# 2017–18 Sheffield United F.C. season

The 2017–18 season was Sheffield United's 129th season in their history and marked their return to the Championship, following a six-year stay in the third tier. Along with the Championship, the club also competed in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Before the season, many EFL fans, Sheffield Wednesday fans amongst them, tipped the Blades for a season of struggles in and around the bottom 3. United defied this by finishing 10th, and chasing the play-offs all season long.
The season covered the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.

## Squad

| No. | Name | Pos. | Place of Birth | Age | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | Contract End |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | Simon Moore | GK | Sandown | 27 | 55 | 0 | Cardiff City | 19 August 2016 | Undisclosed | 2019 |
| 27 | Jamal Blackman | GK | Croydon | 23 | 24 | 0 | Chelsea | 27 July 2017 | Loan | 2018 |
| 31 | Jake Eastwood | GK | Sheffield | 20 | 3 | 0 | Youth Academy | 1 July 2015 | Trainee | 2018 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | George Baldock | RB | Buckingham | 31 | 24 | 1 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 July 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| 3 | Enda Stevens | LB | Dublin | 34 | 33 | 1 | Portsmouth | 1 July 2017 | Free | 2020 |
| 5 | Jack O'Connell | CB | Liverpool | 23 | 81 | 6 | Brentford | 8 July 2016 | Undisclosed | 2022 |
| 13 | Jake Wright | CB | Keighley | 31 | 49 | 0 | Oxford United | 9 July 2016 | Free | 2019 |
| 18 | Kieron Freeman | RB | Arnold | 25 | 108 | 13 | Derby County | 23 January 2015 | Free | 2020 |
| 19 | Richard Stearman | CB | Wolverhampton | 37 | 17 | 1 | Fulham | 6 July 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| 23 | Ben Heneghan | CB | Manchester | 31 | 1 | 0 | Motherwell | 31 August 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| 24 | Daniel Lafferty | LB | Derry | 28 | 45 | 4 | Burnley | 13 January 2017 | Undisclosed | 2019 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 4 | John Fleck | CM | Glasgow | 25 | 79 | 6 | Coventry City | 11 July 2016 | Free | 2021 |
| 6 | Chris Basham | DM/CB | Hebburn | 28 | 172 | 8 | Blackpool | 1 July 2014 | Free | 2019 |
| 7 | John Lundstram | CM | Liverpool | 30 | 29 | 2 | Oxford United | 25 July 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| 14 | Ryan Leonard | CM/CB | Plympton | 32 | 3 | 0 | Southend United | 9 January 2018 | Undisclosed | 2021 |
| 15 | Paul Coutts | CM | Aberdeen | 28 | 120 | 5 | Derby County | 23 January 2015 | Undisclosed | 2019 |
| 20 | Lee Evans | CM | Newport | 30 | 5 | 0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10 January 2018 | £750,000 | 2021 |
| 21 | Mark Duffy | RM | Liverpool | 31 | 73 | 8 | Birmingham City | 1 July 2016 | Free | 2018 |
| 26 | Ricky Holmes | LM | Rochford | 37 | 2 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| 36 | David Brooks | LW/AM | Warrington | 27 | 26 | 3 | Youth Academy | 1 July 2015 | Trainee | 2021 |
| 44 | Samir Carruthers | CM | Islington | 24 | 28 | 1 | Milton Keynes Dons | 3 January 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | Leon Clarke | CF | Birmingham | 32 | 24 | Bury | 27 July 2016 | Undisclosed | 2019 |
| 10 | Billy Sharp | CF | Sheffield | 31 | 223 | 75 | Leeds United | 25 July 2015 | Undisclosed | 2019 |
| 11 | Clayton Donaldson | CF | Bradford | 40 | 18 | 5 | Birmingham City | 31 August 2017 | Nominal | 2018 |
| 12 | James Wilson | CF | Biddulph | 29 | 4 | 1 | Manchester United | 10 January 2018 | Loan | 2018 |
| 22 | Caolan Lavery | CF | Red Deer | 24 | 36 | 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 30 August 2016 | Free | 2019 |
| 32 | Ched Evans | CF | Rhyl | 35 | 123 | 48 | Chesterfield | 1 July 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| Out on Loan ||||||||||||
| 8 | Nathan Thomas | LW | Ingleby Barwick | 22 | 3 | 2 | Hartlepool United | 1 July 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| 17 | James Hanson | CF | Bradford | 29 | 14 | 1 | Bradford City | 24 January 2017 | Undisclosed | 2020 |
| | George Long | GK | Sheffield | 23 | 123 | 0 | Youth Academy | 1 July 2011 | Trainee | 2018 |
| | Chris Hussey | LB | London | 28 | 11 | 0 | Bury | 1 July 2016 | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| | James Wilson | CB | Chepstow | 28 | 10 | 1 | Oldham Athletic | 5 July 2016 | Free | 2018 |
| | Louis Reed | CM | Barnsley | 19 | 59 | 0 | Youth Academy | 1 July 2013 | Trainee | 2018 |
* All appearances and goals up to date as of 10 February 2018.

