sport
  • match commentary
  • English League 1
  • 26 May 2012, 3:00pm
  • Wembley
  • Attendance: 52,100
HuddersfieldHuddersfieldvSheff UtdSheff Utd
00
8
  • Miller
  • Damien Johnson
  • Lee
  • Clarke
  • Arfield
  • Rhodes
  • Roberts
  • Woods
  • Hunt
  • Morrison
  • Smithies
pens7
  • Williamson
  • Collins
  • Lowton
  • Taylor
  • Porter
  • Quinn
  • Maguire
  • Doyle
  • O'Halloran
  • Hill
  • Simonsen

live commentary

Huddersfield will be in the Championship next season after Simonsen blazes over the bar for Sheffield United. An absolutely mental penalty shoot-out ensures the awful game before it will soon be forgotten about. Stay tuned for the full-match report and congratulations to Huddersfield Town!

8-7: SIMONSEN MISSES! HUDDERSFIELD ARE UP!

8-7: SMITHIES BAGS!

7-7: WILLIAMSON LEVELS! It's keeper v keeper now!

7-6: MORRISON SCORES!

6-6: SO DOES O'HALLORAN!

6-5: HUNT SCORES!

5-5: DOYLE EQUALISES!

5-4: MILLER SCORES FOR HUDDERS!

4-4: MAGUIRE LEVELS!

4-3: HUDDERSFIELD AHEAD! A confident penalty from the sub Roberts!

3-3: UNITED LEVEL!No mistake from Quinn!

3-2: HUDDERS LEAD! Top scorer Rhodes nudges his team ahead!

3-2: HUDDERS LEAD! Top scorer Rhodes nudges his team ahead!

2-2: UNITED LEVEL! Porter has to score and he does! Sudden death!

2-1: HUDDERS LEAD!Arfield bags for Huddersfield. Nice penalty.

1-1: UNITED HIT THE POST!Taylor's effort is inaccurate and we still cant seperate them!

1-1: HUDDERS LEVEL!Cool and calm from Clarke and we are back level!

0-1: LOWTON MISSES! Another terrible penalty! Smithies again makes a vital save!

0-1: LEE MISSES!A weak effort from the striker. Can Sheffield United double their lead?

0-1: UNITED HAVE THE LEAD! Collins slots down the centre and we have our first goal!

0-0: JOHNSON FIRES WIDE!Simonsen reads Miller's low shot and Sheffield United get off to the start they prayed for!

0-0: WILLIAMSON MISSES!Another predictable penalty which Smithies manages to save at full stretch!

0-0: MILLER MISSES! Simonsen reads Miller's low shot and Sheffield United get off to the start they prayed for!

0-0: Huddersfield are going first and the penalties will be taken at the Huddersfield end in the shade.

ET 32 MINS: WE HEAD TO PENALTIES!After 120 minutes of football, still neither side know which league they are going to be playing in next season. Stay tuned to see if I can keep up and more importantly see who will gain promotion to the second tier.

ET 30 mins: Two extra minutes are signalled for someone to find a winner. Montgomery is coming off for Sheffield United and is replaced by Taylor.

ET 28 mins: Time to start thinking about where to put these penalties. Unless Sheffield United can create a chance from a free-kick inside their own half? Nope, it's straight through to Smithies.

ET 24 mins:United win a corner but once again it's a wasted chance as the ref blows for a Huddersfield free-kick soon after. The West Yorkshire side bring on Arfield now for Novak.

ET 22 mins: A crazy couple of minutes at Wembley! Peter Clarke's header is cleared off the line and the Blades immediately surge forward and win a free-kick on the left edge of the area. Johnson is booked for that late tackle from behind.

ET 19 mins: Fantastic reflex save from Simonsen who had to be really alert there to divert Lee's powerful drive away.

ET 18 mins: Danny Wilson makes a change to his Sheffield United side. O'Halloran is coming on for Flynn.

ET 15 mins: Sheffield United kick-off and are immediately put on the back foot. They concede a corner but manage to get the ball clear at the first attempt.

1715: Half-time in extra-time then and we look absolutely nailed on for penalties. Both sides have been really, really poor today.

ET 15 mins: Quinn meanders his way into the Huddersfield box from the left side but his low shot is saved well by Smithies at his near post. Moments later, Maguire is booked for stopping a Huddersfield counter illegally.

ET 13 mins: Huddersfield have a chance to drill the ball into the box from a free-kick near the right touchline. Roberts takes it... and it sails out of play for a goal-kick. Sigh.

ET 10 mins: A wasted opportunity for the Blades who mess up a free-kick routine on the edge of the area. This has been painful viewing for the vast majority of this game.

