernians 25 Back in the UK and with July almost over United made a triple signing handing two year deals to defenders Tony McMahon who had been released by Middlesbrough and former loanee Matt Hill who had left Blackpool along with signing striker Shaun Miller for an undisclosed fee from Crewe Alexandra 26 United s final game of July saw them take on Rotherham United at their newly opened ground The New York Stadium and recording a 1 0 victory thanks to a goal from loanee John Cofie 27 As August began a United XI travelled the short distance to Hallam where two goals each from Ironside and Philliskirk were enough to secure a comfortable 4 0 victory 28 Joe Ironside was on target again a few days later as both he and new signing Tony McMahon scored to give United a 2 0 victory at Morecambe 29 With pre season coming to an end reserve coach Chris Morgan took a young United XI side to Matlock Town where they recorded a 1 0 victory thanks to a goal from Erik Tonne 30 Then the day before the season opener against Burton Albion United announced the signing of Blackburn Rovers striker Nick Blackman on a two year deal for an undisclosed fee 31 nbsp Veteran Richard Cresswell became a player coach August and September Too many draws edit nbsp The Blades signed Dave Kitson on deadline day 32 The Blades first competitive game of the season was a home League Cup tie against Burton Albion Howard Miller Blackman McMahon and McFadzean all made their first team debuts for United but with the game tied at 2 2 after extra time United lost on penalties for the second game in succession 33 The Blades began their league campaign with a home game against newly promoted Shrewsbury Town winning 1 0 thanks to a goal from former Shrewsbury loanee David McAllister 34 A trip to Coventry City followed a few days later with United snatching a late goal for a 1 1 draw 35 with the same result being repeated the following Saturday as the Blades were held to another draw by Colchester United 36 With the transfer window closing at the end of August United continued to reshape their squad in an effort to reduce the wage bill agreeing a new contract with Richard Cresswell for him to become player coach 37 On the final day of transfer activity the club agreed to sell Stephen Quinn to Hull City for an undisclosed fee 38 and allowed Nick Montgomery the club s then longest serving player to leave in order to move to Australia 38 United concluded their summer transfer dealings by offering former Portsmouth striker Dave Kitson a short term deal to run up until Christmas 2012 32 September began with a 5 3 victory over Bournemouth at Bramall Lane thanks in part to a brace of goals from Ryan Flynn 39 Flynn was also a central figure in the following game as both he and fellow midfielder Michael Doyle were shown red cards against Scunthorpe United before the Blades came from behind to grab a 1 1 draw 40 Off the field the following week the club parted company with Chief Executive Julian Winter and Director of Academy Coaching John Pemberton 41 citing ongoing restructuring With the red cards for both Doyle and Flynn being upheld on appeal 42 Danny Wilson bolstered the squad by bringing forward Paul Gallagher in on a months loan from Leicester City 43 Back on the pitch Gallagher Kitson and Westlake all made their United debuts as the Blades were held to a 1 1 draw by Bury at Bramall Lane 44 whilst a 0 0 draw was the result when Doncaster Rovers visited Sheffield a couple of days later 45 A third goal of the season from Neill Collins was enough to continue the Blades unbeaten start with a 1 0 victory over Yeovil Town at Huish Park 46 Despite the return of Michael Doyle and Ryan Flynn from suspension and a first goal from Dave Kitson United were forced to settle for yet another 1 1 draw in their last game of September versus Notts County at Bramall Lane 47 October and November Long live King George edit nbsp George Long became first choice stopper following Mark Howard s thigh injury October started more positively for the Blades as a late goal from Paul Gallagher his first for the club snatched a victory in an away fixture against Hartlepool United 48 United then made it two wins in a row on their travels as they defeated Leyton Orient 1 0 thanks to Nick Blackman s fifth goal of the campaign 49 During the match Mark Howard suffered a thigh injury in the 11th minute being replaced in goal by George Long and was later ruled out for up to 12 weeks 50 The following week and despite attempts to retain his services Paul Gallagher s loan period expired and he returned to his parent club 51 The Blades also announced changes to the Football Club board with chairman Chris Steer stepping down to be replaced by Dave Green and Nigerian financier Jacob Esan being added as a director 