# 2008–09 Sheffield United F.C. season

During the 2008–09 English football season, Sheffield United F.C. competed in the Football League Championship.

## Season summary

Despite the sale of the previous season's top scorer, James Beattie, to Premier League newcomers Stoke City during the season, Sheffield United improved on the previous season's unsatisfactory form and were unlucky to finish the season in third place, three points behind Birmingham City. With this third-place finish came qualification for the playoffs: after narrowly defeating Preston North End 2–1 over two legs in the semi-final, United reached the playoff final, against Burnley, at Wembley. United lost 1–0, to a 13th-minute strike from Wade Elliott, which saw United consigned to a third consecutive season in the Championship.

## Kit

Sheffield United continued their kit manufacturing agreement with French company Le Coq Sportif, who produced a new kit for the season, designed by United season ticket holder Ben Frost. A black away kit with silver trim, chosen by the club's players, was also introduced. The previous season's black and fluorescent green away kit was retained as the third kit.
The club ended their kit sponsorship agreement with American bank Capital One at the end of the previous season. The new kit sponsor for the season was visit Malta.com.

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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 52 | +28 | 90 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Birmingham City (P) | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 83 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 80 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 77 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 5 | Burnley (O, P) | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 76 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |

#### Matches

Championship match details :
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 9 August 2008 | Birmingham City | Away | 0–1 | | 24,019 | 19th |
| 16 August 2008 | Queens Park Rangers | Home | 3–0 | Sharp 3', 13', 51' | 25,273 | 11th |
| 23 August 2008 | Blackpool | Away | 3–1 | S. Quinn 21', Speed 57' pen., Halford 78' | 8,611 | 5th |
| 30 August 2008 | Cardiff City | Home | 0–0 | | 29,226 | 5th |
| 13 September 2008 | Derby County | Away | 1–2 | Henderson 26' | 28,473 | 6th |
| 16 September 2008 | Coventry City | Home | 1–1 | Sharp 56' | 24,130 | 9th |
| 20 September 2008 | Norwich City | Away | 0–1 | | 24,175 | 15th |
| 27 September 2008 | Watford | Home | 2–1 | Speed 1', Beattie 66' | 24,427 | 10th |
| 30 September 2008 | Doncaster Rovers | Away | 2–0 | Roberts 14' o.g., S. Quinn 60' | 14,242 | 6th |
| 4 October 2008 | Bristol City | Home | 3–0 | Beattie 45', 69', Fontaine 56' o.g. | 24,712 | 4th |
| 19 October 2008 | Sheffield Wednesday | Away | 0–1 | | 30,441 | 6th |
| 21 October 2008 | Southampton | Home | 0–0 | | 25,642 | 7th |
| 25 October 2008 | Preston North End | Home | 1–0 | Ehiogu 50' | 24,445 | 5th |
| 28 October 2008 | Bristol City | Away | 0–0 | | 16,798 | 6th |
| 1 November 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | Home | 2–0 | Beattie 49' pen., 57' | 25,601 | 5th |
| 8 November 2008 | Barnsley | Away | 2–1 | Beattie 20', 85' pen. | 19,002 | 4th |
| 15 November 2008 | Reading | Home | 0–2 | | 25,065 | 5th |
| 22 November 2008 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 5–2 | Beattie 7', Speed 29', Kilgallon 45', Youga 48' o.g., S. Quinn 53' | 20,328 | 4th |
| 25 November 2008 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Home | 1–3 | Spring 75' | 27,111 | 4th |
| 29 November 2008 | Ipswich Town | Away | 1–1 | Beattie 90' pen. | 19,785 | 5th |
| 6 December 2008 | Burnley | Home | 2–3 | Beattie 36' pen., S. Quinn 87' | 24,702 | 6th |
| 9 December 2008 | Nottingham Forest | Away | 1–0 | Howard 31' | 19,541 | 5th |
| 13 December 2008 | Swansea City | Away | 1–1 | Morgan 87' | 14,744 | 7th |
| 20 December 2008 | Crystal Palace | Home | 2–2 | Dyer 41', Beattie 88' pen. | 23,045 | 6th |
| 26 December 2008 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Away | 1–1 | Beattie 22' | 27,106 | 8th |
| 28 December 2008 | Charlton Athletic | Home | 3–1 | S. Quinn 65', 79', Webber 72' | 24,717 | 6th |
| 10 January 2009 | Norwich City | Home | 1–0 | Henderson 17' | 27,267 | 4th |
| 17 January 2009 | Watford | Away | 2–0 | Webber 52', Henderson 67' | 14,555 | 4th |
| 27 January 2009 | Doncaster Rovers | Home | 0–1 | | 26,555 | 4th |
| 31 January 2009 | Preston North End | Away | 0–0 | | 14,889 | 5th |
| 3 February 2009 | Southampton | Away | 2–1 | Halford 35', Ward 90' | 13,257 | 4th |
| 7 February 2009 | Sheffield Wednesday | Home | 1–2 | Lupoli 5' | 30,786 | 5th |
| 21 February 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | Away | 2–2 | Webber 63', Halford 72' | 10,044 | 6th |
| 1 March 2009 | Birmingham City | Home | 2–1 | Webber 44', Cotterill 83' pen. | 24,232 | 5th |
| 4 March 2009 | Coventry City | Away | 2–1 | Bromby 45', Morgan 54' | 16,300 | 4th |
| 7 March 2009 | Queens Park Rangers | Away | 0–0 | | 13,718 | 5th |
| 10 March 2009 | Blackpool | Home | 2–2 | Coid 5 o.g., Cotterill 73 pen. | 25,273 | 4th |
| 14 March 2009 | Derby County | Home | 4–2 | Naughton 7', Henderson 21', 62', Beattie 90' | 27,565 | 4th |
| 22 March 2009 | Cardiff City | Away | 3–0 | Cotterill 25' pen., Ward 46', S. Quinn 87' | 17,942 | 4th |
| 4 April 2009 | Ipswich Town | Home | 2–0 | Halford 19', Henderson 27' | 25,315 | 4th |
| 7 April 2009 | Barnsley | Home | 2–1 | O'Toole 82', Lupoli 87' | 27,061 | 3rd |
| 10 April 2009 | Reading | Away | 1–0 | Howard 59' | 20,756 | 2nd |
| 13 April 2009 | Nottingham Forest | Home | 0–0 | | 28,374 | 3rd |
| 20 April 2009 | Burnley | Away | 0–1 | | 14,884 | 3rd |
| 25 April 2009 | Swansea City | Home | 1–0 | Cotterill 37' pen. | 28,010 | 3rd |
| 3 May 2009 | Crystal Palace | Away | 0–0 | | 22,824 | 3rd |

