A few Bolton fans could get annoyed by the headline but as we entertain Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon it’s difficult to look at League One this season and pick out a much bigger match.
With the Blades travelling contingence selling out the away end and the usual huge turnout expected in the home end from the Bantams faithful, Saturday’s League One encounter could be the tastiest of them all.
In his press conference on Thursday afternoon Bantams boss Stuart McCall stated ‘it’s a big Yorkshire derby and I might be biased but probably the biggest game in the division. We're all excited for it.'
In short our match up against Sheffield United is big in two regards, the two fan bases that follow their respective sides and the current performances and form of both teams. In terms of fan bases these two sides are at the top of the League One table in terms of attendances this term. With average home crowds for the Bantams at 17,429 and for the Blades at 19,095 it’s safe to say both sides are very well supporting despite being in the lowly third tier of English football.
In terms of current form this game is further massively significant. With City sitting 2nd and Sheff United occupying 4th spot both Yorkshire sides have made a very good start to the season. Until last week we were unbeaten, ruined by a last gasp wining for Oxford at the Kassam Stadium last Saturday, whilst the Blades themselves are currently on a nine game unbeaten stretch in the league.
Again for the home side it’s a full squad to choose from with the exception of right-back Tony McMahon who is finally expected in full training on Monday morning with the rest of the team. With appearances in Tuesday’s 1-1 home draw with Southend, Rory McArdle and Matthew Kilgallon could also feature once more in the 15:00 kick off however striker Marc McNulty, who scored in mid-week, is ineligible for Saturday’s clash as he is on loan from our opponents.
Compared to much of the rest of the season our last two league results have been slightly deflating. That last minute loss away at Oxford was really disappointing especially considering Billy Clarke’s penalty miss in the first half, whilst the performance mid-week against Southend was short of recent standards set by the Bantams. It must be stressed though that we still only have one league loss against our name this year and that we still sit second in League One up until this point.
As for our opposition Sheffield United, they are flying in League One of late. Unbeaten in their last nine league matches, the Blades have picked up seven wins including big results against Port Vale and Shrewsbury recently. Up top it’s that man Billy Sharp leading the line again for United this year with seven goals to his name so far this season already, he’s the danger man.
In his press conference McCall eluded to his time with the Blades with whom he made 71 appearances over a five year stint with our Yorkshire rivals. He added 'I'm sure everyone looks out for this fixture. I do, I had 5 years at Sheffield United and really enjoyed my time there.'
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