Sheffield United's greatest goalkeepers, part 1: outfield and the also-rans

From worst to best: a statistical and opinion-based analysis of every Sheffield United goalkeeper from the last 40 years (1983-2024)

David Beeden

This piece takes its inspiration from two superb articles last year on The Pinch; one by Ben Meakin, who counted down his greatest United players of the past 25 years, and Matthew Bell’s piece spotlighting goalkeeping quirks over recent times following the Blades.  

I decided to do something similar to both: a ranking list honed on goalkeepers, delving into some individuals and their stories. Having operated in that position myself growing up, my friends and family will always say I overanalyse the performances of goalkeepers, and that of the Blades custodian. I will blame goalkeepers for goals that no one else will and am over-critical of individual performances. Having played at the lofty heights of the GT Sports League A Division for Throstles in the late ’80s and early ’90s, however, I am surely as well positioned as anyone to make such flawless judgements. 

Despite the potential sense of foreboding, I will state that United have been fortunate through the years to have had some cracking goalkeepers and largely safe pairs of hands. This first part will discuss some of the history, quirks and the outfield players that have donned the gloves, before we begin the countdown of my official keeper rankings from 44 to 1! 

The legendary William ‘Fatty’ Foulke was our first great goalkeeper as we won the league title in 1897-98. Foulke was probably as famous for his alleged 24-stone weight, allied to being 6’4 tall. During the Post-War period, United fielded goalkeepers that were part of England World Cup squads with Ted Burgin (1954) and then Alan Hodgkinson (1958, 1962) representing United with distinction. ‘Hodgy’ was unequivocally the greatest keeper United ever had if you listened to my Dad and my Uncle. They would regale me with stories about his diminutive stature being overcome by his agility, cross-taking ability and leaping to make saves you could not imagine him making. 

Hodgkinson easily has the most appearances by a United keeper with 674 (all competitions), well ahead of the next in the list, Jack Smith with 498. Simon Tracey comes in at third with 383 and then Foulke on 352. Harold Gough made 335 appearances ahead of Burgin on 314. Paddy Kenny is next up on 318 and then Joseph Livesley on 288. Alan Kelly (255) and Jim Brown (203) are the only others to have played in goal for United more than 200 times.  

I started watching United in the early-mid ’80s, so my analysis and discussion can only be based on who I have seen play – the first keeper I watched was Keith Waugh.

Eligible goalkeepers

Over the years, up to Ivo Grbic (not counting new No.1 Michael Cooper, as my list goes up to the end of the 23-24 season), there have been 44 goalkeepers that have played a first-team game in a senior competition. For the purposes of this series, I have included League, FA Cup, League Cup and other cup competitions such as the Playoffs, Zenith Data, Johnstone Paints and even the Anglo Italian. I have not counted tournaments like the Yorkshire and Humberside Cup or the Sheffield Steel City Cup. 

They need to have played a game in one of the above competitions, so this discounts George Willis, Danny Coyne, Paul Crichton, Mihkel Aksalu, Justin Haber, Matt Duke, Kevin Blackwell, Sasa Ilic, Andy Dibble, Jim Leighton, Matt Dickins, Paul Heald and several other young goalkeepers who were in and around the squads over the years.  

I have not included two-time loanee Carl Muggleton on this list as even though he played two minutes of a game (a 3-0 win at Reading in April 1996), he played as an outfield player, coming on for the injured Chris Short! He never touched the ball but nearly got on the end of the move that saw Andy Walker net the third. 

Whilst on that subject, in the period I am discussing, no Blades goalkeeper has scored. Even in shootouts, I am struggling to recall anyone scoring – we know about the Steve Simonsen miss vs Huddersfield, but Paddy Kenny also missed one in a League Cup shootout loss to Watford in 2004.  

Outfield players in goal 

I am also discounting outfield players used as goalkeepers, which to my reckoning since 1983-84 are Glenn Cockerill, Paul Stancliffe, John Pemberton, Don Hutchison, Roger Nilsen, Shaun Derry and Phil Jagielka. I am sure Jagielka, who played four times in the position with three wins and a loss to his name (conceding only four goals and keeping one clean sheet), would rank higher than some of those I list below if I had included him in the discussion! Going further back, Alan Woodward performed this role with particular distinction when called upon, only conceding one goal in five games.