52 Despite George Long having made some impressive performances Danny Wilson still looked to bring in another goalkeeper as cover and confirmed that former Wales international and free agent Danny Coyne had been invited to train with the Blades but insisted that Long would continue to be first choice for the time being 53 The Blades then entertained Oldham Athletic at Bramall Lane a bad tempered match which saw Oldham score in the seventh minute of injury time to snatch a 1 1 draw 54 and Lactics striker Lee Croft subsequently accused of racially abusing a ball boy 55 Having received a bye for the first round United began their Football League Trophy campaign with a 4 1 victory over Notts County at Meadow Lane 56 Lecsinel Jean Francois played for the first time in over six months after a knee injury appearing for the last 15 minutes as a substitute however he injured his other knee and was ruled out for a further two months 57 Back in the league and a trip to Preston North End culminated in a 1 0 win thanks to a Dave Kitson goal 58 before a Nick Blackman penalty was enough to claim the same result in a home game against Walsall 59 With the month almost over the Blades beat the likes of Manchester United Manchester City Chelsea and Arsnenal by handing a three year deal to 17 year old Academy player Diego De Girolamo 60 before another Nick Blackman spot kick was enough to despatch Portsmouth 1 0 at Bramall Lane 61 nbsp The Blades against MK Dons nbsp Welsh veteran Danny Coyne signed as goalkeeping cover in November 53 November began with a trip to Bristol to face Bristol Rovers in the first round of the FA Cup Despite conceding an early goal United came back to score twice in the second half and book their place in the second round 62 Back in League One an away trip to Swindon Town ended in a 0 0 stalemate but it was a result that allowed United to climb into the automatic promotion places for the first time in the season 63 A few days later vice captain Neill Collins extended his current contract by a further two years until Summer 2015 with the option of another year 64 before the Blades unbeaten run finally came to an end as they conceded a controversial last minute penalty to lose 1 0 away at Milton Keynes Dons 65 The following week Matthew Harriott was allowed to join Alfreton Town on loan initially until 9 December 66 while Harry Maguire made his England Under 21 debut as a substitute in the 60th minute coming on for Liverpool s Andre Wisdom in a 2 0 against Northern Ireland Under 21 at Bloomfield Road 67 A few days later it was announced that Danny Wilson had been named League One Manager of the Month and that George Long had won League One Player of the Month for October 68 Later the same day Dave Kitson extended his contract until the end of the season with the option of another year Kitson stated that It wouldn t have sat comfortably with me to leave a job half done after integrating myself into a great squad 69 At the end of a busy week free agent and former Wales national goalkeeper Danny Coyne signed a 28 day deal as cover for George Long as third choice keeper George Willis had sustained a minor injury preventing him from playing 70 Seven days after the disappointing defeat at MK Dons United returned to winning ways in emphatic style convincingly beating promotion rivals Stevenage 4 1 at Bramall Lane thanks in part to a brace from Shaun Miller who was making his first league start for United 71 A mid week home fixture against Crewe Alexandra followed which ended in a 3 3 draw despite United having taken a two goal lead in the first half 72 The following day Jordan Chapell extended his loan with Burton Albion for a further month 73 before the final game of November saw United slip to a damaging 2 0 defeat away at Brentford 74 December and January Briefly Top of the league edit nbsp Experienced defender Danny Higginbotham joined United in January on a free transfer from Stoke City 75 On 1 December the Blades returned to winning ways with a late 2 1 victory over former United boss Micky Adams s Port Vale side in the second round of the FA Cup at Bramall Lane Shaun Miller saved the day for the Blades with a brace in injury time after Vale had taken the lead in the first half 76 With the Blades beginning to struggle with injuries Jordan Chapell was recalled early from his loan spell at Burton Albion 77 and returned to the United first team later that day as the Blades crashed out of the Football League Trophy on penalties to Coventry City 78 Meanwhile Matthew Harriott extended his loan deal with Alfreton Town until 6 January 79 and back in the league United returned to winning ways defeating Carlisle United 3 1 80 but were held to a 0 0 draw by table topping Tranmere Rovers the following week 81 After Danny Coyne