Sheffield United put in their most impressive home performance for some time as they deservedly held Premiership Hull at Bramall Lane. The display today was such an improvement from the debacle's against fellow Yorkshire sides Doncaster and then Sheffield Wednesday that had been witnessed in recent weeks. United began the game brightly and deservedly took the lead and despite losing their returning skipper, Chris Morgan to injury and being pegged back, they were more than a match for the Tigers for the entire contest.

The game was a typical cup ties with tackles flying in all over the field and saw both teams have spells of ascendancy and good chances on goal. However, the home side showed more cohesion than they had done in previous weeks and adopted a more possession based approach. Along with the improvement in actual football, the Blades fans also saw a great deal of passion and determination on show and in turn the crowd gave their appreciation. The replay at the KC Stadium will be a tougher proposition but United will feel confident with their recent away form that they can still cause an upset.

The Blades began with Chris Morgan back at the heart of the United defence and recalled Lee Hendrie and David Cotterill out in the wide positions. United also rested Kyle Naughton, bringing back Sun Jihai and opted to play Greg Halford in a striking position alongside another returnee Billy Sharp. Due to the lack of numbers at their disposal with numerous players cup tied and injured in an already dwindling squad, Untied only picked 5 substitutes with Kevin Blackwell choosing not to put two youngsters on the bench. Hull were without record signing Jimmy Bullard but did select many of the players who had done so well for much of the Premiership campaign so far.

United began the game well with Montgomery putting himself about to good effect and the home side were very much on the offensive. Kenny was grounded by a late challenge by Mendy as he cleared and the Hull player was booked. The United keeper was able to continue with no after effects.

With only 7 minutes gone, the Blades were rewarded for their start and took the lead. Cotterill put in an excellent deep cross and HALFORD rose highest to direct a firm header beyond Myhill and into the far corner. A few Hull players made token appeals for a push by Halford but there was no doubt it was a fair goal. It was United's turn to be celebrating an early goal after the shock of last weeks' opening minute setback against Wednesday.

United had began well but had to guard against the dangerous Giovanni who had a long range effort off target and also from the rangy Folan but Morgan was more than holding his own in this contest. The tackles were flying in and it threatened to bubble over for a spell. Halford had another chance but when clear on the right his shot lacked power nor placement and Myhill saved easily.

Morgan had already being floored by an errant elbow that led to Turner being cautioned, and he was in trouble after another challenge and had to be helped off the pitch for treatment. It was clear he could not continue and was eventually stretchered off and was replaced by Webber who joined Sharp up front. This meant the goalscorer Halford had to drop back to centre back with the aerial threat of Folan foremost in Kevin Blackwell's mind.

It was not long after that United were pegged back with the aerial threat of Morgan being badly missed. An innocuous foul conceded by led to the award of a free kick out wide in United's final third. The kick was whipped in dangerously and ZAYATTE rose highest and flicked he ball beyond Kenny's right hand and into the corner to level matters.

The game continued to be a feisty affair with numerous challenges but referee Marriner was trying to let the game flow to his credit. Hull were now causing United one or two problems and Mendy drove wide. The Blades then nearly caused their own problems with Kilgallon's fierce back pass from almost half way being well dealt with by Kenny. The first half came to a close just after Sharp had headed wide from another dangerous Cotterill cross.

Untied began the second half just as they had the first and were dominant in the first five minutes winning two corners and having a lot of the ball in the Hull half without really testing Myhill. Hull then broke and from their best move the game nearly scored. Ricketts cross was met by the stooping Garcia but Kenny did really well to fling himself across his goal and make the save. United were back on the attack instantly and clever play by Cotterill nearly saw his ball cross met by Webber but Turner headed behind for a corner to prevent a potential header on goal. Quinn was wasteful with a long range shot that barely troubled the keeper and then Hull had a chance but Kenny saved with his legs from a powerful low drive from Mendy as the game continued to be end to end.

Naughton then replaced Sun as the threat being posed by Hull down United's right hand side was ever increasing. The game was finely poised and despite United not having many chances on goal they were much in this game. Halford then had to go off down the tunnel for treatment and presumed stitches after drawing blood. Naysmith plugged the gap in the centre of the defence as United were forced to play with ten men and without a centre back for the second time in the game. It was 2 or 3 minutes before Halford returned
and he came back resplendent in head bandaging, akin to Terry Butcher in the late eighties.

Barmby came on for the disappointing Giovanni and then Howard came on for Hendrie to the jeers of the crowd who had appreciated the former Villa man's efforts as they felt he should have stayed the course. However, Howard put himself about instantly and won back possession that eventually led to more good play by Cotterill but Quinn could only bang the cross into the ground and wide with his unfavoured right foot. Garcia was then replaced by Manucho and Hull had two more chances from set plays but the free kicks came to nothing with Halford heading away and then Kenny clutching the second.

Hull made a final change with Sheffield born France replacing Mendy and despite Hull having the ball for most of the extra 3 minutes added on by the referee they did not look remotely like forcing a winner and seemed to be settling for a replay. As the final whistle went, United's fans applauded a significantly improved performance.

