1998–99 Sheffield United F.C. season
| 1998–99 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Mike McDonald |
| Manager | Steve Bruce |
| Stadium | Bramall Lane |
| First Division | 8th |
| FA Cup | Fifth round |
| League Cup | Second round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Marcelo (16) All: Marcelo (20) |
| Average home league attendance | 16,243 |
During the 1998–99 English football season, Sheffield United competed in the Football League First Division.
Season summary
The 1998–99 season saw more managerial change, with Steve Bruce taking over first team affairs. The Blades challenged once again for a play-off place but eventually finished eighth. However, there was drama in the FA Cup where the Blades were controversially beaten by Arsenal when Bruce attempted to take his team off the pitch, claiming that Arsenal had broken an unwritten rule of sportsmanship by failing to return the ball to the Blades, who had intentionally kicked it out of play to allow an injured player to be attended to. Although the game eventually continued to a finish, it was later declared void and replayed; United lost.[1][2] In May, Bruce resigned after just one season in charge, citing turmoil in the club's boardroom and a shortage of funds for transfers.[3]
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 78 | 59 | +19 | 76 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 73 | |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 71 | 66 | +5 | 67 | |
| 9 | Norwich City | 46 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 62 | 61 | +1 | 62 | |
| 10 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 62 | 71 | −9 | 61 |
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
Results
Sheffield United's score comes first[4]
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
Football League First Division
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 1998 | Swindon Town | H | 2–1 | 15,977 | Stuart, Borbokis |
| 15 August 1998 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–4 | 16,901 | Saunders |
| 22 August 1998 | Birmingham City | H | 0–2 | 17,528 | |
| 29 August 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–2 | 18,263 | Saunders, Taylor |
| 31 August 1998 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 3–1 | 15,922 | Hunt, I Hamilton, Woodhouse |
| 5 September 1998 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–1 | 12,192 | |
| 8 September 1998 | Grimsby Town | H | 3–2 | 12,293 | Marker (2), McDermott (own goal) |
| 12 September 1998 | Bradford City | A | 2–2 | 13,169 | Saunders, Stuart |
| 19 September 1998 | Norwich City | H | 2–1 | 16,155 | Marcelo (2) |
| 27 September 1998 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–1 | 20,370 | |
| 29 September 1998 | Watford | A | 1–1 | 9,090 | Marker |
| 3 October 1998 | Portsmouth | H | 2–1 | 15,386 | Saunders, Dellas |
| 17 October 1998 | Barnsley | H | 1–1 | 23,180 | Quinn |
| 20 October 1998 | Stockport County | H | 1–1 | 12,657 | Marcelo |
| 24 October 1998 | Oxford United | A | 2–0 | 6,586 | Saunders, Kachura |
| 31 October 1998 | Port Vale | A | 3–2 | 6,737 | Stuart, Kachura, Saunders |
| 7 November 1998 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–2 | 15,844 | Saunders, Borbokis |
| 10 November 1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 20,804 | Stuart |
| 14 November 1998 | Bury | H | 3–1 | 14,164 | Kachura (3) |
| 21 November 1998 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–1 | 12,558 | Stuart, Kachura |
| 28 November 1998 | Sunderland | H | 0–4 | 25,612 | |
| 5 December 1998 | Bristol City | A | 0–2 | 11,134 | |
| 11 December 1998 | Bury | A | 3–3 | 5,002 | Woodhouse, Marcelo (2) |
| 20 December 1998 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–2 | 12,944 | Devlin |
| 26 December 1998 | Birmingham City | A | 0–1 | 22,005 | |
| 28 December 1998 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2–1 | 17,359 | Gray (own goal), Twiss |
| 9 January 1999 | Swindon Town | A | 2–2 | 7,583 | Stuart, Holdsworth |
| 16 January 1999 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–2 | 15,787 | Campbell |
| 30 January 1999 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 2–1 | 5,243 | Marcelo, Devlin |
| 6 February 1999 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3–0 | 16,566 | Morris, Marcelo (2) |
| 19 February 1999 | Bradford City | H | 2–2 | 14,675 | Woodhouse, Marcelo |
| 27 February 1999 | Norwich City | A | 1–1 | 14,224 | Devlin |
| 2 March 1999 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–1 | 12,896 | Morris |
| 6 March 1999 | Watford | H | 3–0 | 15,943 | Devlin, Morris, I Hamilton |
| 9 March 1999 | Portsmouth | A | 0–1 | 10,287 | |
| 13 March 1999 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 3–2 | 6,588 | Morris, Dellas (2) |
| 20 March 1999 | Port Vale | H | 3–0 | 15,515 | Devlin, Marcelo, Hunt |
| 26 March 1999 | Oxford United | H | 1–2 | 14,115 | Marcelo |
| 3 April 1999 | Barnsley | A | 1–2 | 17,566 | Marcelo |
| 5 April 1999 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–1 | 21,761 | Marcelo |
| 10 April 1999 | Stockport County | A | 0–1 | 7,551 | |
| 17 April 1999 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–0 | 14,341 | Marcelo (2, 1 pen) |
| 20 April 1999 | Grimsby Town | A | 2–1 | 5,109 | Campbell (2) |
| 24 April 1999 | Sunderland | A | 0–0 | 41,179 | |
| 1 May 1999 | Bristol City | H | 3–1 | 17,310 | Marcelo, Morris (2) |
| 9 May 1999 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–4 | 21,689 | Donis |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 2 January 1999 | Notts County | H | 1–1 | 12,264 | Marcelo |
| R3R | 23 January 1999 | Notts County | A | 4–3 | 7,489 | Borbokis, Holdsworth, Marcelo (2) |
| R4 | 27 January 1999 | Cardiff City | H | 4–1 | 13,296 | Devlin, Holdsworth, Morris, Stuart |
| R5 | 23 February 1999 | Arsenal | A | 1–2[2] | 37,161 | Morris |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 1st Leg | 11 August 1998 | Darlington | H | 3–1 | 5,035 | Borbokis, Saunders, Taylor |
| R1 2nd Leg | 18 August 1998 | Darlington | A | 2–2 (won 5–3 on agg) | 3,756 | Saunders (2) |
| R2 1st Leg | 15 September 1998 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–1 | 4,689 | I Hamilton, Ford |
| R2 2nd Leg | 22 September 1998 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–2 (lost 2–3 on agg) | 4,287 |
Players
First-team squad
- Squad at end of season[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
References
- ^ Russell Kempson (15 February 1999). "'The goal was an accident. I am sorry' – Football". The Times. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ a b Matt Barlow (23 February 1999). "Fifa Green Light Clears Blades For Rematch". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
- ^ "Football: Bruce out of Blades". The Free Library. The Mirror. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Sheffield United 1998-1999 : Home". statto.com. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ "Sheff Utd FC Player Appearances | Past & Present | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com.
Notes
- ^ Goram was born in Bury, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his father and made his international debut for Scotland in October 1985.
- ^ Kelly was born in Preston, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally through his father and represented them at U-23 level before making his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1993.
- ^ Devlin was born in Birmingham, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his father and would make his international debut for Scotland in October 2002.
- ^ Taylor was born in Weston-super-Mare, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his father and made his international debut for Wales in 1995.