extended his short term contract to keep him with the club until the end of January 82 United started their festive programme by rising to the top of the League One table following a 2 0 win over Crawley Town on their first ever visit to the Broadfield Stadium thanks to two goals from Tony McMahon 83 before a comfortable 3 0 home win over Scunthorpe United on Boxing Day consolidated their place as league leaders 84 With injuries and suspensions starting to weaken the first team United finished the year by slipping to a surprising 2 3 home defeat to bottom club Hartlepool United 85 a result which saw them drop to second in the table On 28 December it was announced that due to injuries sustained against Scunthorpe United Shaun Miller would be out for the remainder of the season and out up to nine months in total with a cruciate knee ligament injury whilst Neill Collins would be out for around two months with a fractured cheekbone 86 nbsp Scottish forward Jamie Murphy was signed from Motherwell during the transfer window 87 The opening of the January transfer window allowed Danny Wilson to strengthen his squad by signing experienced defender Danny Higginbotham on a free transfer from Stoke City on New Years Day 75 and both he and Elliott Whitehouse made their United debuts for United that afternoon in the South Yorkshire derby against Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium where the Blades needed late goals from Blackman and Kitson to rescue a 2 2 draw 88 On 3 January Danny Wilson continued to revamp the squad by signing winger Jamie Murphy from Motherwell on a three and a half year contract for an undisclosed fee 87 whilst John Cofie s loan deal was terminated and he returned to his parent club Manchester United despite claiming that he wanted to see out the season with the Blades 89 Young forward Diego De Girolamo was called up to the Italy national under 18 squad 90 ahead of the Blade s third round FA Cup tie at Oxford United Murphy made his Blades debut against Oxford United as they booked their place in the fourth round running out 3 0 winners thanks to goals from McMahon Kitson and Blackman 91 earning United a trip to the Madejski Stadium against Premier League strugglers Reading 92 United continued to struggle with injuries as defender Matt Hill was ruled out for six weeks with a fractured cheek bone following the game at Oxford 93 United s transfer dealings continued with midfielder David McAllister leaving the Blades for former loan club Shrewsbury Town for an undisclosed fee 94 Alfreton Town decided to extend Matty Harriott s loan for a third month 95 and youth keeper George Willis signed his first professional contract with the Blades on a two and half year deal 96 United s disappointing league form continued as they were beaten 2 0 at home by Yeovil Town 97 and allowed Notts County to score a late equaliser to draw 1 1 despite being reduced to ten men for much of the game 98 With the transfer window close to completion United allowed young striker Danny Philliskirk to leave after cancelling his contract 99 With the Blades game at Bury postponed due to weather conditions 100 their next match was the FA Cup fourth round tie at Reading a match which saw United crash out of the competition following a 4 0 defeat 101 With a day of the transfer window remaining Reading agreed a deal to sign Nick Blackman 102 only six months after he had arrived at Bramall Lane and after he had rejected a move to Crystal Palace 103 On deadline day itself former United youth player Jonathan Forte returned to the Blades on loan for the rest of the season from Southampton 104 and Scottish international Barry Robson signed a short term deal until the end of the season 105 nbsp Dominic Poleon signed from Leeds United on loan 106 February and March Moving back up edit United s poor home form continued into February as they suffered their third consecutive home loss going down 2 1 to Coventry City 107 With United s home fixture against Crawley Town postponed due to a waterlogged pitch the first time in ten years United had had to postpone a match for such a reason 108 their next fixture was an away trip to Shrewsbury Town where goals from Michael Doyle and Dave Kitson helped them to a 2 1 victory and their first league win of 2013 109 United registered back to back victories with a 2 0 away win over Bury 110 before signing young striker Dominic Poleon from Leeds United on loan until the end of the season 106 and allowing Chris Porter to sign a one month loan deal with Shrewsbury Town 111 United climbed back into the automatic promotion places as they registered their first home win of 2013 beating Colchester United 3 0 112 On 18 February Coyne once again extended his stay with United keeping him at the Lane until late