Sheffield United dramatic resurgence under Kevin Blackwell continued amidst appalling weather conditions at Oakwell, which featured blustery wind, torrential rain and a snowstorm but ultimately an invaluable, hard earned 1-0 victory. The victory, their fourth in succession came by the same score line as the respective fixture at Bramall Lane and completed the league double over the FA Cup semi finalists. The win was gained by yet another assured defensive performance with the entire back line excelling to nullify the usually free scoring Barnsley on their home ground. However, it was another goal by the bang in from Billy Sharp that saw the three points coming back to Sheffield, with a tremendous finish that left on loan keeper, Luke Steele with no chance. In truth, the home side had edged the first half and Paddy Kenny had made one particularly alert save. However, United came out with a new resolve in the second and for long periods took the game to the hosts. Indeed, either side of the goal they had great opportunities to score further goals but were denied by the post and the in form Barnsley keeper.

United started the game with the same eleven that has had played so impressively seven days previously against Norwich, whist Barnsley included former Lane favourite Rob Kozluk and started with cup hero Kayode Odejayi alongside Jon Macken up front. The game began in scrappy fashion with neither side able to assert any real dominance with the swirling wind preventing any kind of passages of football. United had the first attempt on goal but Cotterill's effort lacked power and was gathered easily by the Steele, who had taken his place in the Barnsley goal after a week of discussions between the Tykes and his contracted club, West Brom. Barnsley tried to utilise their wide men and inviting crosses from both Devaney and Leon led to Odejayi slipping in the first instance and Kilgallon blocking from the second delivery. The game was very much an even contest with Howard having the first real Barnsley effort on goal but his 25-yard shot was comfortably held by Paddy Kenny. Soon after the Blades mustered their best chance. The lively Cotterill swung over a fine cross, but Hulse directed his header wide when well-placed in front of goal. It was a good chance that really should have been converted.

Barnsley came into the game after this let off and started to win the midfield battle. United conceded a succession of corners and appealed for a spot kick when Foster and Speed clashed but the non-award was correct. Leon then had the best effort for the home side when he hit a ferocious drive from fully 30 yards that Kenny had to spring to his right and turn behind for a corner. Both sides were forced to reshuffle nine minutes before the break as Barnsley's Brazilian defender Souza staggered off following a clash of heads and was replaced by Van Homoet. At the same moment, United were forced to use on-loan Reading full-back John Halls as Derek Geary limped off. Barnsley were certainly enjoying the better of the contest as half time approached and United were being forced onto the back foot but had only tested Kenny with the one long range effort.

After the break, United skipper Morgan cleared Kayode Odejayi's effort off the goal line after Kenny failed to deal with the initial danger from the high dropping ball. Both sides appealed for spot kicks, firstly United for a possible hand ball on Van Homoet and then Odejayi claimed Morgan had held him. Rightly, referee Probert waived away both appeals. Hassell had a shot blocked as United threw bodies on the way and then Carney then volleyed spectacularly over the crossbar at the far post as the contest began to open up. Beattie replaced the ineffective Hulse in the 61st minute as snow enveloped the stadium, but despite the rapid snowfall the game was now finally coming to life. Carney's volley was blocked by Hassell and at the other end Leon's shot deflected off a clutch of United defenders. Kevin Blackwell then sent on Keith Gillespie for Carney in the 70th minute and a minute later Simon Davey responded by replacing Odejayi with Daniel Nardiello.

United were now starting to control the centre of the field and their two central midfielders combined to almost open the scoring. From Tonge's deft through, Speed managed to get clear of the Barnsley defence and the veteran midfielder almost broke the deadlock, only to see his left-footed drive go past Steele but hit the inside of his right-hand post and roll across goal agonisingly to safety. Undeterred, United still came at the visitors and in the 77th minute they got the vital breakthrough. Sharp had possession of the ball initially and after a fortunate ricochet off Foster, SHARP regained control of the ball before drilling a fierce low shot into the bottom right hand corner to the delight of 6,000 travelling fans.

Sharp's celebrations were another sign of how much it means to him to score for his hometown team. Rather than face a backlash from Barnsley after the goal, United nearly doubled their advantage as the lively Sharp sprinted away and sent over an inch perfect cross right into the path of his new striker partner, Beattie. His first time effort was saved brilliantly by Steele when it looked odds on a goal. Barnsley had a brief late spell as Istvan Ferenczi replaced Leon in Davey's last throw of the dice, but it was Sharp again who went closest to scoring. United broke in numbers on the counter attack and the diminutive front man attempted a clever right-footed curler but Steele denied United once again with a fingertip save. United cleverly played out the final moments from the resultant corner by keeping the ball in front of their own fans before the final whistle came to the delight of the players, fans and in particular Kevin Blackwell who punched the air as he came past the jubilant Blades following.