We have had 23 outfield players appear in goal at some point, totalling 42 appearances. Albert Sturgess was the most used outfield player: an incredible eight times between 1912 and 1922, playing 325 minutes and conceding seven goals.

The only time United have used three keepers in one game was in 1903, away at Sunderland. Albert Lewis, backup to Foulke and outfield players as much as goalkeeper went off injured. Right-back Harry Thickett went in goal but immediately conceded from a corner and was replaced by Peter Boyle.

One of the best cameo appearances in net was Harold Pantling, who deputised in 1923 after keeper Harold Gough was injured and saved a penalty with his first touch during Manchester City’s first game at Maine Road.  

Games played by outfield players (1983/84-present day) 

• Glenn Cockerill vs Luton (a) (League Cup) – 1985-86 – Lost 1-3. Cockerill played 20 mins conceding one goal before John Burridge came back on, I think to play after he had gone off with an injury? This was our first ever game on a ‘plastic’ pitch which might explain Burridge’s injury maybe? 

• Paul Stancliffe vs West Brom (a) 1987-88 – Lost 0-4. He played a full half conceding 2 goals after on loan Roger Hansbury went off injured. He had a bandaged head on the pictures from the game 

• John Pemberton vs Liverpool (h) – 1990-91 – Lost 1-3. Played 75 minutes and conceded 2 goals – Rush had scored the first injuring Tracey. Pembo was at fault for one of the goals as he missed a ball as he came out 

• Roger Nilsen vs Norwich (h) – 1996-97 – Lost 2-3. Played the final 21 minutes and conceded 2 goals including a David Holdsworth own goal (second consecutive game he scored an own goal!). Nilsen’s shirt was very baggy and it draped down below his shorts. He was not great and seemed to pat the ball down whenever it came near him! 

• Don Hutchison vs Ipswich (a) – 1997-98 – Drew 2-2. Came on for Simon Tracey who had concussion. He played the final 30 minutes conceding a late leveller where he might have done better, I felt. Another who did not tuck his jersey in giving him an odd look! 

• Shaun Derry vs Portsmouth (a) – 1997-98 – Drew 1-1. This was the game when the linesman was attacked by a United fan and made the national news. Simon Tracey was sent off and Derry played a whole half and kept a clean sheet and looked quite competent compared to the two ‘professionals’ who started. Tracey had one of his moments of madness when he clobbered a centre forward and opposition keeper Alan Knight also threw one into his own goal! This was Nigel Spackman’s last game.  

• Phil Jagielka vs Crystal Palace (a) 2003-04 – Won 2-1. Kenny got injured and we named no sub keeper amongst our three subs (something Warnock used to do frequently perhaps with Jags in mind). He played 50 minutes and performed well and only conceded a penalty as we got an unlikely win! 

• Phil Jagielka vs Millwall (a) 2004-05 – Won 2-1. Another win for Jags in the, ‘That’s for Muscat’ game. Kenny had been sent off after his ‘tussle’ with the Australian hard man. Jags went in goal for a half and despite conceding to a header, United went on to a comeback win 

• Phil Jagielka vs Plymouth (a) – 2004-05 – Lost 3-0. This time it did not fare as well as Kenny was injured again and Jags played even longer – 62 minutes but conceded two in a heavy defeat 

• Phil Jagielka vs Arsenal (h) – 2006-07 – Won 1-0. The most famous of all these games, beamed around the world on Sky Sports. We earned a fantastic win against Wenger’s powerful Arsenal side and it was done with Jagielka in goal for 31 minutes. He was well protected, but one reaction save from Robin van Persie stands out!  

And now, without further ado…

A statistical and opinion-based analysis of every Sheffield United goalkeeper of the last 40+ years (1983 to 2024), ranked from worst to best

A goalkeeper’s position on this list is based entirely on how they did for the Blades (both contribution and longevity), rather than a full career. Richard Wright and Andy Goram, for example, will be much lower in their United ranking than their entire careers would dictate. Keepers who played single or very few games but did well are likely to place higher than those who played for several seasons but whose contributions were more harmful.  

