Battle of Bramall Lane

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Battle of Bramall Lane
Event 2001–02 First Division
Sheffield United WBA
0* 3*
-*Match abandoned
after 82 minutes with the score
Sheffield United 0–3 West Bromwich Albion. FA ruled score to stand for league standings.
Date 16 March 2002
Venue Bramall Lane, Sheffield
Referee Eddie Wolstenholme
Attendance 17,653

The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002. The match was unusual in that it was abandoned because Sheffield United had only six players left on the pitch.

Background

With eight league matches of the 2001–02 season remaining,[nb 1] Albion lay in third place in the First Division on 67 points, 11 points behind rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, who occupied the second automatic promotion spot. United meanwhile were in 15th position on 50 points, safe from relegation but not threatening the playoff places.[1]

Match summary

Nine minutes in, United's keeper, Simon Tracey, was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area and denying Albion a clear goalscoring opportunity. Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock sent on a new keeper, Wilko de Vogt, taking off Peter Ndlovu. The visiting WBA scored a first-half goal through Scott Dobie against the 10-man United, and added a second goal in the 62nd minute through Derek McInnes.

The match turned truly ugly in the 65th minute, when Georges Santos, whom United had just brought on seconds earlier, was sent off for a high and poorly timed two-footed lunging tackle on Andy Johnson. When Johnson was playing for Nottingham Forest the previous season, he had fractured Santos' cheekbone and seriously damaged his eye socket with a swinging elbow.[2] The two teams then scuffled on the pitch; in the mêlée, another United substitute, Patrick Suffo, was sent off for head-butting Derek McInnes. This reduced United to eight men, with no more substitutions left. Soon after, United captain Keith Curle was fortunate to avoid a sending off after appearing to throw punches at McInnes.

In the 77th minute, WBA added a third goal, Scott Dobie tapping in from short range. Two minutes later, Michael Brown limped off for United, and Robert Ullathorne went off injured in the 82nd minute, reducing them to six men. The referee, Eddie Wolstenholme, then abandoned the game with West Brom leading 3–0. The referee would have been aware of the IFA board guideline to law 3 which states "the minimum number of players in a team is left to the discretion of member associations. The Board is of the opinion, however, that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team".

Match details

16 March 2002
15:00 GMT
Sheffield United 0–3
(Match abandoned
after 82 minutes)		 West Bromwich Albion
(Report) Dobie Goal 18', 77'
McInnes Goal 63'
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
Attendance: 17,653
Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme (Lancashire)
Sheffield United
West Bromwich Albion
GK 1 England Simon Tracey Red card 9'
DF 24 Netherlands Gus Uhlenbeek Substituted off 64'
DF 32 Wales Rob Page
DF 6 England Keith Curle (c) Booked 74'
DF 23 England Robert Ullathorne
MF 17 England Phil Jagielka
MF 26 England Michael Tonge Substituted off 64'
MF 7 England Michael Brown Booked 61'
FW 12 Benin Laurent D'Jaffo
FW 16 Zimbabwe Peter Ndlovu Substituted off 9'
FW 8 Canada Paul Peschisolido
Substitutes:
GK 13 Netherlands Wilko de Vogt Substituted in 9'
DF 20 France Jean-Philippe Javary
MF 14 Cape Verde Georges Santos Red card 65' Substituted in 64'
MF 22 Scotland Nick Montgomery
FW 19 Cameroon Patrick Suffo Red card 65' Substituted in 64'
Manager:
England Neil Warnock
GK 1 England Russell Hoult
DF 16 Slovakia Igor Bališ
DF 17 Iceland Lárus Sigurðsson Booked 13' Substituted off 68'
DF 23 England Adam Chambers Substituted off 56'
DF 3 England Neil Clement
DF 6 England Phil Gilchrist
DF 15 Jamaica Darren Moore
MF 10 Wales Andy Johnson Substituted off 71'
MF 4 Scotland Derek McInnes (c)
FW 18 Scotland Scott Dobie
FW 14 England Danny Dichio
Substitutes:
GK 30 England Chris Adamson
DF 5 England Tony Butler Substituted in 68'
MF 20 Portugal Jordão Substituted in 71'
MF 7 Montserrat Ruel Fox
FW 9 England Bob Taylor Substituted in 56'
Manager:
England Gary Megson

Aftermath

Albion manager Megson stated after the match:

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There will be no replay. If we are called back to Bramall Lane we shall kick-off and then walk off the pitch. I've been in professional football since 16 and I'm 42 now. I've never ever witnessed anything as disgraceful as that. There is no place for that in any game of football, let alone professional football.[3]

West Brom were awarded a 3–0 win and the 3 points by the Football League.[4] Sheffield United were fined £10,000, Suffo £3,000 plus a 6 match ban (3 for the dismissal, 3 for violent conduct), Curle £500 and a 2 match ban, Santos a 6 match ban (4, plus 2 for violent conduct) and Warnock £300 for improper conduct towards the 4th official.[5]

Santos and Suffo never played for United again.

Notes

  1. ↑ Both Albion and United had played 38 games, although some other teams in the division had played 35 or 39.[citation needed]

References

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External links

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