United

It was so much better today. We started the game with a vim and vigour and got about Hull. We gave them no time on the ball and then on turn we did so much better with the football than we have being doing. The likes of Montgomery and Quinn were buzzing about everywhere and ensured they won the first ball. If they didn't they often got to the second ball. Hendrie and Cotterill were threats out wide, using good control and then clever balls or crosses. Up front Sharp worked really hard despite never really looking like getting deep enough to threaten the goal but did a lot of good work away from goal.

Halford took his goal really well and it was a shame we had to reshuffle when we did as we were in control of the game. Halford did play well at the back too but we lost a lot up front as even though we did try and pass it more having that strength and height is always useful up front and it is always harder with two small strikers. Webber did not really look the same threat. I felt like we did try and pass the ball and playing with natural width helped us as for the most part Hendrie and Cotterill stayed by the white lines of the touch line.

We looked more cohesive; more organised and finally resembled a proper team. We were not marvellous by any stretch but it was so much better. Maybe I am easily pleased but the fact I saw some passion, commitment and an attempt in the game to try and get the ball down and play was just a breath of fresh air after the dire stuff we had seen over the last few home games. Even the most criticised players of recent week like Quinn and Howard got amongst things and tried to stop the opposition playing and then also tried to be positive when going forward.

On reflection we perhaps did not do enough to win the game as Hull looked dangerous on the last third with some of the clever footballers they had but they did not do enough to win either and it was a fair score over the course of the game. Most of the media may think this was a chance lost for United and even may have thought we would have won.

Hull will be glad to take the game back to the KC but a closer examination of the facts reveals that it was a really good result for United. With the lack of players we had available and the recent displays I thought this was definitely a step forward for United today. They got many fans back on side even if it was only for a week by the performance today. I hope now we can keep some of the players who did well like Cotterill and Hendrie in the side and then bring Henderson back to play alongside Sharp, Lupoli or Ward and try to build on that today.

Worryingly, Morgan looks like he could be out for a while which means we may be physically brittle at the back as we showed last week with Bromby and Kilgallon. Also, on another note it seems unfair we have to play Hull on a Thursday night (Barnsley game now to be rearranged again) due to Hull playing Monday and then we have to face Birmingham at 12.15pm on the Saturday which means we have just over a day to recover.

Seems most unfair but of course it will happen due to TV coverage etc. Will mean most of the team will have to play again as we do not have enough players to change 6 or 7 round. This makes it imperative we sign at least 2 players on loan in the next week or so as even though they may be cup tied we will need some fresh legs for a vital game against Birmingham.

Kenny 7/10
Felt his penchant for remaining rooted to his goal line was still a major negative. This led to two or three half chances when perhaps on reflection he will realise he should have come and taken the ball. However, he made two good saves which he is paid to do. He made one very good save from a low header and another with his feet. His distribution was the usual mixture of kicks going off the pitch or to the smallest United man to a few really good throw outs; like one that led to Cotterill having a good opportunity.

Sun Jihai 5/10
Looked uneasy most of game and looked ring rusty which I suppose is understandable considering lack of games. He gave his man too much room, especially in the second half and it was no surprise when he was eventually taken off. In the game he has played since Christmas he has not looked the same player that had started the season so impressively but maybe the lack of match action does not help him in this regard. I still would like to see him in central midfield.

Naysmith 6.5/10
Steady enough defensively for most of the game but I felt he did give away a couple of bad free kicks that led to opportunities for Hull. It was Naysmith who was closest to Zayatte as well when he scored. It is tough as United simply did not have the height to match up with Hull's players man to man and there was always going to be mismatches but I felt he still could have put a better challenge in. He also let Mendy get past him too easy for a shot in the second half.

Kilgallon 7/10
Fine for most part defensively and despite a few moments of hesitancy he was solid enough. With Hull employing Giovanni in 'the hole' it meant he effectively had no one to mark with Morgan and then Halford taking the lone attacker, Folan. Felt his distribution was poor though and he tried to go long too much once again.

Morgan - Was coping with Folan fairly well and it was a real turning point when he went off as we had to reorganise the side and even though Halford did ok; I felt we lost that strength up front. Personally, I would have left Halford at centre forward and put one of the two full backs at centre back. Looked a fairly serious injury as he tried to jog it off and then tried to walk round as he was being taken off but could not put any weight on it and had to be stretchered off. Just our luck that he comes back and instantly is injured and will probably out for some time now.

Montgomery 7/10
Went from being inspirational with some of the hardest but fair crunching tackles you could ever hope to see to awful within seconds. He repeated this most of the game. One moment summed him up as he gave the ball away, then won it back with a determined chase back and tackle and then just lumped it aimlessly forward. The amount of ground he covered, the passion he showed and sheer guts was so commendable though and he led the fight. Unfortunately his lack of calmness in possession really does let him down and it is a shame we do not have a genuine Cowans type footballer to play alongside him as he and Quinn are way too similar in their abilities to scrap and harry but not use the ball effectively. Having those two in midfield sometimes mean we do go long as perhaps the defenders don't trust they can keep possession enough.