Barnsley

Thought they would be really up for the game considering their recent results and first half for spells they had us on the rack with a lot of set plays in and around our box and one or two half chances. Leon had a great effort saved by Kenny and they looked like they may go in front but after half time they oddly seemed to go into their shell and were actually on the back foot for most of the second half. Their defence seemed to be at full stretch and numerous times we had men over aside form the actual clear chances we created. I even felt after we scored they may throw the kitchen sink at us but in reality it did not really happen and most of the last 5 minutes were played at their end of the pitch. As for individuals, the keeper is a good shot stopper as shown by two great saves from Beattie and Sharp. I do feel he is suspect on crosses though and clearly has weaknesses despite his performances in the cup or he would not be West Brom's third choice keeper.

Kozluk was his usual self, some good defending and blocks and then a few rushes to the head, including a ridiculous attempt to cross the ball with his right foot, when he kicked the ball behind his left foot, Ronaldo style. The centre half Souza actually dominated Hulse until he went off and they missed him. Foster managed to hold off Hulse too but when Beattie came on it was a different matter as the United player gave him a bit of a torrid time. I felt our full backs played their wingers well and Devaney in particular was bottled up by Naysmith. I feel their strongest area was central midfield where Hassell was combative and won a lot of ball via tackles, second balls in the first half but then faded in the second. I like Howard who I believe could play higher as he is a good technician and an intelligent footballer but is not as good in the defensive side as he showed when he lost his runner a few times in the second half. I had seen Odejayi absolutely batter Terry and Carvalho a few weeks ago but Morgan played him very well today and he was completely ineffective being substituted.

Similarly, Macken was also not given much of a sniff by the excellent Kilgallon. I did feel the extra pace added by the introduction of Nardiello may have caused us problems but by this stage we had pinned them back and thus he only had scraps to feed on. United recovered from a fairly uncomfortable first half and defended to such an extent that they offered Barnsley little other than a few scrambles. For a home side they did not really hurt us and actual their performance went into reverse the further the game went on which was a positive for United. Barnsley will get enough points to stay up and will win 2 or 3 more home games. I am sure in a way they will be glad to get the semi final out of the way, win or lose and I feel they will win, to get some points on the board as they now are really in the mire, despite my assertion that they will still get out of things.

United

This was not a tremendous performance and certainly not as assured or as dominant as the Norwich game but what I liked was the fact we played pretty poorly in the first half and could have been behind but came back with a much stronger second half performance. We controlled most of the second half, created 3 or 4 good chances, got our goal and then never really looked like conceding. The fitness levels do seem to have increased over recent weeks and it was the home side that looked a tired outfit by the end as United finished the game very much in the ascendancy.

As for the actual display, we got stuck in for the most part, cleared our lines, defended in numbers when we had to and kept out shape for the most part. The football was not as free flowing as last week, and at times we still gave the ball away way too cheaply. However, we did have a decent spell in the second half and started to move it forward quicker and utilise the flanks. The front two, with the newly introduced Beattie to the fore, began to link up and midfielders were getting ahead of the strikers. We started to create chances and put Barnsley on the back foot. It did look for long periods of the second half that one goal would settle it as the weather took over but United steadily got on top and if any team can feel they deserved the three points it was certainly United who created most of the good chances in the game

The midfield was up and down today and I felt Tonge and Speed were too slow to things in the first half and let Hassell and Howard have too much ball. They improved after the break and let their abilities on the ball as passers take over. Carney and Cotterill frustrated and the former was ineffective throughout. I felt that Cotterill did remain a threat though and still pun in his requisite amount of good crosses, in and amongst his frustrating play. Up front Hulse's performance was like night and day compared to last week. He was never in it and rarely won a ball. The game changed when Beattie came on who put himself about, won headers, ran the channels and played with great intelligence. Sharp's hard work and hold up play was evident throughout and he once again always looked a threat. He scored one and could have had another.

At the back we did really well. Kenny did what he had to and Halls had a decent game when he came on. On the other side Naysmith was outstanding and then right at the heart of matters, Morgan and Kilgallon defended resolutely and restricted the home side to very few chances. It is ironic that the front pairing we are praising so much was basically derided and it was stated by many that they could not play together earlier in the season. They now very strong and are conceding very few chances, let alone goals.

Kenny 7/10
Made one great save in the first half from the Leon long range effort and also made a few standard saves you would expect. Caught a few dangerous crosses in the second half, after missing an earlier one in a tussle with Odejayi reminiscent of one he scored with against Cudicini. Usual array of decent throw out's mixed with dreadful kicks out in his distribution.

Geary 6/10
Was doing alright but did give Leon a little too much time when he came inside I felt. He limped off just after the half hour.

Naysmith 8/10
His best performance in a red and white (or lime shirt!). He followed up his performance last week with a solid, assured performance where he showed why he has played most of his career in the Premiership. Won almost every tackle, outplayed his opponent and put some good balls in going forward. Excellent display.

Kilgallon 7.5/10
Solid as he has been for all the campaign. He defended bravely when he had to, putting his body on the line and also defended sensibly just putting the ball out when necessary. He has helped United to restrict recent opposition to very few chances.

