Sheffield United vs. Doncaster Rovers
Monday, 3 January 2011
@ Bramall Lane - Kick-Off: 3:00pm
Doncaster Rovers have an opportunity of completing the double over Sheffield United for the first time in their history after recording a 2-0 victory earlier in the season.
Rovers were unfortunate to become a casualty of winter when their home fixture with Ipswich Town last Tuesday was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
Hopefully there Keepmoat meeting with Scunthorpe United on New Year’s Day will have taken place – one the ‘big match’ matches which both clubs look forward to each season.
Should there game with the Iron go ahead then it will be there first npower Championship outing for 15 days after their Boxing Day fixture at Derby County was also postponed.
They are expected to be without defender Mustapha Dumbuya (knee) is ruled out through injury; otherwise Sean O’Driscoll should play an injury free squad.
Former Sheffield United forward Billy Sharp is expected to feature; he had spent all of last season on loan at Rovers but was exempt from playing against the Blades. Billy spent two spells at the Lane; firstly after coming up through the academy; making his debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Watford in November 2004.
He was loaned out to Rushden & Diamonds that same season and notched a hat-trick at home to Boston United before returning to the Blades and featured in the 4-2 defeat on the final day of the season at Molineux.
In August 2005 he was snapped up by Scunthorpe United and after two successful promotions returned to the Lane under then manager Bryan Robson; making his first full debut in a 2-2 draw with Colchester United.
Sharp scored his first Blades goal (a brace) against Morecambe in the League Cup and a year later a hat-trick at home to Queens Park Rangers.
Throughout the course of the 2009/10 Championship season Billy was at Doncaster Rovers on loan but through word of agreement didn’t feature against the Blades; after a year he signed perminantly for the Keepmoat club.
He left Bramall Lane having made a total of 48 (+18) appearances and found the back of the net 13 times.
Former Sheffield United academy player Waide Fairhurst is currently on loan at Southend United to gain experience and won’t feature this Saturday against the Blades.
Expected Eleven: Sulivan, Souza, Martis, Lockwood, Hird, Stock, Coppinger, Wilson, Oster, Sharp, Hayter.