Darren Currie missed a penalty and Sito was sent off as two Steve Kabba goals saw league leaders Sheffield United to a 2-0 victory over the Blues. Despite large periods of possession in rain-sodden conditions, Town rarely troubled United keeper Paddy Kenny.

As expected, Fabian Wilnis was the unlucky defender left out of the starting line-up. Jason De Vos returned to the central defence after his rib injury, while new loanee Jay McEveley made his debut at left-back. Ian Westlake missed out after injuring his ankle in training this week.

Boss Joe Royle continued with his controversial one-man attack, employing a formation perhaps best expressed as 4-3-2-1, with Parkin the lone striker and Dean Bowditch wide on the left and Jaime Peters on the right slightly deeper. In the centre, Darren Currie played just ahead of Jim Magilton and Kevin Horlock.

The game was only five minutes old when the home side went in front. Alan Quinn's shot was deflected into the path of Steve Kabba who drove the ball past Lewis Price, taking a touch off a defender on the way through. Kabba is best remembered by Town fans for his two-goal performance in the 2002 defeat at Grimsby, the result which cost George Burley his job as manager.

The Blades had started much the stronger side, Chris Morgan had already headed wide, and soon after Kabba's goal, Paul Ifill sent a dangerous ball across the Town box. On 10 McEveley lost possession on the left of the Town area but Ifill put his shot the wrong side of the post.

Currie shot wide from 25 yards, just prior to Price saving a powerful Kabba strike from just outside the area.

Neil Shipperley should have put the Blades two up in the 17th minute but hammered Ifill's low ball in from the right straight at Price, who saved well with his foot. Four minutes later, Richard Naylor was booked for a foul on Kabba.

There was danger for United in the 25th minute when a Darren Currie freekick from the right avoided a crowd of players inside the box, Jason De Vos perhaps being prevented from getting on the end of it by a defender. Jim Magilton's ball back in also avoided the crowd scene before going out of play.

Five minutes later Kevin Horlock sent in a similar ball which was again missed by the massed ranks inside the area, keeper Kenny diving across his goal to make sure it was going wide of the post.

Currie hit a 35-yard shot which deflected through to Kenny, then Peters had an effort blocked after a probing run. The ball ran to Currie and Peters headed his cross into the arms of the keeper.

Town were having the greater share of possession and passing the ball well but without creating too many opportunities.

The Blades though, always looked dangerous when close to the Town goal, getting the ball forward quickly, with Kabba in particular a danger. Two minutes before the break the ex-Crystal Palace man almost added a second when he left Sito in a puddle in the area but shot straight at Price.

As the game entered injury time, Horlock picked up a yellow card for a lunge on Ifill, then ex-Blue David Unsworth almost set-up a goal, playing a corner low to the edge of the area and former Town target Leigh Bromby shot just wide.

No changes at the break, the Blues having passed the ball well if to little attacking effect, with Parkin, Bowditch and Peters not involved enough.

The Blues might have had a chance early in the half when Parkin managed to play a long throw across the six-yard box but no one was anticipating the pass.

Town should have got themselves back on terms in the 56th minute when an awkward Kabba challenge on Sito sent the Spaniard sprawling inside the area. Referee Phil Dowd had no doubt that it was a foul and pointed to the spot.

With Tommy Miller departed for Sunderland, Darren Currie was handed the task of netting from 12 yards and hit a low effort to Paddy Kenny's left, the keeper getting a long way across his goal to save.

United might have gone further ahead just before the hour, Kabba breaking through, perhaps from an offside position, and having his shot deflected wide.

On 65 Dean McDonald replaced Dean Bowditch while Paul Ifill received treatment for an injury, Town having played the ball out to allow treatment. Bizarrely, after Kabba had thrown the ball back out for a Town goalkick, Lewis Price was booked because he had placed a ball ready to take the kick quickly, an offence perhaps termed 'time-saving'.

Horlock lashed wide from 25 yards as the game entered the final 15 minutes, before Price saved well from Quinn shot on the right. The Town keeper, who hadn't put a hand wrong in very tricky slippery conditions, also did well to claim a long throw bouncing and sliding across the box.

Sito picked up his first yellow card in the 78th minute for a foul on Quinn, a challenge which appeared to owe a lot to the by now marshy conditions. The Spaniard received his first English red card eight minutes later when he pulled Kabba back on halfway and had little argument with referee Dowd's decision.

As the game entered injury time, the home side broke quickly after a Town freekick at the other end of the field, Kabba taking the ball to the edge of the area and slamming it under Lewis Price.

Town's first league defeat at Bramall Lane since 1993 and one in which they rarely looked like scoring during open play, indeed it's difficult to recall a Kenny save other than the penalty. Once Darren Currie's spotkick had been saved, there seemed little likelihood of anything other than a home victory.

The Blues held onto the ball better than they had in previous away games but mainly in deeper areas and Town are still unable to create anything like the chances they did last season. Parkin was again quiet, while Peters was kept in check for much of the game by David Unsworth.

Debutant McEveley had a solid afternoon at left-back from a defensive perspective but got forward on few occasions.

Town's man of the match was probably Lewis Price, despite being beaten twice. In very difficult conditions for keepers, the Wales U21 held onto virtually everything, making a number of decent saves.

Town: Price, Sito, McEveley, Naylor, De Vos, Magilton, Horlock, Currie, Peters, Bowditch (McDonald 65), Parkin. Unused: Supple, Richards, Garvan, Wilnis. Att: 21,059.

Photo: Action Images

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