# List of Sheffield United F.C. players

Sheffield United Football Club is an English professional football club who play at Bramall Lane in Sheffield. They were formed in 1889 and played their first competitive match in October of that year, when they entered the first qualifying round of the FA Cup. Since then more than 1,000 players have made a competitive first-team appearance for the club, of whom almost 200 players have made at least 100 appearances (including substitute appearances); those players are listed here.

## Overview

Defender and at times captain Joe Shaw remains the club's record appearance maker, playing over 700 games for the club between 1944 and 1966. The only other players who have made over 600 appearances for The Blades are Shaw's teammate and England goalkeeper Alan Hodgkinson, and forward Alan Woodward who played from 1964 to 1978. United's leading goalscorer is 'Young' Harry Johnson (his similarly named father had also played for the club) who remains the only player to have scored over 200 times for The Blades during his fifteen-year tenure from 1916 to 1931.
The first player to play 100 competitive games for the club was the team's first goal keeper Charlie Howlett, whilst the most recent player to achieve the feat is defender Jayden Bogle who reached that milestone in April 2024. Of the current squad Ryan Flynn and Neill Collins feature on this list.

## Explanation of list

Players are listed in alphabetical order of their surname. Appearances, substitute appearances and goals are included but wartime matches and friendlies are excluded. Further information on competitions/seasons which are regarded as eligible for appearance stats are provided below (dependent on the years at which the player was at the club), and if any data is not available for any of these competitions an appropriate note should be added to the table.

### Appearances

Games included in the stats include appearances in:
* Midland Football League, Northern League, English Football League/Premier League
* Test matches and play-off matches
* FA Cup, Football League Cup, Football League Trophy, Football League Group Cup, Texaco Cup, Anglo-Scottish Cup, Anglo-Italian Cup, Watney Cup
* Friendly matches, exhibition games, and pre-season tournaments are excluded from the figures. Games played during both World Wars are considered friendlies and therefore are also not counted.

### Table headers

* Nationality – If a player played international football, the country/countries he played for are shown. Otherwise, the player's nationality is given as their country of birth.
* Sheffield United career – The year of the player's first appearance for Sheffield United to the year of his last appearance. Where a player had more than one spell at the club these are listed chronologically.
* Starts – The number of games started.
* Sub – The number of games played as a substitute.
* Total – The total number of games played, both as a starter and as a substitute.

### Key

* Playing positions: GK = Goalkeeper; DF = Defender; MF = Midfielder; FW = Forward
* † Players with this colour and symbol in the "Name" column are currently signed to Sheffield United.