March 113 A fourth straight victory saw United return to the top of the table leapfrogging their hosts Bournemouth after a 1 0 victory 114 Teenager Harry Maguire made his 100th start for the Blades in their next game 115 but United slipped back to second place following a 0 0 home draw with Leyton Orient 116 nbsp The Blades against Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park on 29 March 2013 March started with a 2 0 victory over Oldham Athletic 117 before the Blades managed to hold onto second place in the league despite being held to a second consecutive 0 0 home draw this time against Milton Keynes Dons 118 After United s scheduled trip to Crewe Alexandra was postponed due to a frozen pitch 119 Jordan Chapell was loaned out to Torquay United until the end of the season 120 The following day Chris Porter returned from his loan spell at Shrewsbury Town to increase United s striking options 121 before United s away run was brought to a halt as Stevenage beat them 4 0 at The Lamex Stadium 122 United signed young striker Joe Ironside to a two and a half year deal 123 before allowing Richard Cresswell to re join his first ever club York City on a one month loan deal 124 Later the same day former United player Jamie Hoyland resigned his post as Academy manager 125 Due to a lack of first team opportunities Erik Tonne was allowed to return to his native Norway for a trial with HamKam ahead of a potential loan move 126 A busy week off the field concluded with young keeper George Long being named Young Player of the Month for February 2013 by The Football League 127 United s fixture problems continued when their scheduled home game with Brentford was called off due to heavy snowfall 128 meaning that their first game for two weeks came against promotion rivals Tranmere Rovers with an own goal from Tranmere s Ash Taylor being enough to secure the points for United 129 nbsp Danny Wilson was sacked as United manager in April 1 April Farewell Danny edit April started with yet another goalless draw at Bramall Lane when Carlisle United held their hosts despite being reduced to ten men for the final third of the game 130 Two days later on loan forward Dominic Poleon was recalled by his parent club Leeds United while Erik Tonne was allowed to join Norwegian side HamKam on loan until November 2013 131 An away trip to Walsall provided yet another draw for United with a second half goal from Chris Porter rescuing a point for the Blades 132 United continued their disappointing home form into the following game when Crawley Town were 2 0 victors 133 a result that saw Danny Wilson sacked the following day 1 and being replaced by reserve team coach Chris Morgan for the remainder of the season 2 The following day the club announced former player and Academy coach David Unsworth as assistant to Morgan for the duration of his tenure 134 The new management team s first action was to recall Jordan Chapell from his loan spell at Torquay United 135 Chris Morgan s first game in charge saw Swindon Town visit Bramall Lane with United running out as 2 0 winners thanks to goals from Porter and Kitson 136 Following an injury to one of his Achilles tendons Richard Cresswell returned early from his loan at York City 137 the day before a dramatic game home against Brentford saw three players sent off and four penalties awarded as the teams played out a 2 2 draw 138 On the penultimate weekend of the season United saw their hopes of automatic promotion extinguished as they were beaten 3 0 by already relegated Portsmouth 139 although results elsewhere confirmed their place in the play offs 140 Their poor form continued with a 1 0 away loss Crewe Alexandra 141 followed by yet another 0 0 home draw against Preston North End in the final game of the regular season 142 Meanwhile Academy prospects Conor Dimaio and Jamie McDonagh were called up to the Ireland under 18s and the Northern Ireland under 19s respectively 143 while young defender Harry Maguire was named as the club s Player of the Year and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year winning both for the second season in succession 144 May Play off Misery again edit Having finished fifth in the final table United were paired with fourth place Yeovil Town in the play off semi final The first leg was played at Bramall Lane where a close game resulted in substitute Callum McFadzean scoring the only goal giving United a slender advantage going into the second game 145 The second leg was another tight affair but United created few chances on goal and were beaten 2 0 by their hosts to record a seventh successive failure in play off competitions 146 Squad editAs of the end of the season Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player 1 GK nbsp ENG Mark Howard 2 DF nbsp ENG