Blank looks as Albion miss Gera

Feb 12 2008 By James Peacock

West Bromwich Albion 0 Sheffield United 0

For the most part of the season Tony Mowbray’s side have flattered; at others they have deceived. This was a combination of both and a game that produced a result that satisfied neither team.

This goalless draw at The Hawthorns might just be enough for Bryan Robson to keep hold of his job; but it will not help the Baggies in their quest for promotion, especially as their nearest rivals, Bristol City and Watford, both won.

Sheffield United, from a city renowned for its steel, showed plenty of it in a first half in which Albion could, and should, have broken the deadlock several times.

The return of the Ishmael Miller and Kevin Phillips’ partnership promised much on paper but delivered little.

The absence of Zoltan Gera was notable; he picked up an injury while on international duty so it was left to the livewire Filipe Teixeira to provide the bulk of creativity, which he duly did, alongside James Morrison.

On six minutes the Portuguese got on the end of a vicious Chris Brunt cross and rattled his header against the inside of Paddy Kenny’s post.

Kevin Phillips, well marshalled by Chris Morgan, was just unable to force home the rebound but Albion had the impetus in the early exchanges.

Within ten minutes they had looked more threatening than they did in 90 against Barnsley on Saturday.

Miller was making his strength and pace known but his decision-making, at key times, lacked the same traits and thus proved an exercise in futility.

However, the striker won a corner on eight minutes and a similar attempt to the Teixeira miss two minutes earlier ensued headed over by Martin Albrechtsen.

Bryan Robson was being mocked by The Smethwick End, who suggested his tenure as Blades’ manager might have been coming to an end this morning. And so it looked.

They played with nervousness; not freedom, and but for the rare foray into the Albion half from an isolated Luton Shelton, who along with Dave Cotterill looked the only cutting edge for the Blades — but they looked dangerous from set-pieces.

On 15 minutes Phillips got into the game when he plucked a fierce pass out of the air to turn and shoot in one movement from 25 yards.

The swerve on the ball nearly beat Kenny but the shot was too close to him. It was a sign of the Phillips of old.

Something of stalemate ensued until Shelton shot from 25 yards, but his effort was comfortably held by Dean Kiely. Albion’s football promised much but failed at the final calling.

The midfield battle was getting ever more fraught. Shortly before the break Stephen Quinn left his foot in on a challenge with Jonathan Greening, from which the Albion captain crumpled to the floor — no foul — and United went on to win a corner.

At the second time of asking Matthew Kilgallon put his free header wide.

The boos that greeted the half-time whistle were aimed primarily at the referee rather than the scoreline.

After the break, United settled and got more into the game but the fact that the much-vaunted James Beattie’s main contribution came on the hour, and when he blocked an Albrechtsen shot from a corner, tell its own story.

Stephen Quinn missed a golden opportunity minutes later after United’s best move of the game.

Lee Martin broke into the box from the left and pulled it back to the midfielder eight yards out. His strike went well over.

If anything, despite the increased crowd involvement, United had momentum.

A series of crosses were cleared by Barnett and Brunt, respectively, before Kiely mopped up.

But with 70 minutes gone, the Blades were winning the second balls, and looked likely victors.

But Albion were next to come close from a Brunt free-kick. He curled it in, Phillips got on the end of it, but head over from six yards.

It was Albion’s best chance of the half and the miss added to the crowd’s exasperation.

The home side did not lack endeavour, as proved by Morrison’s cavaliering run down the left, but they lacked precision with the final ball.

Some neat football between Phillips and Craig Beattie, who had replaced Miller for the last 20 minutes, yielded a half opening.

Phillips dummied a Greening pass on the edge of the box but spun to take the rebound off the Scot and fired a shot straight at Kenny.

Moments before the final whistle went, Beattie found himself with a chance to become a hero. A ball flicked in from outside the box found him at the back post. He stretched to take the ball on the volley but fired wide.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION (4-4-2): Kiely; Hoefkens, Robinson, Barnett, Albrechtsen; Brunt, Greening, Morrison, Teixeira; Miller (Beattie, 70), Phillips. Subs: Beattie, Martis, Danek, Pele, Tininho.
SHEFFIELD UNITED (4-4-2): Kenny; Naysmith, Geary, Morgan, Kilgallon; Martin, Quinn, Speed (Armstrong, 38), Cotterill; Shelton (Gillespie, 75), Beattie (Hulse, 85). Subs: Armstrong, Sharp, Hulse, Lucketti, Gillespie.
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).
Booking: Albion — Miller (dissent).
Attendance: 22, 643.
Albion man of the match: Filipe Teixeira — again the one who looked most likely to cause the damage.