Blades too sharp for Crewe
By Mark Buckingham. Last Updated: January 1, 1970 1:00am
Sheffield United continued their good form with a convincing 3-1 victory at Crewe Alexandra.
Second half goals from Alan Quinn and Steve Kabba secured the points after Neil Shipperley's effort had been cancelled out by Steve Foster in the first period.
The Blades were on top for much of the game at Gresty Road and David Unsworth forced a smart early stop out of Crewe keeper Ross Turnbull.
The visitors edged ahead on 15 minutes when Phil Jagielka flicked on a corner and Shipperley prodded home at the far post.
Within two minutes Crewe were level courtesy of a howler from Paddy Kenny as the Blades keeper failed to catch a Kenny Lunt free kick and Foster had the simple task of heading into an unguarded net.
Neil Warnock's men pushed for a second goal before half time with Nick Montgomery firing into the side-netting and Kabba lashing a shot just wide.
On 50 minutes the second goal duly arrived as Quinn raced on to a through ball and kept his composure before slotting past Turnbull.
Jagielka then headed over from a tight angle before he played a role in his team's third goal on 56 minutes.
Keith Gillespie's cross was headed back across goal by Jagielka and Kabba showed great skill to chest the ball down and thump a volley beyond Turnbull.
Crewe had a late chance to restore some pride when Steve Jones escaped his marker but Kenny was equal to the shot.
Matches
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npower Championship
Table
npower Championship
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 46 | 87 |
| 2 | Hull City | 46 | 79 |
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 77 |
| 4 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 46 | 75 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 72 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 68 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 68 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 67 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Derby County | 46 | 61 |
| 11 | Burnley | 46 | 61 |
| 12 | Birmingham City | 46 | 61 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 46 | 61 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Blackpool | 46 | 59 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 59 |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 58 |
| 18 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 58 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 58 |
| 20 | Millwall | 46 | 56 |
| 21 | Barnsley | 46 | 55 |
| 22 | Peterborough United | 46 | 54 |
| 23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 51 |
| 24 | Bristol City | 46 | 41 |
Neil Shipperley
Stephen Foster
Alan Quinn
Steve Kabba