Darryl Westlake 3 DF nbsp HAI Lecsinel Jean Francois 4 DF nbsp ENG Danny Higginbotham 5 DF nbsp ENG Harry Maguire 6 DF nbsp ENG Matt Hill 7 MF nbsp SCO Ryan Flynn 8 MF nbsp IRL Michael Doyle captain 9 FW nbsp ENG Chris Porter 11 MF nbsp SCO Kevin McDonald 12 FW nbsp ENG Shaun Miller 14 FW nbsp ENG Dave Kitson 15 DF nbsp SCO Neill Collins vice captain 16 FW nbsp BRB Jonathan Forte on loan from Southampton 17 FW nbsp ENG Richard Cresswell No Pos Nation Player 18 MF nbsp IRL Matthew Harriott 19 MF nbsp SCO Barry Robson 21 FW nbsp ENG Jordan Chapell 23 FW nbsp SCO Jamie Murphy 24 FW nbsp ENG Joe Ironside 25 GK nbsp ENG George Long 26 MF nbsp ENG Callum McFadzean 27 MF nbsp ENG Elliott Whitehouse 29 DF nbsp ENG Tony McMahon 30 DF nbsp ENG Marcus Williams 32 DF nbsp ENG Terry Kennedy 33 DF nbsp IRL Aaron Barry 34 GK nbsp ENG George Willis 35 GK nbsp WAL Danny Coyne 36 FW nbsp ITA Diego De Girolamo Out on loan edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player 20 MF nbsp NOR Erik Tonne on loan at HamKam No Pos Nation Player Players leaving before the end of the season edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player 4 MF nbsp SCO Nick Montgomery 10 FW nbsp ENG Nick Blackman 19 FW nbsp ENG John Cofie on loan from Manchester United 16 MF nbsp IRL David McAllister No Pos Nation Player 22 FW nbsp ENG Danny Philliskirk 22 FW nbsp ENG Dominic Poleon on loan from Leeds United 23 FW nbsp SCO Paul Gallagher on loan from Leicester City 28 MF nbsp IRL Stephen QuinnTransfers and contracts editIn edit Summer edit Squad Position Player Transferred from Fee Date Source 2 DF nbsp Darryl Westlake nbsp Walsall Tribunal 20 July 2012 21 6 DF nbsp Matt Hill nbsp Blackpool Free 30 July 2012 26 29 DF nbsp Tony McMahon nbsp Middlesbrough Free 30 July 2012 26 12 FW nbsp Shaun Miller nbsp Crewe Alexandra 60 000 30 July 2012 26 147 10 FW nbsp Nick Blackman nbsp Blackburn Rovers Undisclosed 10 August 2012 31 14 FW nbsp Dave Kitson nbsp Portsmouth Free 31 August 2012 32 35 GK nbsp Danny Coyne Free agent Free 17 November 2012 70 Winter edit Squad Position Player Transferred from Fee Date Source 4 DF nbsp Danny Higginbotham nbsp Stoke City Free 1 January 2013 75 23 FW nbsp Jamie Murphy nbsp Motherwell 100 000 3 January 2013 87 19 MF nbsp Barry Robson nbsp Vancouver Whitecaps Free 31 January 2013 105 Loan in edit Squad Position Player Loaned from Start End Source 19 FW nbsp John Cofie nbsp Manchester United 13 July 2012 3 January 2013 19 89 23 FW nbsp Paul Gallagher nbsp Leicester City 13 September 2012 10 October 2013 43 51 16 FW nbsp Jonathan Forte nbsp Southampton 31 January 2013 30 June 2013 104 22 FW nbsp Dominic Poleon nbsp Leeds United 13 February 2013 3 April 2013 106 131 Out edit Summer edit Squad Position Player Transferred to Fee Date Source 1 GK nbsp Steve Simonsen nbsp Preston North End Released 30 May 2012 14 148 6 DF nbsp Johannes Ertl nbsp Portsmouth Released 30 May 2012 13 9 FW nbsp Ched Evans N A Released 30 May 2012 13 10 FW nbsp James Beattie nbsp Accrington Stanley Released 30 May 2012 13 16 DF nbsp Andy Taylor nbsp Walsall Released 30 May 2012 13 23 DF nbsp Seamus Conneely nbsp Sligo Rovers Released 30 May 2012 13 DF nbsp Marc Warren nbsp Airdrie United Released 30 May 2012 13 DF nbsp Connor Brown nbsp Oldham Athletic Released 30 May 2012 13 149 2 DF nbsp Matthew Lowton nbsp Aston Villa Undisclosed 6 July 2012 16 14 MF nbsp Lee Williamson nbsp Portsmouth Released 12 July 2012 150 5 DF nbsp Chris Morgan Retired N A 24 July 2012 23 28 MF nbsp Stephen Quinn nbsp Hull City Undisclosed 31 August 2012 38 4 MF nbsp Nick Montgomery nbsp Central Coast Mariners Released 31 August 2012 38 Winter edit Squad Position Player Transferred to Fee Date Source 16 MF nbsp David McAllister nbsp Shrewsbury Town Undisclosed 8 January 2013 94 22 FW nbsp Danny Philliskirk nbsp Coventry City Released 25 January 2013 99 151 10 FW nbsp Nick Blackman nbsp Reading Undisclosed 30 January 2013 102 Loan out edit Squad Position Player Loaned to Start End Source 21 FW nbsp Jordan Chapell Burton Albion 23 October 2012 3 December 2012 73 77 152 18 MF nbsp Matthew Harriott Alfreton Town 12 November 2012 12 February 2013 66 79 95 9 FW nbsp Chris Porter Shrewsbury Town 13 February 2013 14 March 2013 111 21 FW nbsp Jordan Chapell Torquay United 13 March 2013 12 April 2013 120 135 17 FW nbsp Richard Cresswell York City 19 March 2013 15 April 2013 124 137 20 FW nbsp Erik Tonne HamKam 3 April 2013 30 November 2013 131 Contracts edit New contracts and contract extensions Player Date Length Contracted until Reference Notes nbsp Jordan Chapell 5 July 2012 1 Year Summer 2013 15 nbsp Chris Porter 5 July 2012 2 Years Summer 2014 15 nbsp Kevin McDonald 24 July 2012 2 Years Summer 2014 24 nbsp Richard Cresswell 30 August 2012 1 Year Summer 2013 Became player coach 