Before I start the countdown, below is the list of goalkeepers from most recent to oldest: 

2020-current day

Michael Cooper: 2024-present. *Cooper has not been ranked as I have not included the 24/25 season 
Ivo Grbic: 2024-present 
Adam Davies: 2022-present 
Jordan Amissah: 2021-24
Robin Olsen: 2021-22 (L) 
Aaron Ramsdale: 2015-17, 2020-21  
Wes Foderingham: 2020-24 

2010-20

Michael Verrips: 2019-22 
Dean Henderson: 2018-20 (L) 
Jamal Blackman: 2017-18 (L) 
Simon Moore: 2016-21 
Jake Eastwood: 2016-23 
Iain Turner: 2014-15 
Mark Howard: 2012-16 
George Long: 2011-18 
Richard Wright: 2010-11 
Steve Simonsen: 2010 (L), 2010-2012 

2000-10

Mark Bunn: 2009-10 (L) 
Carl Ikeme: 2009 (L) 
Paul Gerrard: 2003 (L), 2006-08 
Phil Barnes: 2004-06 
Ian Bennett: 2004-05 (L), 2006-10 
Kristian Rogers: 2003-04 
Lee Baxter: 2003 
Alan Fettis: 2003-04 (L) 
Gary Kelly: 2003 
Paddy Kenny: 2002-10 
Wilko de Vogt: 2001-03 
Frank Talia: 2000-01 

1990-2000

Aidan Davison: 1999-2000 
Andy Goram: 1998 
Billy Mercer: 1994-95 
Sal Bibbo: 1993-96 
Alan Kelly: 1992-99 
Meryvn Day: 1992 (L) 
Mel Rees: 1991-92 
Phil Kite: 1990-93 

1984-90

Simon Tracey: 1988-2002 
Graham Benstead: 1988-90 
Roger Hansbury: 1987 (L) 
Andy Leaning: 1987-88 
Hans Segers: 1987-88 (L) 
John Burridge: 1984-87 
Paul Tomlinson: 1983-87 
Keith Waugh: 1981-85 

44. Lee Baxter 

Total Appearances for United: 1 - technically only 0.5 (2003) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 3 

Goals conceded per game: 3 

If you asked Blades fans to name their worst goalkeeper, many would come up with Lee Baxter. It might seem harsh, as he only played half a game. However, it was as disastrous a 45 minutes as a goalkeeper could have.

We had a goalkeeping crisis in the 03/04 season with Paddy Kenny out injured, Paul Gerrard’s loan expiring and rookie Kristian Rogers not seen as ready for the senior team. A move for Birmingham keeper Ian Bennett (who later did sign for us) fell through at the last moment, and Warnock snapped up two goalkeepers in Alan Fettis and Lee Baxter. Northern Ireland international Fettis signed on loan from Hull City, while Baxter had been plying his trade in Sweden at Malmö. "We are taking Alan for a month and, if we can get international clearance by lunchtime on Friday, will also sign Lee on a non-contract basis," Warnock told United's official website on the eve of the Burnley game in November. Baxter had apparently looked superb in training, so got the nod over Fettis.  

The debutant had an absolute nightmare. He conceded three goals, two of which were completely his fault: a speculative soft Robbie Blake shot went through his hands, and an equally weak header, this time from Ian Moore, somehow squirmed through his grasp. A scored penalty followed, but even before this Baxter’s handling, communication and overall competence was questionable. Warnock had no choice but to replace the debutant. Fettis came on and looked markedly more comfortable, retaining his place for a win against Walsall at the Lane the following week.  

United moment: That Burnley game! Can only be one. His only appearance in the English league. He never played again in the UK. 

Career pre- and post-United: Baxter managed to carve out a career despite going down in folklore at the Lane for his performance. His Dad Stuart Baxter was a successful manager in Sweden and had his son under him at various points. Baxter Jr played for AIK, IFK Göteborg and Malmö but only played 95 games in 11 years and never seemed to be a regular anywhere, playing for ten clubs. After he finished playing, he became a goalkeeping coach and recently went back to IFK Göteborg after working in Turkey and South Africa.  