## List of players

    As of 11 May 2024
* English international Bobby Barclay who made over 250 appearances for United in the 1930s.
* Forward Richard Cresswell made over 100 appearances for United.
* Irishman Jimmy Dunne made 190 appearances for The Blades between the wars scoring 167 goals.
* Welsh international and former forward Ched Evans made over 100 appearances for the Blades.
* Inspirational captain and FA Cup winner Billy Gillespie played over 500 times for The Blades.
* Billy Hendry was one of United's first 'star players'.
* England International Phil Jagielka made over 250 appearances for United.
* Ernest Needham made over 500 appearances for United.
* Norwegian international Roger Nilsen made almost 200 appearances for United.
* Welsh international Rob Page was a mainstay of the Blades defence in the early part of the 21st century.
* Irish midfielder Stephen Quinn made over 250 appearances for United.
* England International Albert Sturgess made 382 appearances for United.
* Welsh International Gareth Taylor made over 100 appearances for United.
* England International Fred Tunstall scored 135 times in just under 500 appearances for United.
* George Utley made over 100 appearances for United.
List of Sheffield United F.C. players with at least 100 appearances :
| Name | Nationality | Position | Sheffield United career | Starts | Subs | Total | Goals |
| Ref |||
| Colin Addison | England | FW | 1967–1971 | 110 | 2 | 112 | 26 |
| Tony Agana | England | FW | 1988–1991 | 139 | 15 | 154 | 52 |
| Jack Alderson | England | GK | 1925–1928 | 137 | 0 | 137 | 0 |
| Len Allchurch | England | MF | 1961–1965 | 146 | 0 | 146 | 37 |
| Jack Almond | England | FW | 1896–1901 | 125 | 0 | 125 | 21 |
| Chris Armstrong | Scotland | MF | 2003–2008 | 84 | 21 | 105 | 6 |
| Kevin Arnott | England | MF | 1982–1987 | 151 | 2 | 153 | 15 |
| Len Badger | England | DF | 1962–1976 | 541 | 2 | 543 | 8 |
| George Baldock | Greece | DF | 2017–2024 | 205 | 6 | 219 | 6 |
| Chris Basham | England | DF | 2014–2024 | 344 | 11 | 394 | 14 |
| Bobby Barclay | England | MF | 1931–1937 | 256 | 0 | 256 | 72 |
| Frank Barlow | England | MF | 1965–1972 | 137 | 7 | 144 | 3 |
| David Barnes | England | DF | 1989–1994 | 107 | 0 | 107 | 1 |
| Harold Barton | England | MF | 1934–1943 | 214 | 0 | 214 | 47 |
| Paul Beesley | England | DF | 1990–1995 | 186 | 9 | 195 | 9 |
| Walter Bennett | England | FW | 1896–1905 | 234 | 0 | 234 | 70 |
| Bob Benson | England | DF | 1905–1913 | 285 | 0 | 285 | 21 |
| Alan Birchenall | England | FW | 1964–1967 | 123 | 1 | 124 | 37 |
| Len Birks | England | DF | 1924–1931 | 220 | 0 | 220 | 0 |
| Jayden Bogle | England | DF | 2020–2024 | 88 | 10 | 103 | 12 |
| Joe Bolton | England | DF | 1983–1986 | 130 | 0 | 130 | 6 |
| Bob Booker | England | MF | 1988–1991 | 109 | 22 | 131 | 13 |
| Peter Boyle | Republic of Ireland | DF | 1898–1894 | 187 | 0 | 187 | 1 |
| Tommy Boyle | England | MF | 1922–1928 | 137 | 0 | 137 | 40 |
| Carl Bradshaw | England | MF | 1989–1994 | 148 | 27 | 175 | 13 |