Quinn 6.5/10
Mixed bag all game really. Tries to do way too much first time which means ultimately he decreases his chances of retaining possession. He also does not get his head up and at times runs into blind alleys. Still for all this criticism he did some good things and made one or two incisive passes that could have led to chances.

Hendrie 7/10
He had a decent game where he always looked to get on the ball and always tried different things, whether it was the ball inside the full backs, little dinked balls into the forward's path or cross field balls to reverse the play. Not everything he did came off but he showed good imagination all game. Felt he did tire as the game went on and could understand Blackwell's change in some ways even though the crowd felt he was contributing well. Would keep him in the side purely based on the fact he increases our chances of keeping possession.

Halford 8/10
A real Roy of the Rovers type performance. Started up front and scored an excellently taken header and then went to the back and defended impressively, winning headers, making blocks and doing everything he could to preserve the backline. He has been one of our most consistent performers in recent weeks and has become more and more of an influence in whatever position he has been asked to play.

Sharp 7.5/10
Thought Sharp worked really hard today. He gave his all and was across the line trying to hold up play, link things and pressure defenders all game. He played intelligently too apart from the effort he put in. Up against two giants in Turner and Gardner he was not bullied and really did his utmost to give us an outlet. Did not have many actual goal scoring chances but I applaud his effort and commitment today.

Cotterill 8/10
Maybe his best game in a United shirt this season. His touch was good, he got at his full backs and got numerous good crosses in. Sure sometimes he still took too many touches and wasted the odd ball but generally he looked a real threat and I felt Ricketts struggled with him all game. Hopefully along with his cameo for Wales this will give him confidence and will have earned him a run in the side.

Subs

Webber 5.5/10
Came on and had a frustrating game with some nice touches and hold up play but all too often he was muscled out of it and did not show enough desire nor strength to get in front of his man. A touch more anticipation and he may have scored with a header from the Cotterill cross in the second half.

Howard
Much improved from last week. The fact he actually put himself about was a major improvement for a start. Sure he gave a few fouls away but was unlucky on a few decisions today. Undoubtedly he was given a massive kick up the backside after last week and after being dropped he certainly showed a greater desire when he came on. His passing was mixed but the fact he showed he wanted to get amongst it and try and earn a shirt will do for me for now.

Naughton
Came on to try and plug the big gaps down the right hand side of United's defence and did this by putting in a few early tackles and challenges. His touch and contributions going forward were not quite with it today though and he often wasted decent opportunities by trying to overplay.

Hull

Did not think they were that great today. They deserved their draw as they had as many chances as us and had their own spells in the game. However, they gave away possession a lot. I felt if we had Henderson (or Beattie) playing we would have won the game and that we had little to really hurt them up front despite Sharp working really hard. They looked there for the taking but we did not quite enough in the final third to get the winner. They actually hurt us more from set plays than open play as the goal showed. They had one or two other good chances from dangerously whipped free kicks. Kenny made a couple of good saves but they were hardly taking the game to us and seemed happy to take the draw at the end.

Myhill is a good keeper and I am surprised he has lost his place but despite our improved display we did not test him enough today. Gardner and Turner looked susceptible to players who could turn and had pace but unfortunately we did not have that today although Sharp played well and I felt won his contest with Gardner who constantly tried to grab hold of Sharp and was fortunate not to be penalised on quite a few offences. The full backs Dawson and Ricketts did not have a comfortable afternoon. However Dawson does take a good free kick and out one or two drilled deliveries in that caused us problems.

If anything I think their defence is weak and I can see why they have been on a poor run and are shipping goals most weeks. Garcia was not really in the game and Marney contributed more by fouling. Their best player was probably the midfielder and scorer; Zayatte who showed he was very dangerous from set plays and Hull did some of their better things when he was on the ball. Mendy is quite a pacy player who had caused problems but he was not really that influential today and was taken off.

Geovanni, their undoubted danger man was poor for the most part and after Montgomery had crunched him with an early tackle he looked like he did not want to know. However, he did put a few clever balls out and could always make time of the pass. I felt Folan showed why he has not been in their side and looked big, clumsy and rather immobile.

Referee

Andre Marriner. Did ok in a tough game to ref as tackles and challenges were coming in all over. Odd he booked Mendy for the challenge on Kenny as he never even saw it and had his back to it. The linesman saw it but he did not even have a word. He just booked him on the crowd reaction and Kenny falling to the floor. He was right to book Turner for a flailing elbow on Morgan.

He was right to book Garcia for a late tackle on Quinn but he also could have booked Montgomery and Naughton for late challenges and we fortunate not to have a player booked as we put in as many poor challenges as they did. He did get the appeals for penalties correct but maybe should have booked Geovanni for simulation. Thought it was funny Howard showed some passion and got stuck in, legitimately winning the ball a few times with good, honest shoulder charges and he was then penalised.