43. Ivo Grbić 

Total Appearances for United: 10 (2024-present) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 30 

Goals conceded per game: 3 

I never thought anybody we would sign in the Premier League would end up so far down in my rankings. It was a difficult decision not to place him as the worst United keeper I have ever seen. Some may argue there have been keepers like Simonsen and Long who played in League One predominantly, and the levels argument is valid, but we have not seen Grbić perform at the lower level and I am not convinced he would look any better. I’m struggling to think of anything positive he did for United or any real strengths in his ability as a goalkeeper. Indeed, it was unbelievable that a keeper signed from Atletico Madrid and involved in international squads for Croatia could be quite so bad.  

On the face of it, he was a keeper with international pedigree and someone who had been around some decent clubs in recent years. He looked a big lad and apparently was quite proficient with his feet – a weakness for Foderingham. We hoped he might be United’s keeper for a number of years as he was entering his prime at 27.  

He was thrown straight in not long after signing for a cup game against Brighton and his debut saw him concede five goals: he was badly exposed, but he made an error for the final goal and did not look entirely convincing. He then played at Palace, conceding two more before getting a concussion injury. He came back at the end of February but conceded six goals at home to Arsenal and a further 16 goals in the next six games.

It seemed like almost any shot that went towards him would go in his goal. He did not seem to make any saves at all unless it was a basic shot straight at him and even those he made a meal of. His positioning was awful, he often left big gaps and didn’t know how to narrow his angles. Routine shots went in either side, high and low. He stayed on his line, rarely coming out or imposing himself. I recall so many times crosses coming in and him just staying on his line and teams heading it in from a few yards. His handling was suspect even from routine collections.

His supposed strength with kicking was not in evidence either, as he often dithered and lost the ball (remember the Núñez goal at Anfield?), and when he did kick it out, didn’t even get much distance on it.

He genuinely looked like a fan that had been thrown on from the terraces. It was really startling how bad he was. After another awful showing against Burnley where weak shots somehow inexplicably went past him, he was taken out and Foderingham was put back into the side. 

United moment: Never looked convincing from the moment he stepped onto the Bramall Lane turf with errors aplenty but the main thing that shocked me was that shots in the centre of the goal seemed to go in so easily. One goal that made me realise we had really dropped a boob was against Chelsea when Noni Madueke hit a hard, central shot and it just went straight through him. It was that moment when you thought, ‘if a team shoots on goal, they’ll probably score!’ 

Career pre- and post-United: Grbić came through at hometown club Hajduk Split and moved to Lokomotiva in the summer of 2018. He became number one for the next two seasons before Atletico Madrid signed him for €3.5 million at the age of 24, used mostly as back-up in a squad that won La Liga before moving to Lille on loan for the 21/22 season and playing 21 times. He has played twice for his national team, which is incredible, considering what we witnessed in his time at Bramall Lane. Çaykur Rizespor in Turkey signed him on loan but I will be amazed if they sign him permanently and expect him back at the Lane with two years of his contract remaining. He began disastrously, conceding five goals on his debut – as he did at the Lane!  

42. Michael Verrips 

Total Appearances for United: 4 (2019-22) 

Clean sheets: 1 (technically 2 as subbed off before Fylde scored) 

Goals conceded: 5 

Goals conceded per game: 1.25 

Verrips arrived at the Lane in controversial circumstances as he had been playing at KV Mechelen but in July 2019 he unilaterally terminated his contract due to a conviction for match-fixing by the Belgian club. His club said they would go to FIFA as we could not legally register him. It dragged on for ages and whether it was about them getting compensation as much as wanting to keep the player, was a little unclear. It was revealed we did pay ‘a’ fee at some point to obtain Verrips.  He signed in August 2019 just before the Premier League season started back up to returning loanee Dean Henderson. He made his debut in the FA Cup against Fylde, but collided with Kean Bryan and suffered an injury. Aaron Ramsdale came in after Henderson went back to Man Utd, so in February 2021, Verrips joined Eredivisie side FC Emmen on loan for the remainder of the season and did quite well by all accounts.  

He returned to the Lane and finally saw some action at home to Carlisle in the League Cup, and when Ramsdale refused to play against West Brom, Verrips got the nod over Wes Foderingham for his league debut. Verrips and the whole side suffered a disastrous night in a 4-0 thumping and his inability to deal with the high ball or indeed any ball saw long throws cause a whole manner of problems.  He played one more League Cup game but Foderingham was rightly preferred moving forward.  