### Statistics

    As of 6 May 2018
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | League Cup | League Cup | FA Cup | FA Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Simon Moore | 19 | 0 | 15+3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | George Baldock | 38 | 1 | 30+4 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | IRL | Enda Stevens | 47 | 1 | 45+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | SCO | John Fleck | 43 | 2 | 40+0 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Jack O'Connell | 48 | 0 | 46+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Chris Basham | 51 | 2 | 45+1 | 2 | 0+2 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | John Lundstram | 39 | 3 | 20+15 | 3 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Leon Clarke | 39 | 19 | 38+1 | 19 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Billy Sharp | 37 | 14 | 28+6 | 13 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 |
| 11 | FW | JAM | Clayton Donaldson | 29 | 5 | 9+17 | 5 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | ENG | James Wilson | 9 | 1 | 4+4 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | ENG | Jake Wright | 22 | 0 | 13+4 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Ryan Leonard | 13 | 0 | 6+7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | SCO | Paul Coutts | 17 | 1 | 16+0 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | WAL | Kieron Freeman | 11 | 1 | 10+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Richard Stearman | 30 | 2 | 28+0 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | WAL | Lee Evans | 19 | 2 | 18+1 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Mark Duffy | 39 | 3 | 28+8 | 3 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Ben Heneghan | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | NIR | Daniel Lafferty | 13 | 1 | 1+7 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Ricky Holmes | 5 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 27 | GK | ENG | Jamal Blackman | 33 | 0 | 31+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | ENG | Jake Eastwood | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | WAL | Ched Evans | 13 | 0 | 2+7 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Jake Bennett | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | ENG | Regan Slater | 3 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 36 | MF | WAL | David Brooks | 33 | 3 | 9+21 | 3 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 44 | MF | IRL | Samir Carruthers | 16 | 1 | 4+9 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| Player(s) out on loan: ||||||||||||
| 8 | MF | ENG | Nathan Thomas | 3 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 1 |
| 17 | FW | ENG | James Hanson | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | NIR | Caolan Lavery | 6 | 1 | 1+2 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 |
| Player(s) who left the club: ||||||||||||
| 16 | DF | USA | Cameron Carter-Vickers | 18 | 1 | 17+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | ENG | John Brayford | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |

#### Goals

    As of 6 May 2018
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Championship | League Cup | FA Cup | Total |
| 1 | 9 | | CF | Leon Clarke | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | 10 | | CF | Billy Sharp | 13 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 3 | 11 | | CF | Clayton Donaldson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | 7 | | CM | John Lundstram | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | 21 | | AM | Mark Duffy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | 36 | | AM | David Brooks | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | | CM | John Fleck | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 6 | | DM | Chris Basham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 8 | | LW | Nathan Thomas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 19 | | CB | Richard Stearman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 20 | | CM | Lee Evans | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | 2 | | RB | George Baldock | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 3 | | LB | Enda Stevens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 12 | | CF | James Wilson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 15 | | CM | Paul Coutts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 18 | | RB | Kieron Freeman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 22 | | CF | Caolan Lavery | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 24 | | LB | Daniel Lafferty | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 44 | | CM | Samir Carruthers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | | | CB | Cameron Carter-Vickers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 58 | 3 | 2 | 63 |

#### Disciplinary record

    As of 6 May 2018
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Championship | Championship | Championship | League Cup | League Cup | League Cup | FA Cup | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| 1 | 4 | | CM | John Fleck | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | | LB | Enda Stevens | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 6 | | DM | Chris Basham | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 5 | | CB | Jack O'Connell | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 15 | | CM | Paul Coutts | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 20 | | CM | Lee Evans | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 7 | | CM | John Lundstram | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 9 | | CF | Leon Clarke | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 36 | | AM | David Brooks | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 2 | | RB | George Baldock | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 10 | | CF | Billy Sharp | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 19 | | CB | Richard Stearman | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 21 | | AM | Mark Duffy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 11 | | CF | Clayton Donaldson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 24 | | LB | Daniel Lafferty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 27 | | GK | Jamal Blackman | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | | | CB | Cameron Carter-Vickers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | 1 | | GK | Simon Moore | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | 12 | | CF | James Wilson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | 13 | | CB | Jake Wright | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 78 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 0 | 3 |