Morgan 8/10
As above. He headed it away numerous times and completely dominated his clash with his respective opponent, Odejayi, to the extent the Barnsley man was took off. Took no chances and played the percentages. Not always pretty but commited to the full and highly effective when there was never going to be much pretty football in diabolical weather.

Speed 7/10
Solid performance considering he started slowly and actual gave the ball away a few times and also did not win enough loose balls. He got better as the game went on; as did most of his teammates and played some great balls second half, particularly out to the wings. So unlucky with the shot that hit the post when he had made a great lung bursting run through and beyond the defence. This effort was reminiscent of the Speed of old, from his Newcastle or Everton days. Definitely improved his performances in recent weeks after lacklustre start to his Blades campaign.

Tonge 7/10
Very similar to Speed in that he started the match slow, flat footed and often on his heels but was obviously told to get tighter on Howard in the second half and also let his own football ability take over, which he did as he contributed to some decent moves. He needs to be more consistent for entire games. Still his improvements under Blackwell are for all to see.

Cotterill 6/10
A perplexing player who goes from brilliant to terrible in moments. He must have been scouted as a threat by the home side as they often doubled or tripled up on him. He put a few great crosses in and did some good things but other times he tried to do too much and gave the ball away, particularly in our half, when he took a touch too much on more than one occasion. Definitely a match winner though as he can make that one run or put that one cross in that could lead to a goal, as evidenced when Hulse headed wide from his cross when he should have scored.

Carney 5/10
Disappointing performance. In the hurly burly of a South Yorkshire derby where the wind was swirling, he still seemed to think he had ages on the ball. He takes too long to react to situations, both going forwards and backwards and defensively is a liability leaving big gaps or losing the overlapping full back. He needs to improve fast or I can see Blackwell moving him on. Yes, he is good technically and can put a good cross or shot in (had a good effort blocked second half) but he only offers glimpses at the moment, which is not good enough.

Sharp 8/10
Excellent display. He led the line well and his actual control and hold up from balls from the back was assured throughout. He helped bring people into play and always looked to play on the last man. His goal was a superb strike that went right into the side netting and left the keeper with no chance. He then made a great assist for Beattie who in truth should have scored and also had another effort at the death, which Steele saved with his fingertips.

Hulse 4/10
Totally ineffective and a stark contrast to last week's battering ram of a performance where he ran Norwich ragged. Did not win any headers nor did he hold the ball up. He barely had a kick for most of the game and seemed to be disinterested which was bizarre considering how he played last week. Substituted on the hour, which was not a surprise.

Subs

Halls 7.5/10
Came on and played really well. He helped slow down the threatening Leon, made a number of blocks, interceptions and headers and also looked a threat when he went forward. Looks a very good addition as cover for the full backs till the end of the season. Does look like a bin man though in physical appearance (no disrespect to refuge collectors everywhere!).

Beattie
Looked like the Beattie of earlier in the season. Showed a new kind of determination missing in recent weeks. Won headers, showed great strength and gave the big centre back (Foster) something to think about. Made some intelligent runs and passes and linked well with Sharp. Perhaps a bit unlucky that Steele somehow stopped his effort near the end but he really ought to have scored despite the great save. He will start next week with Sharp though I am sure, which is how it should be; the two in form strikers and Hulse and Stead know if they get in they have to take their chance.

Referee

Barnsley fans may feel they were a little hard done by as they appealed long and hard for numerous penalty area indiscretions but in reality they would probably admit they were appeals more out of desperation than genuine fouls. They also may concede that Odejayi was grappling with Morgan and had hold of the centre back for most of the contest so how they could expect spot kicks to be given for physical aerial challenges but no more than 50/50's the other way is beyond me. The one in the first half where Foster went to ground was never a penalty and he actually dived to the floor more in hope than expectation after Speed barely brushed him. I thought Sharp was harshly booked for a foul in the centre of the field when a cynical foul on Cotterill minutes earlier did not earn a caution. In truth the game was never dirty and was a good, old-fashioned derby with little quality but just honest endeavour. I don't think there were many bad fouls all afternoon and the referee, Lee Probert, called it right for the most part. He actually had a good game and tried where possible to always let things flow.

Crowd

A poor crowd really considering their cup exploits. United fans made up a third of the crowd and were in good voice and packed the away end. Amusing to see the smashed pieces of glass/bottles still on top of the wall near the away end to prevent intruders. Classy. The actual stand to the right of the United fans is a mess really and they may be better just knocking it down until they can build one that resembles the other three excellent stands, as this stand was almost empty. The home fans were fairly quiet throughout and only made a noise when they appealed for the penalties. The mood in the town beforehand was expected for any team playing at Wembley is an FA Cup semi final in a fortnight with Que sara, sara, blasting out in all the pubs, and flags and t-shirts being sold to the Tykes fans. It was almost as if this game was just in the way judging by the conversations and this certainly played into our hands as the team and fans looked lethargic in the second half and we took full advantage to get the vital victory.