xxxxSheffield United and Birmingham made an underwhelming start to the Championship season as they played out a goalless draw at Bramall Lane.
Both sides have ambitions of mounting promotion challenges this campaign, but there was not too much to get excited about in this drab curtain-raiser where chances were at a premium.
Blades boss Chris Wilder and Birmingham counterpart Chris Davies will both be hoping to add some extra quality into the squads before the end of the month.
Optimism is always high at the start of a new season, but this was not a case of either side hitting the ground running as a tightly contested first half passed without either side managing a shot on target.
Sheffield United’s Romelle Donovan (left) and Birmingham City’s Jay Stansfield battle for the ball
The only action of note in the opening 45 minutes was a flurry of action just before the half-hour as both teams enjoyed their best moments.
The Blades went first as Patrick Bamford hooked Femi Seriki’s deflected cross just wide.
Birmingham responded straight away and Alex Cochrane’s cross was perfect for Paik Seung-ho, but the South Korean could not get enough on his header and the chance passed.
Blues started the second half on the front foot and had a big moment in the 58th minute when Carlos Vicente was played through on goal, but his attempted pass was cut out by Japhet Tanganga when the better option was to shoot.
The visitors began to turn the screw and produced the first shot on target in the 62nd minute when Jay Stansfield’s low show was well kept out by Michael Cooper.
Cooper then had a more routine save as Stansfield tried an optimistic effort from distance.
Wilder’s side got through that tricky period and began to launch their own attempt to win the game.
Callum O’Hare sent Bamford clear into the area, but his shot was straight at Blues goalkeeper James Beadle, who saved with his feet.
Neither side showed the quality required to break the deadlock in an opening encounter which will be soon forgotten.
The managers
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder:
“For us, we turned the ball over too cheaply. I always thought it was going to be a game of moments where we had to find a bit of quality and we never found that quality that we were after. Out of possession, we were okay.
“A clean sheet is relatively important for us; we have to have something to build on. Overall, seven out of 10 for us; a lot of work to be done on the training pitch, trying to improve the team because we’re light in a couple of areas, but I’m sure we can work that one out.”
Birmingham boss Chris Davies:
“I think if anyone was going to win it, it would have been us. We were the better team actually in the game.
“I thought in terms of the chances, the momentum that we had, and the way we approached it, I said to the players, it’s often a feeling, and you look like a team that was really ready to compete.
“That first 10 minutes, the crowd’s going to be [on us] their first game of the season and everything else. But we got through that – there’s so much encouragement there for me because we’ve continued what we’ve been doing in the last several games, and we look a we look at team that’s there in every moment. That’s what we need to be.”