#### Play-offs

Play-off match details :
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Semi-final first leg | 8 May 2009 | Preston North End | Away | 1–1 | Howard 46' | 19,840 |
| Semi-final second leg | 11 May 2009 | Preston North End | Home | 1–0 (2–1 agg.) | Halford 59' | 26,354 |
| Final | 25 May 2009 | Burnley | Neutral | 0–1 | | 80,518 |

### FA Cup

FA Cup match details :
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Third round | 13 January 2009 | Leyton Orient | Away | 4–1 | Halford 59', 78', Sharp 62', Naughton 69' | 4,527 |
| Fourth round | 24 January 2009 | Charlton Athletic | Home | 2–1 | Webber 26', Hendrie 62' | 15,957 |
| Fifth round | 14 February 2009 | Hull City | Home | 1–1 | Halford 7' | 22,283 |
| Fifth round replay | 26 February 2009 | Hull City | Away | 1–2 | Sharp 32' | 17,239 |

### League Cup

League Cup match details :
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| First round | 13 August 2008 | Port Vale | Home | 3–1 | Hendrie 41', S. Quinn 71', Webber 90' pen. | 7,694 |
| Second round | 27 August 2008 | Huddersfield Town | Away | 2–1 | Henderson 82', Naughton 83' | 15,189 |
| Third round | 23 September 2008 | Arsenal | Away | 0–6 | | 56,632 |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | IRL | Paddy Kenny |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Greg Halford (on loan from Sunderland) |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Gary Naysmith |
| 4 | MF | WAL | David Cotterill |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Chris Morgan |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon |
| 7 | FW | ENG | Darius Henderson |
| 9 | FW | ITA | Arturo Lupoli (on loan from Fiorentina) |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Danny Webber |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Lee Hendrie |
| 12 | DF | CHN | Sun Jihai |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Ian Bennett |
| 15 | MF | WAL | Gary Speed |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Nick Montgomery |
| 18 | MF | NIR | Jamie Ward |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | FW | SCO | Craig Beattie (on loan from West Bromwich Albion) |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Brian Howard |
| 21 | MF | IRL | John-Joe O'Toole (on loan from Watford) |
| 22 | GK | MLT | Justin Haber |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Billy Sharp |
| 25 | MF | ALG | Aymen Tahar |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Derek Geary |
| 27 | MF | IRL | Keith Quinn |
| 28 | MF | IRL | Stephen Quinn |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Kyle Naughton |
| 31 | MF | POL | Ben Starosta |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Leigh Bromby (on loan from Watford) |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Ugo Ehiogu |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Kyle Walker |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | DF | AUS | David Carney (on loan at Norwich City) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Jordan Robertson (on loan to Ferencváros) |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Jon Stead (to Ipswich Town) |
| 8 | FW | IRL | Anthony Stokes (on loan from Sunderland) |
| 9 | FW | ENG | James Beattie (to Stoke City) |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Michael Tonge (to Stoke City) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Nathan Dyer (on loan from Southampton) |
| 19 | MF | NIR | Keith Gillespie (released) |
| 20 | DF | SCO | Chris Armstrong (to Reading) |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Matthew Spring (on loan from Luton Town) |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | Play-offs | Play-offs | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | IRL | Paddy Kenny | 50 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Ian Bennett | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Greg Halford | 49 | 8 | 31+10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Gary Naysmith | 43 | 0 | 37+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Chris Morgan | 50 | 2 | 40+1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon | 49 | 1 | 