37 nbsp Michael Doyle 21 September 2012 3 Years Summer 2015 153 nbsp Diego De Girolamo 29 October 2012 3 Years Summer 2015 60 nbsp Neill Collins 9 November 2012 2 Years Summer 2015 64 nbsp Dave Kitson 16 November 2012 6 Months Summer 2013 69 nbsp Danny Coyne 17 December 2012 1 Month January 2013 82 nbsp George Willis 11 January 2013 2 Years 6 Months Summer 2015 96 nbsp Danny Coyne 12 January 2013 1 Month February 2013 154 nbsp Danny Coyne 18 February 2013 1 Month March 2013 113 nbsp Joe Ironside 18 March 2013 2 years 6 months June 2015 123 League table editPos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion qualification or relegation 3 Brentford 46 21 16 9 62 47 15 79 Qualification for League One play offs a 4 Yeovil Town O P 46 23 8 15 71 56 15 77 5 Sheffield United 46 19 18 9 56 42 14 75 6 Swindon Town 46 20 14 12 72 39 33 74 7 Leyton Orient 46 21 8 17 55 48 7 71Updated to match es played on 27 April 2013 Source BBC SportRules for classification 1 Points 2 Goal difference 3 Number of goals scored O Play off winners P PromotedNotes Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League Championship Season firsts editPlayer debut edit Players making their first team Sheffield United debut in a fully competitive match Squad Position Player Date Opponents Ground Notes 1 GK nbsp Mark Howard 11 August 2012 Burton Albion Bramall Lane League Cup 155 12 FW nbsp Shaun Miller 11 August 2012 Burton Albion Bramall Lane League Cup 156 29 DF nbsp Tony McMahon 11 August 2012 Burton Albion Bramall Lane League Cup 157 10 FW nbsp Nick Blackman 11 August 2012 Burton Albion Bramall Lane Sub League Cup 158 26 MF nbsp Callum McFadzean 11 August 2012 Burton Albion Bramall Lane Sub League Cup 159 19 FW nbsp John Cofie 18 August 2012 Shrewsbury Town Bramall Lane 160 2 DF nbsp Darryl Westlake 15 September 2012 Bury Bramall Lane 161 23 MF nbsp Paul Gallagher 15 September 2012 Bury Bramall Lane 162 14 FW nbsp Dave Kitson 15 September 2012 Bury Bramall Lane Sub 163 24 FW nbsp Joe Ironside 17 October 2012 Notts County Meadow Lane Sub Football League Trophy 164 36 FW nbsp Diego De Girolamo 4 December 2012 Coventry City Ricoh Arena Sub Football League Trophy 165 4 DF nbsp Danny Higginbotham 1 January 2013 Doncaster Rovers Keepmoat Stadium 166 27 DF nbsp Elliott Whitehouse 1 January 2013 Doncaster Rovers Keepmoat Stadium 167 23 FW nbsp Jamie Murphy 5 January 2013 Oxford United Kassam Stadium FA Cup 168 19 MF nbsp Barry Robson 1 February 2013 Coventry City Bramall Lane Sub 169 22 FW nbsp Dominic Poleon 16 February 2013 Colchester United Bramall Lane Sub 170 Debut goal edit Players scoring their first goal for Sheffield United in a competitive fixture Squad Position Player Date Opponents Ground Notes 10 FW nbsp Nick Blackman 11 August 2012 Burton Albion Bramall Lane League Cup 158 19 FW nbsp John Cofie 24 August 2012 Colchester United Colchester Community Stadium 160 14 FW nbsp Dave Kitson 29 September 2012 Notts County Bramall Lane 163 23 FW nbsp Paul Gallagher 2 October 2012 Hartlepool United Victoria Park 162 12 FW nbsp Shaun Miller 17 October 2012 Notts County Meadow Lane Football League Trophy 156 12 DF nbsp Tony McMahon 22 December 2012 Crawley Town Broadfield Stadium Free kick 157 23 FW nbsp Jamie Murphy 12 February 2013 Bury Gigg Lane 168 19 MF nbsp Barry Robson 16 February 2013 Colchester United Bramall Lane Penalty 169 26 MF nbsp Callum McFadzean 3 May 2013 Yeovil Town Bramall Lane Play offs 159 Competitive fixture edit First ever meeting of the two clubs in a competitive fixture Opposition Date Venue Result Score Notes Crawley Town 22 December 2012 Broadfield Stadium Win 0 2 171 Stadia edit First ever visit to a stadium for a competitive fixture Venue Opposition Date Result Score Notes Memorial Stadium Bristol Rovers 3 November 2012 Win 1 2 FA Cup 172 Broadfield Stadium Crawley Town 22 December 2012 Win 0 2 171 Kassam Stadium Oxford United 5 January 2013 Win 0 3 FA Cup 173 New Meadow Shrewsbury Town 9 February 2013 Win 1 2 174 Squad statistics editAppearances and goals edit As of 6 May 2013 No Pos Nat Player Total League One Play offs FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals 1 GK nbsp ENG Mark Howard 12 0 11 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 DF nbsp ENG Darryl Westlake 17 0 10 3 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 DF nbsp HAI Lecsinel Jean Francois 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 DF nbsp ENG Danny Higginbotham 18 0 13 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 DF nbsp ENG Harry Maguire 52 5 45 3 4 0 1 0 2 2 6 DF nbsp ENG Matt Hill 41 0 36 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 7 MF nbsp SCO Ryan Flynn 44 3 36 1 3 3 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 8 MF nbsp IRL Michael Doyle 52 3 45 3 4 0 1 0 2 0 9 FW