| Bill Brelsford | England | DF | 1909–1922 | 299 | 0 | 299 | 1 |
| Leigh Bromby | England | DF | 2004–2008 2009 | 126 | 14 | 140 | 7 |
| Harold Brook | England | FW | 1940–1954 | 257 | 0 | 257 | 101 |
| Arthur Brown | England | FW | 1902–1908 | 187 | 0 | 187 | 114 |
| Jim Brown | Scotland | GK | 1974–1978 | 203 | 0 | 203 | 0 |
| Michael Brown | England | MF | 1999–2003 | 168 | 6 | 172 | 35 |
| Ian Bryson | Scotland | MF | 1988–1993 | 177 | 23 | 200 | 44 |
| Ted Burgin | England | GK | 1949–1957 | 314 | 0 | 314 | 0 |
| John Burridge | England | GK | 1984–1987 | 125 | 0 | 125 | 0 |
| Bob Cain | Scotland | DF | 1891–1898 | 220 | 0 | 220 | 3 |
| Steve Charles | England | FW | 1980–1984 | 144 | 12 | 156 | 14 |
| Cec Coldwell | England | DF | 1952–1966 | 477 | 1 | 475 | 2 |
| Colin Collindridge | England | FW | 1939–1952 | 155 | 0 | 155 | 59 |
| Neill Collins | Scotland | DF | 2006 (loan) 2011–2016 | 168 | 2 | 170 | 9 |
| Eddie Colquhoun | Scotland | DF | 1968–1978 | 430 | 3 | 433 | 23 |
| Steve Conroy | England | GK | 1974–1984 | 135 | 3 | 138 | 0 |
| Bill Cook | England | DF | 1912–1927 | 324 | 0 | 324 | 0 |
| Albert Cox | England | DF | 1935–1952 | 302 | 0 | 302 | 6 |
| Richard Cresswell | England | FW | 2009–2013 | 103 | 38 | 141 | 30 |
| Tony Currie | England | FW | 1968–1976 | 377 | 1 | 378 | 68 |
| Brian Deane | England | FW | 1988–1993 1997–1998 2006 | 270 | 5 | 275 | 119 |
| Bill Dearden | England | FW | 1970–1975 | 204 | 7 | 211 | 72 |
| Paul Devlin | Scotland | FW | 1998–2002 | 141 | 28 | 169 | 29 |
| Jock Dodds | Scotland | FW | 1934–1939 | 203 | 0 | 203 | 130 |
| Michael Doyle | Republic of Ireland | MF | 2011–2015 | 175 | 13 | 188 | 9 |
| Jimmy Dunne | Republic of Ireland | FW | 1926–1933 | 190 | 0 | 190 | 167 |
| Keith Eddy | England | MF | 1972–1976 | 134 | 2 | 136 | 21 |
| Keith Edwards | England | FW | 1976–1978 1981–1986 | 293 | 18 | 311 | 170 |
| John Egan | Republic of Ireland | DF | 2018–2024 | 208 | 7 | 223 | 8 |
| Ched Evans | Wales | FW | 2009–2012 | 86 | 27 | 113 | 48 |
| Robert Evans | England | MF | 1908–1918 | 218 | 0 | 218 | 39 |
| Stan Fazackerley | England | FW | 1913–1920 | 119 | 0 | 119 | 47 |
| John Fleck | Scotland | MF | 2016–2024 | 245 | 33 | 278 | 16 |
| John Flynn | England | DF | 1969–1978 | 226 | 7 | 234 | 10 |
| Ryan Flynn | Scotland | MF | 2011–2016 | 98 | 23 | 121 | 13 |
| Bobby Ford | England | MF | 1997–2002 | 164 | 23 | 187 | 7 |
| William Foulke | England | GK | 1894–1905 | 352 | 0 | 352 | 0 |
| Colin Franks | England | MF | 1973–1979 | 170 | 12 | 182 | 10 |
| Kieron Freeman | England | DF | 2015–2020 | 111 | 14 | 129 | 17 |
| Fred Furniss | England | DF | 1941–1955 | 320 | 0 | 320 | 15 |
| Kevin Gage | England | DF | 1991–1995 | 124 | 17 | 141 | 7 |
| John Gannon | England | MF | 1989–1996 | 196 | 13 | 209 | 8 |
| Paul Garner | England | MF | 1975–1984 | 297 | 4 | 301 | 11 |
| Derek Geary | Republic of Ireland | DF | 2004–2010 | 111 | 14 | 125 | 1 |
