SHEFFIELD UNITED 1 CITY 1
FA Premier League
9th April 1993
attendance 18,231
Scorers
City Pernberton(8 og)
Sheff Utd Deane(69)
Ref K Cooper
City Coton, Ingebrigtsen, Phelan, Reid, Ranson, Vonk, White, Sheron, Quinn, Flitcroft, Holden – subs Simpson(unused), Quigley(unused), Margetson(unused)
Sheffield United Kelly, Gage, Whitehouse, Gannon, Gayle, Pemberton, Bradshaw, Beesley, Rogers, Deane, Hodges – subs Cork(90), Hoyland(unused), Leighton(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PAUL HINCE WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 9TH APRIL 1993
Manchester City’s pride shone like a beacon through The gloom of Bramall Lane last night.
A saturated Good Friday in Yorkshire against a team fighting for their Premier League life was the daunting prospect facing a City side hit by injuries and suspension to key players.
But the Maine Road men rose to the challenge magnificently with a stirring backs-to-the-wall display.
In fact, at times in the second half it wasn’t so much Peter Reid and Manchester City defending their Honour at Bramall Lane. It was more like Davy Crockett and the Texas volunteers at the siege of the Alamo.
No wonder Oldham Athletic manager Joe Royle was wreathed in smiles as he watched the match as a guest in Sky TV’s commentary box. Two points wrestled from one of the Latics’ main relegation rivals will be a major boost in the Boundary Park club’s nail biting attempt to retain their Premier League status this season.
And if big Joe decides that one favour deserves another, he can send a bottle of best bubbly to Maine Road marked care of Michel Vonk and Gary Flitcroft.
The Dutch juggernaut and the Whizz-kid from Bolton paired together at the heart of defence because of Keith Curle’s suspension, formed a near impregnable partnership.
The giant, brooding Brian Deane, one of the most feared marksmen in English soccer, was given just one sniff at goal in the entire 90 minutes. But the England star certainly made it count. He took advantage of a lucky rebound from the legs of Glyn Hodges midway through the second half to lash in a glorious equaliser which had ripped into the roof of the net before Coton had moved a muscle.
On the strength of their second half showing alone, the Blades may well feel that a point was the least they deserved. But in fact if the battling Blues had taken the chances which fell their way in the first period, the Yorkshiremen would have been chasing a lost cause long before the interval whistle.
As you would expect the Blades sharpened their cutting edge in second half. But they were blunted time and time again by a superb resilient back-four in which Flitcroft and Vonk grew in stature in direct proportion to the increased pressure they were subjected to.
Fullbacks Terry Phelan and Ray Ranson, too, played leading roles in dampening the Sheffield fire in a second half played out almost exclusively in City territory.