nbsp ENG Chris Porter 28 4 15 8 3 3 1 1 0 1 0 11 MF nbsp SCO Kevin McDonald 51 1 47 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 12 FW nbsp ENG Shaun Miller 19 8 7 8 4 2 2 1 0 1 2 14 FW nbsp ENG Dave Kitson 36 12 30 4 11 2 1 0 0 0 0 15 DF nbsp SCO Neill Collins 45 5 40 1 4 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 16 FW nbsp BRB Jonathan Forte 12 1 7 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 FW nbsp ENG Richard Cresswell 20 1 2 14 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 18 MF nbsp IRL Matthew Harriott 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 19 MF nbsp SCO Barry Robson 18 2 11 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 MF nbsp NOR Erik Tonne 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 FW nbsp ENG Jordan Chapell 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 23 FW nbsp SCO Jamie Murphy 21 2 17 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 24 FW nbsp ENG Joe Ironside 17 0 2 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 25 GK nbsp ENG George Long 44 0 37 1 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 26 MF nbsp ENG Callum McFadzean 12 1 3 7 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 27 MF nbsp ENG Elliott Whitehouse 5 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 29 DF nbsp ENG Tony McMahon 42 3 38 2 3 1 1 0 0 0 30 DF nbsp ENG Marcus Williams 24 0 14 4 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 32 DF nbsp ENG Terry Kennedy 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 DF nbsp IRL Aaron Barry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 GK nbsp ENG George Willis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 GK nbsp WAL Danny Coyne 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 FW nbsp ITA Diego De Girolamo 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Players who left before the end of the season 4 MF nbsp SCO Nick Montgomery 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 FW nbsp ENG Nick Blackman 33 14 28 11 4 2 0 1 1 0 0 16 MF nbsp IRL David McAllister 17 2 10 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 19 FW nbsp ENG John Cofie 18 2 8 8 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 22 FW nbsp ENG Danny Philliskirk 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 22 FW nbsp ENG Dominic Poleon 7 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 MF nbsp SCO Paul Gallagher 6 1 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 MF nbsp IRL Stephen Quinn 4 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Top scorers edit Place Number Nation Position Name League One Play offs FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total 1 10 nbsp FW Nick Blackman 11 0 2 1 0 14 2 14 nbsp FW Dave Kitson 11 0 1 0 0 12 3 12 nbsp FW Shaun Miller 4 0 2 0 2 8 4 15 nbsp DF Neill Collins 4 0 0 1 0 5 5 nbsp DF Harry Maguire 3 0 0 0 2 5 5 9 nbsp FW Chris Porter 3 0 1 0 0 4 6 8 nbsp MF Michael Doyle 3 0 0 0 0 3 7 nbsp MF Ryan Flynn 3 0 0 0 0 3 29 nbsp DF Tony McMahon 2 0 1 0 0 3 7 19 nbsp FW John Cofie 2 0 0 0 0 2 16 nbsp MF David McAllister 1 0 0 0 1 2 23 nbsp FW Jamie Murphy 2 0 0 0 0 2 19 nbsp MF Barry Robson 2 0 0 0 0 2 8 17 nbsp FW Richard Cresswell 1 0 0 0 0 1 16 nbsp FW Jonathan Forte 1 0 0 0 0 1 23 nbsp FW Paul Gallagher 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 nbsp MF Kevin McDonald 1 0 0 0 0 1 26 nbsp MF Callum McFadzean 0 1 0 0 0 1 TOTALS 54 1 7 2 5 69 Disciplinary record edit Number Nation Position Name League One Play offs FA Cup League Cup JP Trophy Total nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 5 nbsp DF Harry Maguire 10 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 11 nbsp MF Kevin McDonald 10 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 29 nbsp DF Tony McMahon 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 8 nbsp MF Michael Doyle 6 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 14 nbsp FW Dave Kitson 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 6 nbsp DF Matt Hill 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 15 nbsp DF Neill Collins 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 7 nbsp MF Ryan Flynn 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 12 nbsp FW Shaun Miller 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 10 nbsp FW Nick Blackman 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 19 nbsp MF Barry Robson 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 25 nbsp GK George Long 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 23 nbsp FW Paul Gallagher 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18 nbsp MF Matthew Harriott 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 26 nbsp MF Callum McFadzean 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 nbsp FW Chris Porter 