FOOTBALL

RICHARD CRESSWELL REPAYS BLACKWELL FAITH

Richard Cresswell, right, is set for move

Monday January 4,2010

By Harry Talbot

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(0)

Sheffield United 1 QPR 1

Richard Cresswell earned Sheffield United a replay at Loftus Road with a first-half equaliser to celebrate his imminent move to the Championship club from Stoke City.

Cresswell notched his third goal for the Blades just before half-time to cancel out Jay Simpson’s smartly taken opener against the run of play six minutes earlier.

Cresswell has been on loan at Bramall Lane since September and the move is expected to be made permanent in the transfer window for a fee in the region of £400,000.

He paid off a chunk of that in advance here, heading Stephen Quinn’s deep cross into the top corner. It was no more than Kevin Blackwell’s Blades side deserved after dominating for large spells only to be frustrated by some poor finishing from Henri Camara and Quinn, who both should have put the home side ahead early on.

The Blades were made to pay after 39 minutes when Wayne Routledge found time and space on the right flank to deliver a dangerous cross which Andrew Taylor failed to deal with. That allowed Simpson to nip in and bury a clinical shot past goalkeeper Mark Bunn to put Paul Hart’s side ahead with his 10th goal of the season following his arrival on loan from Arsenal at the start of the season.

Sheffield United went on to dominate the second half, with Jamie Ward and Camara both going close to finding a winner before Ched Evans rattled the crossbar with a thunderbolt of a free-kick with nine minutes remaining.

Blades manager Blackwell said: “I’m frustrated because this is what can happen if you are not clinical enough in front of goal.

“We shaded the game, definitely, but this is the one result I didn’t want because the squad is not big enough to handle a replay. We got on top and played some good stuff. We really should have finished them off.

‘‘It’s just one defeat in the last 11 games, so we are still on a good run – my only qualm is our finishing in the final third. We have to be more clinical.”

Opposite number Hart said: “I thought we fought really hard. We set ourselves up to be hard to beat.

“We withstood their pressure well and we are in the draw for the next round, which I am pleased about.

‘‘We knew it would be a tough game for us so I am satisfied with the result, but I would have been happier with a clean sheet.”