Sheffield Utd v Chelsea: Blues underestimated Blades at their peril

Chelsea’s last match against Crystal Palace ended in a well-received 3-2 win, the points gratefully accepted by Frank Lampard and his side.

The Blues’ manager will be desperate to ’prove’ his credentials by steering his charges into the Champions League although, with an FA Cup Semi-Final still to play, the four-time winner of the competition may still have one eye on guiding Chelsea to Wembley and their ninth triumph.

With Chelsea having now moved into third place in the league table, thanks in part to Leicester City dropping points against Arsenal, The Blues will be anxious to maintain their place within the top four, notwithstanding that to finish the season in their current position would be deemed a great accomplishment by all concerned.

One downside to the club’s recent return to playing football is that young rising starlet Billy Gilmour is set to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury that he picked up at Selhurst Park, with the suggestion that the prognosis might recommend surgery.

The Scot has been a revelation since he made his debut for Chelsea earlier this season and he was fast becoming a favourite of the supporters.

Like everyone else, all connected with the cfcuk Chelsea fanzine wish him well for a successful and speedy recovery, and a serious injury free future beyond that.

Chelsea’s visit to Bramall Lane will not be easy. With the Stamford Bridge side’s ‘Achilles heel’ seemingly being defending dead ball set pieces in their own last third of the field and what with Sheffield United’s last match heading for a draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last Wednesday, the Blades’ last gasp goal – scored from a corner – leaves cause for concern.

Whilst Chelsea are in clear contention for a berth in European football next season, Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United may still qualify for a Europa League place so will, like their guests, be fighting for every ball and for every point available.

Come the kick-off at 5.30 pm on Saturday and to paraphrase the well-known line from Gerry Anderson’s ‘Stingray’, I will be thinking, ‘This is football. This is Chelsea. Anything can happen in the next 90 minutes…’

Win or lose, Up The Blues!

About the Author

Londoner David Johnstone is a home, away and European away Chelsea supporter and has missed just six matches since 2001 (although he’s quick to state there are plenty of other supporters with better attendance records than him).

He has been involved with the fanzine scene at Chelsea since around 1991 and started the ‘cfcuk’ fanzine in 1999 which was, until Mr Abramovich bought the club in 2003, named ‘Matthew Harding’s Blue And White Army’.

David was also responsible for forming both the Chelsea Supporters’ Group and the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust which are the main two bodies that represent the followers of Chelsea FC and take their concerns to those running the club.

A founder of the highly regarded Chelsea FanCast weekly podcast (but is no longer involved) and responsible for the crowd surfing banners and supporter displays that are seen in the Matthew Harding Stand at Stamford Bridge on matchdays.