Battle of Bramall Lane
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The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002. The match was unusual in that it was abandoned due to Sheffield United having only six players left on the pitch.
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[edit] Background
With eight league matches of the 2001–2002 season remaining,[1] Albion lay in third place in the First Division on 67 points, 11 points behind rivals Wolves, who occupied the second automatic promotion spot. United meanwhile were in 15th position on 50 points, safe from relegation but not threatening the playoff places.[2]
[edit] Match summary
Nine minutes in, United's keeper, Simon Tracey, was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area. Sheffield manager Neil Warnock sent on a new keeper, Wilko de Vogt, taking off Peter Ndlovu. The visiting WBA scored a first-half goal through Scott Dobie against the 10-man United, and added a second goal in the 62nd minute — a cracking 20-yard drive from Derek McInnes.
The match turned truly ugly in the 65th minute, when Georges Santos, whom United had just brought on seconds earlier, was sent off for a two-footed sliding tackle on Andy Johnson. With hindsight, one could have anticipated fireworks between the two; when Johnson was playing for Nottingham Forest the previous season, he had fractured Santos' cheekbone and seriously damaged his eye socket with a swinging elbow. The two teams then scuffled on the pitch; in the melee, another United substitute, Patrick Suffo, was sent off for head-butting Derek McInnes. This reduced United to eight men, with no more substitutions left. Soon after, United captain Keith Curle was fortunate to avoid a sending off after appearing to throw punches at McInnes.
In the 77th minute, WBA added a third goal, Scott Dobie tapping in from short range. Two minutes later, Michael Brown limped off for United, and Robert Ullathorne went off injured in the 82nd minute, reducing them to six men. The referee, Eddie Wolstenholme, then abandoned the game with West Brom leading 3–0. The referee would have been aware of the IFA board guideline to law 3 which states "the minimum number of players in a team is left to the discretion of member associations. The Board is of the opinion, however, that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team." Both Brown and Ullathorne were ruled out for the rest of the season due to the injuries sustained during this match, despite the allegations that the injuries were faked to get the game abandoned.
[edit] Match details
| 16 March 2002 15:00 GMT |
Sheffield United  |
0–3 (Match abandoned after 82 minutes) |
West Bromwich Albion |
Bramall Lane, Sheffield Attendance: 17,653 Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme |
| (Report) | Dobie  18' 77'McInnes 63' |
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[edit] Aftermath
After the match, The FA launched an investigation; they could have chosen to let the result stand, or order a replay. West Brom manager Gary Megson, who had incorrectly accused Warnock and his players of orchestrating the chaos, had a very strong opinion on the issue:
I've been in professional football since 16 and I'm 42 now. I've never ever witnessed anything as disgraceful as that. There is no place for that in any game of football, let alone professional football. There will be no replay. If we are called back to Bramall Lane we shall kick-off and then walk off the pitch.
Eventually, The FA fined United £10,000. The Football League, following The FA's recommendation, let the match result stand. Warnock correctly escaped punishment, as no evidence was mentioned in Wolstenholme's match report. Santos and Suffo were immediately transfer listed never played for United again.
Gary Megson also escaped punishment for his comments made to the press accusing Warnock of faking injuries to end the game.
West Bromwich Albion went on to clinch automatic promotion on the final day of the season with a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace. Sheffield United finished in 13th place.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Battle of Bramall Lane - BBC News, 2002-03-16
- Match report from Sheffield United F.C. official site
- Match statistics at Soccerbase