### Contracts

| Date | Position | Name | Status | Contract Length | Expiry Date |
| 18 July 2017 | CM | Chris Basham | Signed | 2 years | June 2019 |
| 18 July 2017 | CM | Paul Coutts | Signed | 2 years | June 2019 |
| 18 July 2017 | RB | Kieron Freeman | Signed | 3 years | June 2020 |
| 18 July 2017 | CF | Billy Sharp | Signed | 2 years | June 2019 |
| 22 September 2017 | CM | John Fleck | Signed | 4 years | June 2021 |
| 15 November 2017 | CB | Jack O'Connell | Signed | 4.5 years | June 2022 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2017 | RB | George Baldock | Milton Keynes Dons | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2017 | CF | Ched Evans | Chesterfield | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2017 | LB | Enda Stevens | Portsmouth | Free |
| 1 July 2017 | LW | Nathan Thomas | Hartlepool United | Undisclosed |
| 6 July 2017 | CB | Richard Stearman | Fulham | Undisclosed |
| 25 July 2017 | CM | John Lundstram | Oxford United | Undisclosed |
| 31 August 2017 | CF | Clayton Donaldson | Birmingham City | Undisclosed |
| 31 August 2017 | CB | Ben Heneghan | Motherwell | Undisclosed |
| 9 January 2018 | CM | Ryan Leonard | Southend United | Undisclosed |
| 10 January 2018 | CM | Lee Evans | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £750,000 |
| 15 January 2018 | LM | Ricky Holmes | Charlton Athletic | Undisclosed |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2017 | LB | Graham Kelly | Port Vale | Free |
| 1 July 2017 | CF | Marc McNulty | Coventry City | Free |
| 1 July 2017 | AM | Jay O'Shea | Bury | Free |
| 1 July 2017 | AM | Stefan Scougall | St Johnstone | Free |
| 3 August 2017 | LM | Matt Done | Rochdale | Mutual consent |
| 16 August 2017 | LB | Kieran Wallace | Free agent | Mutual consent |
| 31 August 2017 | RB | John Brayford | Burton Albion | Mutual consent |
| 11 January 2018 | CM | Ben Whiteman | Doncaster Rovers | Undisclosed |
* ↑ Marc McNulty joined Coventry City following release from the club.
* ↑ Jay O'Shea joined Bury on a free transfer after rejecting a contract with Sheffield United.
* ↑ Stefan Scougall joined St Johnstone following release from the club.
* ↑ Matt Done joined Rochdale following his departure.
* ↑ John Brayford joined Burton Albion following his departure.

### Loans in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 27 July 2017 | GK | Jamal Blackman | Chelsea | 30 June 2018 |
| 25 August 2017 | CB | Cameron Carter-Vickers | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 June 2018 |
| 10 January 2018 | CF | James Wilson | Manchester United | 30 June 2018 |

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 1 July 2017 | AM | Benjamin Whiteman | Doncaster Rovers | January 2018 |
| 4 July 2017 | GK | George Long | AFC Wimbledon | 30 June 2018 |
| 7 July 2017 | LB | Chris Hussey | Swindon Town | 30 June 2018 |
| 11 July 2017 | CM | Louis Reed | Chesterfield | 30 June 2018 |
| 17 July 2017 | CB | James Wilson | Walsall | 30 June 2018 |
| 26 October 2017 | FW | Jordan Hallam | Southport | 23 November 2017 |
| 3 January 2018 | CF | James Hanson | Bury | 30 June 2018 |

## Pre-season
### Friendlies

As of 16 June 2017, Sheffield United have six pre-season friendlies against Stoke City, Stocksbridge Park Steels, Chesterfield, Rotherham United, Eastleigh and Málaga.

## Competitions
### EFL Championship
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 8 | Millwall | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 72 |
| 9 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 62 | 52 | +10 | 69 |
| 10 | Sheffield United | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 69 |
| 11 | Bristol City | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 67 |
| 12 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 57 | 60 | −3 | 60 |

#### Result summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 28 April 2018. Source:

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | L | L | W | W | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | W | W | L | W | W | L | D | L | L | L | D | W | L | D | D | W | L | L | W | W | L | W | L | D | W | D | D | D | L | W | D | L | L | W |
| Position | 8 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 |

#### Matches

On 21 June 2017, the EFL Championship league fixtures were announced.

### FA Cup

In the FA Cup, Sheffield United entered the competition in the third round and were drawn away to Ipswich Town.

### EFL Cup

On 16 June 2017, Sheffield United were drawn at home to Walsall in the first round. A home tie was to follow in the second round, with Leicester City the visitors.