Verrips was a tall goalkeeper who looked the part and was known for having very long fingers. Sadly, what transpired was that he was not very good, and like de Vogt (see the next entry) was a goalkeeper from the lowlands who struggled with the basics of catching, saving and handling a football. Key traits for the position! 

United moment: The West Brom debacle was probably the end of his United career. After a dreadful evening at The Hawthorns, the Dutch keeper never played for us in the league again and moved on not long after.

Career pre and post United: He had already played for six clubs when he joined United and was only 22! He has been on loan four times, with clubs buying him and then loaning him out on more than one occasion. He spent the 22/23 season at Groningen on loan from Fortuna Sittard who had signed him from United on a three-year contract. In July he signed for Dender EH in Belgium on a two-year contract and played the first five games as they were the surprise package in the early stages of the season. 

41. Wilko de Vogt 

Total Appearances for United: 9 (2001-03) 

Clean sheets: 3 

Goals conceded: 12 

Goals conceded per game: 1.3 

The 25-year-old de Vogt came in from NAC Breda as cover for Simon Tracey, and with Tracey starting to pick up injuries and losing his form, de Vogt made his debut in a victory over Norwich. He was not exactly convincing but we won the game, and Tracey was soon back in the side. De Vogt kept a couple of clean sheets in a league and cup double header with Forest in January 2003 but was not really tested.  

He then played in a defeat at Preston before his next appearance came after Tracey’s red card in the Battle of Bramall Lane. Amid all the red cards and controversy, de Vogt seemed like a rabbit in the headlights and his inability to take crosses, despite his height, came to the fore.

He then conceded two at Crewe and his decision making was clearly a concern. We barely saw him after this until he played in one game the following season (the triple assault campaign), the exciting 4-3 FA Cup win over Ipswich, which was only exciting as Ipswich came back to score three goals and the indecision in the defence was clear for all to see. De Vogt never looked close to challenging Tracey or Kenny and moved to TOP Oss in 2004. 

United moment: I often think of that Ipswich game. He did play nine times but I just remember being terrified every time the ball went near our goal. He looked like an outfield player that had been pressed into action between the sticks!  

Career pre- and post-United: De Vogt played 250+ games in the Netherlands but was only a regular at one club. He played briefly for known sides such as Twente and NAC Breda but was chiefly a back-up and retired at the age of 36 in 2013. 

40. Richard Wright 

Total Appearances for United: 2  - although he went off in both games (2010-11) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 4 

Goals conceded per game: 2 

Wright signed for United after Paddy Kenny controversially moved to QPR in the summer of 2010. United did manage to sign Steve Simonsen on loan but Wright was brought in to provide competition in the hope he could find the form of his younger days. At the time many United fans thought this was a low-risk signing as Wright had been an excellent keeper previously and perhaps could regain this form. He had suffered several injuries and these seemed to persist at the Lane but Simonsen was almost ever-present with Wright (2) and George Long (1) the only other keepers playing this season. Of course, it was a relegation season and Simonsen’s form did start to decline – a theme that carried into the next season – but Wright was barely available, and when he did play, he did not convince. Wright had games at Oakwell and Turf Moor: we lost both. He was taken out of the side and never played again. 

United moment: The game at Burnley, as we took a bit of a pasting in Micky Adams’ first match as manager, was his last act as a Blade. He came off in both games (at half time against Burnley) after looking generally indecisive and that summed up his spell here. 

Career pre- and post-United: Wright undoubtedly had a successful career pre-United, being a top young keeper at Ipswich. He earned a big-money move to Arsenal but never really came close to pushing David Seaman and when he did play, he made some bad mistakes. He moved to Everton but again his form was patchy, with Nigel Martyn and then Tim Howard preferred, and after playing second fiddle at West Ham to Rob Green, he returned to Ipswich.

He did well in his first season back at Portman Road but suffered injuries and was released prior to the Blades picking him up. The injury problems continued and he only played one more game, back at Ipswich, with spells also at Preston and then Manchester City. He played twice for England, and after he finished playing, he became the goalkeeping coach at City, where he remains to this day.  