39+1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | CHN | Sun Jihai | 17 | 1 | 11+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | IRL | Derek Geary | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Kyle Naughton | 50 | 3 | 39+1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 | 0+3 | 1 |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Leigh Bromby | 13 | 1 | 6+6 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Ugo Ehiogu | 17 | 1 | 11+5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Kyle Walker | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | WAL | David Cotterill | 32 | 4 | 17+7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Lee Hendrie | 12 | 2 | 0+5 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+2 | 1 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 15 | MF | WAL | Gary Speed | 18 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Nick Montgomery | 35 | 0 | 26+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | NIR | Jamie Ward | 18 | 2 | 7+9 | 2 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Brian Howard | 32 | 3 | 22+4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | IRL | John-Joe O'Toole | 9 | 1 | 5+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | ALG | Aymen Tahar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | IRL | Stephen Quinn | 50 | 8 | 43 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | ENG | Darius Henderson | 37 | 7 | 25+7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | ITA | Arturo Lupoli | 11 | 2 | 2+7 | 2 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Danny Webber | 41 | 6 | 21+15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 | 2+1 | 1 |
| 19 | FW | SCO | Craig Beattie | 16 | 1 | 1+12 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Billy Sharp | 27 | 6 | 17+5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Players left during the season ||||||||||||||
| 8 | FW | ENG | Jon Stead | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | IRL | Anthony Stokes | 13 | 0 | 5+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | James Beattie | 24 | 12 | 21+2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | AUS | David Carney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Michael Tonge | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Nathan Dyer | 7 | 1 | 3+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | NIR | Keith Gillespie | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | SCO | Chris Armstrong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Matthew Spring | 13 | 1 | 8+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Source:

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | Club From | Fee |
| 2 July 2008 | DF | Sun Jihai | Manchester City | Free |
| 23 July 2008 | FW | Darius Henderson | Watford | £2,000,000 |
| 31 July 2008 | MF | David Cotterill | Wigan Athletic | Undisclosed |
| 31 July 2008 | GK | Justin Haber | Haidari F.C. | Free |
| 19 January 2009 | MF | Jamie Ward | Chesterfield | £400,000 |

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | Club To | Fee |
| 4 July 2008 | DF | Chris Lucketti | Huddersfield Town | Free |
| 21 July 2008 | FW | Rob Hulse | Derby County | £1,750,000 |
| 24 July 2008 | FW | Luton Shelton | Valerenga | £1,000,000 |
| 2 September 2008 | MF | Michael Tonge | Stoke City | £2,000,000 |
| 15 September 2008 | FW | Jon Stead | Ipswich Town | Undisclosed |
| 12 January 2009 | FW | James Beattie | Stoke City | £3,500,000 |
| 30 January 2009 | MF | Keith Gillespie | None | Released |

### Loan In

| Date | Position | Name | Club From | Length |
| 2 July 2008 | DF | Greg Halford | Sunderland | Full-Season |
| 31 July 2008 | MF | Matthew Spring | Luton Town | Full-Season (ended 9 January) |
| 2 February 2009 | FW | Arturo Lupoli | Fiorentina | Until end of season |

### Loan Out

| Date | Position | Name | Club To | Length |
| 23 July 2008 | DF | Ben Starosta | Aldershot Town | One Month |
| 1 September 2008 | FW | Jon Stead | Ipswich Town | Six Months (made permanent 15 September) |
| 2 September 2008 | DF | Ben Starosta | Lechia Gdansk | Six Months |
| 28 January 2009 | MF | David Carney | Norwich City | Until end of season |