ET 8 mins: Grayson is throwing on experienced striker Lee for the hit and miss Ward.

ET 6 mins:Fantastic block from Peter Clarke who fends the ball away in mid-air from Quinn's goalbound effort.

ET 3 mins: Quinn whips in a wonderful delivery from the left and Porter is inches away from making contact at the far post. Huddersfield can regroup though as the ref spots a foul from the resulting corner.

ET 0 mins: We're back underway at Wembley and it's Simon Grayson's side that restart the match.

90+2 mins: EXTRA-TIME! These two sides cannot be separated after 90 minutes of cagey football and so we will have another 30 minutes of extra-time and may be even penalties to decide who will be in the Championship next season. Stay tuned!

90 mins: Just two minutes of time added on as Sheffield United ride another wave of Huddersfield pressure.

88 mins: Morrison tries his luck with a long throw into the mixer from the left but Simonsen battles through a whole host of bodies to confidently claim the ball.

86 mins: Porter nearly makes a immediate impact as he does well to get his head onto a high,looping cross from the right. He can only guide the ball wide of the post though. Extra-time is looming...

84 mins: Cresswell trudges off the field to be replaced by Porter. Can he do any better in the lone striker role?

82 mins: United clear off the line! It's fantastic work from the skipper Doyle who pokes the ball away at the last gasp from a Huddersfield corner. A flurry of chances soon follow but somehow Sheffield United are hanging on in there!

78 mins: The Blades press forward again but after a string of nice little passes, the move filters out into nothing. Huddersfield make an attacking change with Higginbotham coming off for Roberts.

75 mins: Sheffield are bedded in down the right side and manage to create a half-chance with Quinn who drags a shot wide of the left post. Time for some changes I think.

72 mins: These two teams still can't be split and only a moment of genius or a big blunder is going to prevent this game going to extra time. Both sides are being extremely cautious in their structure and play.

68 mins: Huddersfield break forward from their own six-yard box and they have Ward, Novak and Rhodes all in attack. The ball finds its way to the former of the three but his shot trickles harmlessly out for a goal-kick. Novak, who was in acres of space, looks slightly miffed at his team-mate.

66 mins: Claims for a handball are turned away and it would have been very harsh if Hill was to give away a penalty for a ball that accidently brushes his shoulder.

64 mins: Cresswell has been incredibly isolated up front and will be frustrated that nobody is near him to feed the ball off to. He's lost two play-off finals already so he will be desperate not to lose another.

61 mins: The first yellow card is dished out to Higginbotham for a late tackle on Lowton. It gives the Blades another chance to boot the ball into the mixer but yet again nothing comes to fruition.

59 mins: The game is just beginning to open up now with both defences being put through their paces in the blazing hot sunshine. Huddersfield win a corner where Peter Clarke heads over from close range.

56 mins: Lowton is caught in possession and Huddersfield pounce on the vulnerable right-back before attacking down the opposite flank. They win a free-kick but Ward's cross evades everybody in the congested area.

53 mins:This a good spell of pressure from the Blades as Huddersfield continue with the sloppy clearances from defence. They win another corner but again the delivery is below par.

50 mins: Flynn does brilliantly to win a corner for Sheff United from a tight angle on the left. Huddersfield fail to clear properly but are let off the hook as Williamson's through ball is a tad too heavy.

47 mins: Huddersfield rattle the crossbar! The ball falls to Ward in the shade and he smacks the woodwork with a ferocious half-volley. A better second half already!

David, Ventura -"COME ON THE TERRIERS!"

45 mins: Welcome back for the second half. Fingers crossed we will have some goalmouth action to try and perk us all up. No changes made at the break by either side. Hudders kick-off.

HALF-TIME:That is by far the worst half of football I have seen this season which means alot coming from a Leeds fan. There hasn't been one shot on target yet and it is fair to say the occasion has overwhelmed both Yorkshire teams so far. Join me for the second half if you're brave enough!

45 mins:One minute of stoppage time is added on and Sheffield United have a corner from the left... and it results in naff all.

41 mins: To be quite honest with you there isn't an awful lot happening. Cresswell is caught offside and that's about as good as it gets.

Michelle from Milnsbridge - "come on you terriers."

38 mins: Hunt embarks on his first trademark forward run, ducking in and out of tackles before dragging a feeble shot wide of the right post.

36 mins: The Blades fans are roaring their team on to try and inject some urgency. It nearly pays off when the balldrops to Hill on the edge of the area but his left pegger is blocked away.

34 mins: This isn't very pretty to watch. Huddersfield's inaccurate passes in the final third are being cancelled out by Sheffield United's hoof ball.

