Sydie And His Sidekicks

Sheffield United U18 1 v Millwall U18 1 

after extra time

Sheffield United win 6-5 on Penalties 

FA Youth Cup Round 3 

Wednesday 15 December 2021 

Played at Bramall Lane 

SUFC 2021/22 Game #34 

What time is the minibus to Goodison Park Dad?

You might not have heard it here first. But, you'll definitely hear it here the loudest. There is NO better football occasion than the Youth Cup, under lights, at the big ground. I've done the lot - FA Cup Finals, World Cup Finals, EURO Finals, Darlington, the lot. Youth Cup games are just crazy, man. At the worst of times youth games ebb & flow, up and down, back foot, front foot, bobble foot. They can change in an instant. But, the thing about the Youth Cup is it matters. The effort both sides put in is way, way above what they do in the "park" in front of the Mums n Dads n Carrier Bag Firm inadequates on Saturday mornings. The highs are high. The lows are low. Chuck in a draw & penalties. The emotions, man. Crazy. And. Brilliant.

As if "normal" football dynamics aren't enough. Refereeing decisions. Tight offside calls. Knocks on the knee. Winded in the woodwork. Team mate is an idiot. As well as those. You've got to cope with THE CRAMP ZONE. Kids putting the lot in. Only to find the other kids are putting their lot in as well. Bigger pitches than you might be used to. Bigger crowds bawling encouragement. The Carrier Bag Firm have done extensive research. Extensive I tells ye. And we have ruled that the Cramp Zone kicks in on the 67th minute. After that be-twitching hour the pitch will be littered with lads with one leg in the air. 

The two important facts of this match are that the C Zone didn't kick in until 77. And when Zakariya Lovelace went down late on, the Carrier Bag Firm Cramp Bingo was claimed as someone had Millwall #9 as the number they were sweating on. Congrats.

Ultimately, the tears were shed by Chaz Staniland & Kurtis Havenhand as they missed their kicks in the shootout. But their armbander & keeper Cal Hiddleston sorted it out for them with three saves. Kurtis came on for Antwoine Hackford on 62. We'd seen King Kurt the day before when he came on for the two threes away at Coventry. And there has been some speculation about his age.

You can never turn your back when the Carrier Bag Firm Memorabilia Realisation Regiment are in town. One of the fuckers had got his hands on a copy of the hand written teamsheet handed to the referee. The one that forms part of the official procedure and paperwork. The players date of birth has to be written on there & Del Geary has to sign it all off. So, I can very reliably reveal that Kurtis was aged 15 at the time of that Coventry & this Millwall game. And that today, Blog writing day - Friday 17 December, is his 16th Birthday. Congrats.

I thought Millwall bossed a lot of the first half. Antwoine seemed isolated a lot of the time. And most endeavour was hopeful balls hit hopefully into a hopeful channel where they hoped Antwoine would be. Very disjointed. The way Del was shouting suggested he felt Fernando Macedo was his impact player. It looked a bit odd at times. Wearing #7. Hanging wide right. But, very left footed and looking to come inside at every opportunity. Presume that was the plan. 

It was all over the place to be honest. But, that's the deal. Let's get crazy. United came more and more into it. And Havenhand made an impact when he came on. On 72, he stood a cross up for the impressive Sydie Peck to nod home. For a brief moment, absolute calm descends. As Sydie & his Sidekicks work out exactly where the photographer who will get the celebration pics for Social Media is located. Oh, there he is. Bedlam.

Cramp. A late Bermondsey Boys equaliser. 7 minutes of injury time. Claims against the Ref under Hooooman Rights Regulations. And then Extra Time. Penalties. Those misses. Those saves. Crazy, crazy night. Lose yourself in one some time soon.

The Cremorne

185 London Rd, Highfield, Sheffield S2 4LH

Triple Point Brewing, SIPA (V2), session IPA on Cask at 4.8%

Whoooa. That was beautiful. Bright and clear. Swirling flavours of boiled sweets from the Spice Shop. Orange comes through. Not much bitterness but the other flavours suit that. Gets a prestigious 4.25/5.

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Stats

I have now Blogged from 1,037 games in 2,675 days