Football Season Review

After they finish grieving their Play-Off final defeat to Huddersfield, Sheffield United fans will look back at the season they had and wonder how it's possible that they failed to win promotion. The Blades looked very strong from the very beginning of the season, spent the majority of the campaign inside the top two and were hoping to secure direct promotion with three games to spare. But then came the killer blow that was the prison sentence issued to Ched Evans, and the Blades had to play their final three league games without their 35 goal man. The two games immediately after Evans's sentencing saw the Blades picking up just one point, and their local rivals Sheffield Wednesday leapfrogged them, eventually winning promotion. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Danny Wilson and his men, especially as they were only the second side in the last ten years to reach the 90 point mark in League One and miss out on direct promotion. With Richard Cresswell and Will Hoskins both struggling with injuries, Chris Porter was the only typical striker available to Wilson for the semi-final clashes against Stevenage. Wilson set up his side in a cautious manner, packing the midfield and the Blades were the better side over the 180 minutes, deservedly going on to claim a 1-0 aggregate win. Cresswell managed to recover for the Play-Off final, but the Blades were dealt a new blow as playmaker Kevin McDonald got injured and failed a late fitness test. His absence meant that it was virtually impossible for Sheffield United to take on the Terriers in an open game and they managed to scrap their way into extra time and eventually penalties after surviving a major scares, including two goal line clearances, one post and two fantastic saves by Steve Simonsen. The Blades looked set to clinch their place in the Championship as the Terriers missed their first three spot kicks, but they were unable to capitalize, eventually allowing Huddersfield to equalize and take the shootout series into sudden death. It was Simonsen, who was the main reason his side managed to reach penalties in the first place, that turned from hero to villain, as he blasted his spot-kick high over the bar, ending his side's hopes of a swift return to the second tier. This will certainly be remembered as a season of great hurt and with no luck for the Blades, who's priority over the summer will be to bring in a top striker to fill in Evans's boots - if they fail to do that, they won't look as likely candidates for direct promotion.

Player of the Season: Stephen Quinn