31 mins: Rhodes plays a clever downward header back into a central position but there is nobody in Huddersfield colours taking a gamble in midfield.

28 mins: Hopeful appeals for a Sheffield United pen as Cresswell goes down try to chest back Flynn's cross from the right.

25 mins: Play stops so the players can dabble into a bit of balloon popping as a cluster of them appear on the pitch. It gives the players a good opportunity to get some much needed fluids on board.

22 mins: Both sides appear to be struggling with the stuffy conditons as pass after pass after pass is going astray in the middle of the park.

19 mins: We still await our first real chance of the match as Smithies comes to claim a hopeful punt forward from a Sheffield United free-kick inside their own half.

16 mins: Novak is away down the left channel after a smart turn however he is suspect to another heavy touch which brings his promising run to an abrupt end. At the other end, Cresswell nearly gets a header in but Smithies comes out and makes contact with the ball on this occasion.

Craig, Huddersfield - "come on htfc its your destiny 3-1 to town rhodes 2 and novak"

13 mins: Miller slides Novak in on goal but his heavy first touch gives Collins the chance to boot hurriedly behind for a corner which again is dealt with by the Blades defence.

10 mins: The Huddersfield defence are unconvincing in their first real test. Peter Clarke lets the ball bounce which allows Cresswell to muscle his way onto the ball. The defender then blocks his shot away. Then, Smithies comes out punching at fresh air from Flynn's teasing cross from the left.

7 mins: Huddersfield win a couple of quick-fire corners which causes brief panic in the Blades' defence until Simonsen in goal comes to the rescue with a commanding punch away.

5 mins: Cresswell, in the lone striker role for Sheffield United, attempts to hold the ball up for his team-mates but gives away a silly foul on the half-way line.

3 mins: It's a cagey start as it so often is in these play-off finals. Huddersfield win a couple of throws in the opposition half but they come to nothing

0 mins: We're underway! Sheffield United will kick us off in their red and white striped shirts. Huddersfield, playing from left to right, are in blue 'n' white.

1455: The two teams emerge from the tunnel onto a sun-drenched Wembley pitch. Two Yorkshire clubs. One Championship place up for grabs. Who is going to get it?

Welcome to our coverage of the League One play-off final at Wembley as Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United battle for a place in the Championship.

The Terriers lost 3-0 to Peterborough this time last year at Old Trafford and were knocked out at the semi-final stage by Millwall in the previous season's play-offs.

Scott Arfield returns to the bench whilst goalkeeper Ian Bennett misses out completely. Arfield missed the return leg of the semi-final win over MK Dons due to an ankle problem, while Bennett injured his hand in the same match and was replaced by Alex Smithies, who continues in goal.

Simon Grayson has no other injury or suspension problems. Skipper Peter Clarke continues alongside Sean Morrison in central defence, with Tommy Miller and Damien Johnson in central midfield, Danny Ward and Kallum Higginbotham on the wings and 40-goal striker Jordan Rhodes resuming his partnership with Lee Novak up front.

Sheffield United are bidding for their first play-off final success after losing their previous three to Crystal Palace (1-0) in 1997, Wolves (3-0) in 2003 and Burnley (1-0) in 2009.

Richard Cresswell, who has struggled with a shoulder problem in recent weeks, is fit enough to start for the Blades. McDonald's hamstring injury kept him out for seven matches in February and March and was withdrawn during half-time in the second leg against Stevenage. The Scot has responded well to treatment but is not risked for this crucial game so Nick Montgomery starts.

Join us for live commentary from 1500 and send your pre-match comments and predictions to Yorkshireman and Leeds United fan, Mark, by clicking on his name above.

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team line-up

1Alex Smithies
15Sean Morrison
32Jack Hunt
5Peter Clarke
2Calum Woods
18Tommy Miller
14Damien Johnson
17Jordan Rhodes
11Daniel Ward99
27Kallum Higginbotham79
21Lee Novak116

substitutes

7Gary Roberts79
25Nick Colgan
12Tom Clarke
16Scott Arfield116
19Alan Lee99

referee

Roger East

team line-up

1Steve Simonsen
19Harry Maguire
32Matthew Hill
4Nick Montgomery122
2Matthew Lowton
15Neill Collins
11Ryan Flynn108
28Stephen Quinn
8Michael Doyle
17Richard Cresswell85
14Lee Williamson

substitutes

20David McAllister
13Mark Howard
21Chris Porter85
29Michael O'Halloran108
16Andy Taylor122

referee

Roger East

match stats

possession %5049
shots on target54
shots off target75
corners89
tackles won1712
offsides03