Sharp Channeling

Sheffield United 3 v Bradford City 0

League One

Monday 17 April 2017

Twitter @ball_sup

Billy Sharp channeling his inner Patrick Suffo, Ched Evans & Diego De Girolamo there towards the end. Gets the ball, he ain’t passing. No criticism from me. He’s earned the right. According to the media, he’s chasing 30 goals this season & 200 in his career. He’d scored one earlier in this game & laid one on for Clarke. He’s been a consummate professional this season. Missed hardly any games. Bang at it. Coming deep to do the job. Defending when he has to.

That was all towards the end of a dominant, dominant performance by The Blades. As always, scoring early will help. The confidence just flows through them after that. Bradford didn’t seem to have the right script. You have to close us down in midfield so we can’t link up. That pushes Freeman & Lafferty ever forward. And, you exploit that space & attack us wide when you get the chance. Balls whipped into the box cause confusion. Take your chances.

Bradford are no mugs obviously. Still vaguely chasing 2nd. Still trying to nail on the Play Offs & get home advantage. But, a team already promoted. A team already Champions. A team who’ve put a brick on the accelerator. So, they can’t turn the “gas off”. We’ve battered ‘em.  Same foundations as when we’ve been at our best. Coutts, Fleck & Duffy bossing it in midfield. O’Connell & Basham giving it to them - or stepping through when Bradford were on the back foot. Freeman & Lafferty box to box wide. I thought Clarke & Sharp had one of their best games together. The whole set up, coupled with how Bradford played, just gives us time, time, time. I loved it.

So much, that I’ll forgive myself a Big Beer Day. The Beer Engine before the game. The Devonshire Cat straight after. And, BrewDog, Division St. for your gratuitous beers.

The Standout Beer Of The Day was the glorious Magic Rock, Fantasma on keg at 6.5% in The Dev Cat. Gluten free. Deep & rich. Straight ahead American style IPA - reminded me of what we’re here for.

The Twisted Barrel, Call Of Korriban on keg at 5.8% (also Dev Cat) was right up there. Black IPA style. Very nicely hopped, off a bit of burnt sweetness from the malt. Not a great deal going on apart from that. I mean to say - showing off the two things it’s supposed to taste of to perfection.

The Devonshire Cat leg was completed by;
Eight Arch, Session IPA on keg at 3.8%.
Raw, Trulla Red IPA on keg at 5.8%
Both bangers.

I’d started in The Beer Engine on;
Blackjack, Jabberwocky on cask at 4.1%. Nicely balanced malty, hoppy hybrid. Full of flavour.
Dark Star, American Pale Ale on keg at 4.7%. Nicely flavoured. But, “ordinary” compared to some of the other belters from today.

And, through the mist…..
Yellowbelly, Citra Pale on keg at 4.8% and Siren, Soundwave on keg at 5.6% - both in BrewDog. Both were superb. The Soundwave felt like going back to an old friend & the Yellowbelly was full of hoppy flavour & bitterness.

464/972
85