13th May 2007
The real Wigan Athletic AFC turned up for this game, which was the biggest game with the biggest prize ever contested by the club. The town of Wigan had never seen anything like it. Almost £40 million awaited the winners of this association football game. To put the reward for the victors of this game into perspective, the local rugby club (an outfit called Wigan Warriors who play in a minority sport in a minority league based almost exclusively along the M6 corridor, apart from a French team excluded from relegation and a London club aided and abetted by Harlequins RU club) would have to make over 70 consecutive winning Wembley appearances to even come close to that figure!
Thankfully, when this game was over, Latics' status as the town's Premier sporting club was still in place.
Manager Paul Jewell made two changes to the team that lost so ignominiously against Middlesbrough at the JJB Stadium last weekend. Out went Nigerian striker Julius Aghahowa and Australian midfielder Josip Skoko. Lee McCulloch replace Aghahowa in attack as Kevin Kilbane reverted to the left wing. Club captain Arjan De Zeeuw returned from injury and this meant that Paul Scharner was drafted into the midfield role vacated by Skoko.
Blades manager Neil Warnock also made two changes from the side crushed by Aston Villa at Villa Park the previous weekend. Out went Chris Armstrong and Colin Kazim-Richards, to be replaced with striker Christopher Nade and Steve Quinn.
Both teams opted for their favoured 4-4-2 formations and the game started at an electrifying pace. Within the first few minutes there were shouts for a penalty from Latics, but referee Mike Dean was unsighted and failed to see Matt Killgallon's push on Heskey in the box. A minute later former Latic, Keith Gillespie crossed into the Latics area but Jon Stead was unable to connect. From that moment on Latics turned the screw and in the 14th minute Kilbane sent over a dodgy looking cross from the left which Paul Scharner gleefully slotted home from 14 yards in front of the 3,000 Latics fans (the maximum allowed) in the 32,604 sell out crowd.
Just minutes later there was a delightful 'one two' involving Kilbane and the outstanding Heskey, but Luis Antonio Valencia was unable to get on to the ball beautifully supplied by the former England hit man. The pressure was getting to the Sheffield United faithful as news filtered through that Manchester United (weakened despite Sir Alex Ferguson's pledge that they wouldn't be) were only drawing with West Ham United who now needed to lose in order for the Blades to retain their Premiership status.
Derek Geary was booked on 19 minutes following a crude challenge on Valencia as Latics continued to have the upper hand. On the half hour mark Latics skipper Arjan De Zeeuw had to leave the field of play due to injury and he was replaced by Australian international Josip Skoko, a move that brought Paul Scharner back into a central defensive role to replace his captain. Four minutes later Blades striker, Nade, found himself in the referee's book following a foul on Leighton Baines and the Blades were seriously rattled as Latics made light of the loss of De Zeeuw.
Disaster struck though (doesn't it always with Latics?) in the 38th minute when Stead latched on to a Phil Jagielka cross headed the ball into the net to the delight of the Blades faithful. However, in doing so there was a tremendous clash of heads between himself and Mike Pollitt in the Latic goal. In addition Latics right back Ryan Taylor also fell to the ground injured. After a six minute delay to tend to the wounded trio, it was Taylor who was unable to carry on and he was replaced by former Blade David Unsworth, who signed for Latics from the Bramall Lane club on a free transfer in January.
Deep into injury time news of a West Ham goal by Tevez at Old Trafford filtered through and it was the turn of the travelling Latics hordes to groan with dismay, because as things stood it was the Blues who looked destined for the drop. Then, moments after the Hammers goal Latics were awarded a penalty following a handling offence in the box by Jagielka.
Step forward DAVID UNSWORTH to take the spot kick.
Earlier in the season he had missed from the spot in a crucial game for the Blades, however this time, he slammed the ball home past his former team mate Paddy Kenny. The fans behind the goal went doo-lally and as Heman's Hermits used to say, 'there was a kind of Hush' all around three sides of Bramall Lane.
If Latics dominated the first period it is fair to say that the Blades had the better of the second half. Warnock replaced the ineffective Nade with Danny Webber and it was Webber who, just nine minutes later ran into the Latics area with only Pollitt to beat. He looped the ball over the despairing keeper but the ball hit the post and bounced to safety. It was now the turn of the blue shirted heroes to come under the cosh as this chance really spurred the Blades on.
A minute later McCulloch entered the referee's notebook for a foul as the tension began to become unbearable. Warnock then brought on Kazim-Richards for Quinn and within a minute Heskey had blocked the substitutes goal bound header, suffering an injury in the process.
Then with just 16 minutes of the game remaining McCulloch made a rash challenge on Blades midfielder Michael Tongue, and he was sent off. By now Alex Ferguson had finally brought Manchester United up to full strength but they were still trailing the Hammers by 0-1. The Blues were now down to ten men and just how Latics survived the final quarter of an hour, plus five minutes of time added on will go down in history.
In the 78th minute Denny Landzaat was replaced by Caleb Folan as Heskey dropped further back, Jewell obviously wanting his physical presence in midfield, leaving Folan up front alone. Warnock immediately brought on Claude Davis for Montgomery and Scharner was promptly shown his yellow card as the tension became almost unbearable. Incredibly some Sheffield fans were leaving the stadium, unable to stand the pain any longer!
By the 81st minute Valencia had been booked for time wasting and Heskey was having the game of his life in the centre of the defence in an effort to halt the marauding Blades attack which seemed to consist of the entire Sheffield team. In the last minute of normal time Stead fired in a cross from the right and Gillespie could only divert the ball into the Latics side netting. By now the Blades fans knew that the Hammers had won at Old Trafford and just a few minutes later they were doomed as Mike Dean blew the final whistle on what was one of the most intense games that either club had ever played in.
Latics were safe, but the fans applauded the Sheffield faithful at the end of the game and the gesture was reciprocated. Ironically, the team staying in the Premiership along with Latics was West Ham United despite fielding two players that broke Premiership rules for over half of the season.
SHEFFIELD UNITED, Paddy Kenny, Chris Morgan, Matt Kilgallon, Derek Geary, Nick Montgomery, (Claude Davis 79), Steve Quinn, (Colin Kazim-Richards 56), Phil Jagielka, Michael Tongue, Keith Gillespie, Jon Stead, Christian Nade, (Danny Webber 46). Subs not used, Ian Bennett, Mikele Leigertwood
Goal scorer, Jon Stead 38 mins
Booked, Derek Geary 19 mins, Christian Nade 33 mins, Phil Jagielka 45 mins
WIGAN ATHLETIC, Mike Pollitt, Ryan Taylor, (David Unsworth 42), Arjan De Zeeuw, (Josip Skoko 31), Emmerson Boyce, Leighton Baines, Luis Antonio Valencia, Denny Landzaat, (Caleb Folan 77), Paul Scharner, Kevin Kilbane, Emile Heskey, Lee McCulloch. Subs not used, John Filan, Henri Camara.
Goal scorers, Paul Scharner 14 mins, David Unsworth (pen) 45 mins
Booked, David Unsworth 45 mins, Lee McCulloch 55 mins, Paul Scharner 78 mins,Luis Antonio Valencia 81 mins, Caleb Folan 90 mins
Sent Off, Lee McCulloch 74 mins
Referee, Mike Dean (Wirral)
Attendance, 32,604
Labels: Blades vrs Wigan