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 28 nbsp MF Stephen Quinn 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 27 nbsp MF Elliott Whitehouse 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 30 nbsp DF Marcus Williams 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 TOTALS 70 3 3 0 4 0 1 0 1 0 79 3 Suspensions edit Squad Position Player Suspension Start date Reason Source 8 MF nbsp Michael Doyle 3 games 8 September 2012 Red card dangerous play 42 7 MF nbsp Ryan Flynn 3 games 8 September 2012 Red card dangerous play 42 11 MF nbsp Kevin McDonald 1 game 23 November 2012 5 yellow cards to date 175 29 DF nbsp Tony McMahon 1 game 26 December 2012 5 yellow cards to date 176 5 DF nbsp Harry Maguire 1 game 29 December 2012 5 yellow cards to date 177 29 DF nbsp Tony McMahon 2 games 1 April 2013 10 yellow cards to date 178 5 DF nbsp Harry Maguire 1 game 16 April 2013 Red card second bookable offence 179 Date of start of suspension assumed to be the date of the game during which the disciplinary incident occurred International Call ups edit No P Name Squad Competition Opposition Date Cap Goals Notes 5 DF Harry Maguire nbsp England U21 67 Friendly nbsp Northern Ireland U21 13 November 2012 Y 0 Sub 67 36 FW Diego De Girolamo nbsp Italy U18 90 Granatkin Memorial Cup nbsp Belgium U18 6 January 2013 Y 0 Sub 180 nbsp Belarus U18 8 January 2013 Y 0 Sub 181 nbsp Saint Petersburg U18 10 January 2013 Y 0 Sub 182 nbsp Iran U18 11 January 2013 Y 1 183 nbsp Czech Republic U18 13 January 2013 Y 1 184 Friendly 185 nbsp Austria U18 6 March 2013 Y 1 nbsp MF Jamie McDonagh nbsp Northern Ireland U19 143 Friendly nbsp Wales U19 1 May 2013Matches editKey edit Win Draw Loss Football League One edit Sheffield United v Shrewsbury Town 18 August 2012Sheffield United1 0Shrewsbury TownBramall Lane15 00 McAllister nbsp 4 Report Attendance 18 286 Coventry City v Sheffield United 21 August 2012Coventry City1 1Sheffield UnitedRicoh Arena19 45 Elliott nbsp 62 Report Blackman nbsp 84 Attendance 12 621 Colchester United v Sheffield United 25 August 2012Colchester United1 1Sheffield UnitedColchester Community Stadium15 00 Morrison nbsp 72 Report Cofie nbsp 17 Attendance 4 017 Sheffield United v Bournemouth 1 September 2012Sheffield United5 3BournemouthBramall Lane15 00 Flynn nbsp 24 31 Cofie nbsp 43 Cresswell nbsp 60 Blackman nbsp 90 3 pen Report Elphick nbsp 20 Barnard nbsp 48 Pugh nbsp 87 Attendance 18 790 Scunthorpe United v Sheffield United 8 September 2012Scunthorpe United1 1Sheffield UnitedGlanford Park15 00 Clarke nbsp 60 Report Collins nbsp 83 Doyle nbsp 14 Flynn nbsp 71 Attendance 5 533 Sheffield United v Bury 15 September 2012Sheffield United1 1BuryBramall Lane15 00 Blackman nbsp 10 Report Sweeney nbsp 12 Attendance 16 866 Sheffield United v Doncaster Rovers 18 September 2012Sheffield United0 0Doncaster RoversBramall Lane17 45 Report Attendance 17 925 Yeovil Town v Sheffield United 22 September 2012Yeovil Town0 1Sheffield UnitedHuish Park15 00 Report Collins nbsp 55 Attendance 4 117 Sheffield United v Notts County 29 September 2012Sheffield United1 1Notts CountyBramall Lane15 00 Kitson nbsp 51 Report L Hughes nbsp 57 Attendance 18 814 Hartlepool United v Sheffield United 2 October 2012Hartlepool United1 2Sheffield UnitedVictoria Park19 45 S Howard nbsp 78 Report Kitson nbsp 27 Gallagher nbsp 89 Attendance 4 027 Leyton Orient v Sheffield United 6 October 2012Leyton Orient0 1Sheffield UnitedMatchroom Stadium15 00 Report Blackman nbsp 59 Attendance 4 882 Sheffield United v Oldham Athletic 13 October 2012Sheffield United1 1Oldham AthleticBramall Lane15 00 Blackman nbsp 52 pen Report Smith nbsp 90 6 Attendance 18 188 Preston North End v Sheffield United 20 October 2012Preston North End0 1Sheffield UnitedDeepdale15 00 Report Kitson nbsp 43 Attendance 11 536 Sheffield United v Walsall 23 October 2012Sheffield United1 0WalsallBramall Lane19 45 Blackman nbsp 14 pen Report Holden nbsp 13 Attendance 15 744 Sheffield United v Portsmouth 29 October 2012Sheffield United1 0PortsmouthBramall Lane19 45 Blackman nbsp 66 pen Report Attendance 18 946 Swindon Town v Sheffield United 6 November 2012Swindon Town0 0Sheffield UnitedThe County Ground19 45 Report Attendance 8 354 Milton Keynes Dons v Sheffield United 10 November 2012Milton Keynes Dons1 0Sheffield UnitedStadium mk15 00 S Williams nbsp 90 pen Report Attendance 9 835 Sheffield United v Stevenage 17 November 2012Sheffield United4 1StevenageBramall Lane15 00 Collins nbsp 19 Miller nbsp 55 70 Porter nbsp 87 Report Roberts nbsp 45 Attendance 17 984 Sheffield United v Crewe Alexandra 20 November 2012Sheffield United3 3Crewe AlexandraBramall Lane17 45 Miller nbsp 4 Maguire nbsp 30 Blackman nbsp 51 Report Ellis nbsp 42 Pogba nbsp 45 Aneke span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. |