| Sidney Gibson | England | FW | 1928–1932 | 118 | 0 | 118 | 29 |
| Keith Gillespie | Northern Ireland | MF | 2005–2009 | 62 | 41 | 103 | 4 |
| Billy Gillespie | Republic of Ireland | FW | 1911–1931 | 507 | 0 | 507 | 142 |
| Harry Gooney | England | MF | 1930–1935 | 148 | 0 | 148 | 2 |
| Harold Gough | England | GK | 1913–1924 | 265 | 0 | 265 | 0 |
| George Green | England | DF | 1923–1934 | 438 | 0 | 438 | 0 |
| Jimmy Hagan | England | FW | 1938–1957 | 407 | 0 | 407 | 151 |
| Harry Hammond | England | FW | 1891–1897 | 170 | 0 | 170 | 69 |
| Gary Hamson | England | MF | 1976–1979 | 123 | 1 | 124 | 9 |
| Wally Hardinge | England | MF | 1907–1913 | 154 | 0 | 154 | 46 |
| Barry Hartle | England | FW | 1960–1966 | 117 | 0 | 117 | 21 |
| Bob Hatton | England | FW | 1980–1982 | 114 | 4 | 118 | 43 |
| Derek Hawksworth | England | FW | 1950–1958 | 286 | 0 | 286 | 103 |
| George Hedley | England | FW | 1898–1903 | 155 | 0 | 155 | 39 |
| Ted Hemsley | England | DF | 1968–1977 | 294 | 1 | 295 | 10 |
| Billy Hendry | Scotland | DF | 1891–1895 | 121 | 0 | 121 | 3 |
| Colin Hill | Northern Ireland | MF | 1989–1992 | 96 | 8 | 104 | 1 |
| Harry Hitchen | England | DF | 1948–1953 | 172 | 0 | 172 | 15 |
| Glyn Hodges | Wales | MF | 1991–1996 | 134 | 37 | 171 | 22 |
| Alan Hodgkinson | England | GK | 1954–1971 | 674 | 0 | 674 | 0 |
| Billy Hodgson | Scotland | MF | 1957–1963 | 183 | 0 | 183 | 37 |
| David Holdsworth | England | DF | 1996–1999 | 118 | 0 | 118 | 7 |
| Jimmy Holmes | England | DF | 1931–1936 | 146 | 0 | 146 | 1 |
| Harry Hooper | England | DF | 1930–1946 | 300 | 0 | 300 | 12 |
| Stewart Houston | Scotland | DF | 1980–1983 | 121 | 1 | 122 | 1 |
| Rab Howell | England | DF | 1890–1908 | 240 | 0 | 240 | 11 |
| Charlie Howlett | England | GK | 1889–1894 | 112 | 0 | 112 | 0 |
| Jamie Hoyland | England | MF | 1990–1994 | 90 | 22 | 112 | 9 |
| Tommy Hoyland | England | DF | 1949–1961 | 209 | 0 | 209 | 18 |
| Phil Jagielka | England | MF | 1999–2007 | 264 | 23 | 287 | 22 |
| Harry Johnson Jr. | England | FW | 1916–1931 | 351 | 0 | 351 | 252 |
| Howard Johnson | England | DF | 1951–1957 | 107 | 0 | 107 | 1 |
| Tom Johnson | England | DF | 1930–1941 | 212 | 0 | 212 | 0 |
| Harry Johnson Snr. | England | DF | 1895–1908 | 275 | 0 | 275 | 7 |
| George Jones | England | MF | 1936–1951 | 157 | 0 | 157 | 41 |
| Mick Jones | England | FW | 1963–1967 | 172 | 0 | 172 | 76 |
| Pyotr Kachura | Belarus | FW | 1996–2000 | 63 | 58 | 121 | 23 |
| Alan Kelly, Jr. | Republic of Ireland | GK | 1992–1999 | 252 | 3 | 255 | 0 |
| Paddy Kenny | Republic of Ireland | GK | 2002–2010 | 323 | 0 | 323 | 0 |
| Tony Kenworthy | England | MF | 1976–1986 | 350 | 7 | 357 | 39 |
| Keith Kettleborough | England | FW | 1960–1966 | 183 | 0 | 183 | 24 |
| Matthew Kilgallon | England | DF | 2007–2010 | 122 | 2 | 124 | 4 |
| Seth King | England | DF | 1939–1942 | 115 | 0 | 115 | 0 |
| Joseph Kitchen | England | FW | 1908–1920 1920–1921 | 271 | 0 | 271 | 11 |
| Rob Kozluk | England | DF | 1999–2007 2010–2011 | 219 | 27 | 246 | 3 |
| John Lang | Scotland | FW | 1903–1909 | 105 | 0 | 105 | 13 |
| Harry Latham | England | DF | 1940–1953 | 224 | 0 | 224 | 1 |
| Joe Lievesley | England | GK | 1904–1912 | 288 | 0 | 288 | 0 |
| Bert Lipsham | England | MF | 1900–1908 | 259 | 0 | 259 | 34 |
| John MacPhail | Scotland | DF | 1979–1983 | 169 | 0 | 169 | 8 |
| Harry Maguire | England | DF | 2011–2014 | 165 | 1 | 166 | 12 |
| Ken Mallender | England | DF | 1962–1968 | 169 | 2 | 171 | 3 |
| Cliff Mason | England | DF | 1955–1962 | 118 | 0 | 118 | 2 |
| John Matthews | England | MF | 1978–1983 | 121 | 5 | 127 | 18 |
| Vincent Matthews | England | MF | 1927–1931 | 141 | 0 | 141 | 3 |
| Reg Matthewson | England | DF | 1962–1967 | 173 | 3 | 176 | 5 |
| David McGoldrick | Republic of Ireland | FW | 2018–2022 | 127 | 27 | 136 | 30 |
| David Mercer | England | MF | 1920–1928 | 250 | 0 | 250 | 22 |
| Ernest Milton | England | DF | 1917–1926 | 228 | 0 | 228 | 4 |
| Nick Montgomery | Scotland | MF | 2000–2012 | 319 | 80 | 399 | 11 |
| Chris Morgan | England | DF | 2003–2012 | 275 | 7 | 282 | 16 |
| Colin Morris | England | FW | 1982–1988 | 280 | 7 | 287 | 84 |
| David Munks | England | DF | 1964–1969 | 124 | 5 | 129 | 2 |
| Shaun Murphy | Australia | DF | 1999–2003 | 181 | 1 | 182 | 12 |
| Peter Ndlovu | Zimbabwe | FW | 2001–2004 | 130 | 24 | 155 | 29 |
| Ernest Needham | England | DF | 1891–1910 | 544 | 0 | 544 | 65 |
| Roger Nilsen | Norway | DF | 1993–1999 | 177 | 13 | 190 | 0 |
| Jack O'Connell | England | DF | 2016–2023 | 166 | 7 | 177 | 8 |
| Bert Oswald | Scotland | MF | 1930–1934 | 115 | 0 | 115 | 24 |
| Bernard Oxley | England | FW | 1928–1934 | 129 | 0 | 129 | 14 |
| Doc Pace | England | FW | 1957–1965 | 301 | 0 | 301 | 175 |
| Rob Page | Wales | DF | 2001–2004 | 127 | 1 | 128 | 1 |
| Harry Pantling | England | DF | 1915–1926 | 255 | 0 | 255 | 1 |
| Bert Partridge | England | DF | 1923–1929 | 103 | 0 | 103 | 22 |
| Paul Peschisolido | Canada | FW | 2001 (loan) 2001–2004 | 45 | 57 | 102 | 24 |
| Jack Pickering | England | MF | 1927–1948 | 398 | 0 | 398 | 119 |
| Martin Pike | England | DF | 1986–1989 | 160 | 4 | 164 | 6 |
| Chris Porter | England | FW | 2011–2015 | 66 | 47 | 113 | 23 |
| David Powell | Wales | DF | 1968–1971 | 100 | 0 | 100 | 2 |
| Fred Priest | England | MF | 1896–1905 | 248 | 0 | 248 | 86 |
| Alan Quinn | Republic of Ireland | MF | 2004–2007 | 85 | 24 | 109 | 11 |
| Stephen Quinn | Republic of Ireland | MF | 2005–2012 | 220 | 19 | 239 | 22 |
| Gil Reece | Wales | FW | 1965–1972 | 225 | 16 | 241 | 67 |
| Brian Richardson | England | DF | 1955–1965 | 336 | 0 | 336 | 9 |
| Alf Ringstead | Republic of Ireland | FW | 1950–1959 | 271 | 0 | 271 | 109 |
| Paul Rogers | England | MF | 1992–1995 | 166 | 6 | 139 | 11 |
| Billy Russell | England | MF | 1957–1963 | 175 | 0 | 175 | 73 |
| Geoff Salmons | England | MF | 1966–1974 1977 | 207 | 12 | 213 | 10 |
| Tommy Sampy | England | MF | 1921–1934 | 383 | 0 | 383 | 33 |
| Lee Sandford | England | DF | 1996–2002 | 173 | 12 | 185 | 5 |
| Billy Sharp | England | FW | 2004–2005 2007–2010 2015–2023 | 267 | 92 | 359 | 129 |
| Bernard Shaw | England | DF | 1963–1969 | 161 | 1 | 162 | 3 |
| Graham Shaw | England | DF | 1952–1967 | 497 | 0 | 497 | 15 |
| Joe Shaw | England | DF | 1945–1966 | 713 | 0 | 713 | 8 |
| Jimmy Simmons | England | FW | 1909–1920 | 223 | 0 | 223 | 49 |
| Steve Simonsen | England | GK | 2010–2012 | 106 | 2 | 108 | 0 |
| Ron Simpson | England | MF | 1958–1964 | 239 | 0 | 239 | 47 |
| Brian Smith | England | DF | 1984–1989 | 103 | 6 | 109 | 0 |
| Jack Smith | England | GK | 1931–1950 | 394 | 0 | 394 | 0 |
| Mick Speight | England | MF | 1971–1980 | 223 | 18 | 241 | 17 |
| Enda Stevens | Republic of Ireland | DF | 2017–2023 | 196 | 6 | 202 | 9 |
| Albert Sturgess | England | DF | 1908–1923 | 382 | 0 | 382 | 5 |
| Gerry Summers | England | DF | 1957–1964 | 305 | 0 | 305 | 7 |
| Gareth Taylor | Wales | FW | 1996–1998 | 70 | 35 | 105 | 27 |
| Harry Thickett | England | DF | 1891 1893–1904 | 310 | 0 | 310 | 1 |
| Dennis Thompson | England | MF | 1941–1951 | 108 | 0 | 108 | 24 |
| Percy Thorpe | England | DF | 1930–1933 | 114 | 0 | 114 | 24 |
| Les Tibbott | Wales | MF | 1979–1981 | 100 | 3 | 103 | 3 |
| Michael Tonge | England | MF | 2001–2008 | 269 | 33 | 302 | 24 |
| Simon Tracey | England | GK | 1988–2002 | 380 | 3 | 383 | 0 |
| Mike Trusson | England | MF | 1980–1983 | 155 | 1 | 156 | 32 |
| Fred Tunstall | England | FW | 1920–1932 | 491 | 0 | 491 | 135 |
| George Utley | England | MF | 1913–1922 | 122 | 0 | 122 | 9 |
| Barry Wagstaff | England | MF | 1964–1969 | 126 | 12 | 138 | 5 |
| Tony Wagstaff | England | FW | 1961–1969 | 164 | 3 | 164 | 23 |
| Mitch Ward | England | MF | 1989–1997 | 157 | 25 | 182 | 16 |
| Arthur Watson | England | MF | 1890–1896 | 127 | 0 | 127 | 43 |
| Jimmy Waugh | England | DF | 1921–1926 | 143 | 0 | 143 | 3 |
| Keith Waugh | England | GK | 1981–1984 | 121 | 0 | 121 | 0 |
| Danny Webber | England | FW | 2005–2009 | 80 | 45 | 125 | 25 |
| Dane Whitehouse | England | MF | 1988–1997 | 246 | 32 | 246 | 51 |
| Michael Whitham | England | DF | 1890–1897 | 160 | 0 | 160 | 1 |
| Chris Wilder | England | DF | 1986–1992 1998 | 123 | 9 | 132 | 1 |
| Bernard Wilkinson | England | DF | 1900–1913 | 397 | 0 | 397 | 14 |
| Charlie Wilkinson | England | DF | 1933–1938 | 133 | 0 | 133 | 0 |
| Bertie Williams | Wales | FW | 1932–1937 | 125 | 0 | 125 | 18 |
| Curtis Woodhouse | England | MF | 1997–2001 | 107 | 15 | 122 | 6 |
| Alan Woodward | England | FW | 1964–1978 | 640 | 0 | 640 | 193 |

## Club captains

| Dates | Captain |
| 1889–1890 | Jack Hudson |
| 1890–1892 | George Groves |
| 1892–1894 | Billy Hendry |
| 1894–1914 | Unknown |
| 1914–1916 | George Utley |
| 1916–1992 | Unknown |
| 1992–1996 | Brian Gayle |
| 1996–2001 | Unknown |
| 2001–2002 | Keith Curle |
| 2002–2004 | Rob Page |
| 2004–2005 | Unknown |
| 2005–2012 | Chris Morgan |
| 2012–2015 | Michael Doyle |
| 2015–2023 | Billy Sharp |
| 2023–2024 | John Egan |
| 2024–present | Jack Robinson |