39. Aidan Davison 

Total Appearances for United: 2 (1999-2000) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 6 

Goals conceded per game: 3 

Davison was 31 when he came in as back-up to Simon Tracey in the summer of 1999 not long after Adrian Heath took over at the Lane. He came on a Bosman (a new ruling at the time) from Grimsby where he had kept 50 clean sheets in 100 games. His first game came when Simon Tracey was sent off at Maine Road, coming on in the 43^rd minute and conceding five goals as Goater and Dickov ran amok against a beleaguered Blades side. He played in the following game, with Tracey suspended, and United beat Palace 3-1, but we didn’t see Davison play for the Blades again. He signed for Premier-League Bradford in January 2000, playing six games in the top flight and the Intertoto Cup.

United moment: The City game. Any keeper that concedes 5 on debut is not going to be seen in a positive light. Like Verrips and Baxter, had absolute nightmares in his league debut for the Blades. 

Career pre- and post-United: Davison was well-travelled – he played for 14 clubs and three times for Northern Ireland – but is best known for his spells at Grimsby before and after United. Davison became a goalkeeping coach in Florida and Arizona in the States, before fulfilling the same role in India. He is now back in the UK and part of the Hollywood-inspired journey at Wrexham, as he took over from Sheffield-born Lee Butler to become the first team goalkeeping coach in the summer of 2022.  

38. Mervyn Day 

Total Appearances for United: 1 (1992) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 3 

Goals conceded per game:  3 

The second keeper on this list to enjoy the distinction (or maybe lack of) of only playing one game for the Blades. With Simon Tracey and Mel Rees injured, Day was drafted in on an emergency loan to play the final game of the season against Wimbledon. The Dons had moved to Selhurst Park that season and United took a large following as they were in an incredible top-half position and safe from relegation. It was the final set of fixtures before the Premier League commenced the following August, and United looked like they were already on the beach: they lost 3-0 with Day culpable for at least two of the goals, dropping one and getting outjumped for a header. He saved a penalty (how many keepers have a 100 per cent record for the Blades?) from John Fashanu but generally he looked very old and slow – he was 37 by this stage. 

United moment: Can only be one – he only played in that game at Wimbledon! 

Career pre- and post-United: It is incredible that Day was the keeper when Currie scored THAT goal against West Ham way back in March 1975. He did not move much that day either, similar to his statuesque performance for us nearly 20 years later! Day had a long and successful career and was part of the Leeds team that went up to the top flight with United, before being replaced by John Lukic. Day ended up at Carlisle after he left United and was briefly manager at Brunton Park but fell out with owner Michael Knighton and left. He worked as a coach with Alan Curbishley at a few clubs before moving into recruitment and media work. He was head of recruitment at West Brom before settling into his current role as a scout for Glasgow Rangers.  

37. Sal Bibbo 

Total Appearances for United: 2  - both in the Anglo Italian Cup (1993-96) 

Clean sheets: 0  

Goals conceded: 4 

Goals conceded per game: 2 

Bibbo was picked up from non-league having been a young keeper at Crawley – Bassett was never shy to take a punt on players from down the football pyramid. Bibbo was brought in to provide cover but with Tracey and Kelly ahead of him, it was always going to be hard for him to get game time. He never played a league game for United but gets onto this list on account of his two games in the short-lived Anglo Italian Cup, a competition that featured the best of Serie B versus the best of our second tier.

Bibbo was fortunate not to play in the ill-tempered defeat to Udinese which saw three United players sent off but he did play in the two other games – a 3-3 draw with Ancona and a 3-1 win at Cesena. Bibbo stood out for having slicked back hair and both his first name and surname suggested his family had international links. He did have family from Italy but he was born in Basingstoke! I remember watching him for the reserves and wondered what Bassett or his scouts had seen in him. He seemed to have little concept of what to do when the ball came near him and his gloves seemed to be coated in grease – maybe the same grease he applied to his hair. 

United moment: Is it harsh to say his moment was when he played against United? I was not at either of the Anglo Italian games but he played quite well in the FA Cup fifth round game against United at the Lane in 1998. Eventually a late Lee Sandford header beat him to send the Blades through. 

Career pre- and post-United: Bibbo had a loan spell with Chesterfield but then moved on to Reading and remained south. He drifted back into non-league and then moved into goalkeeping coaching. He worked at Arsenal for a spell as their primary keeping coach telling Petr Cech what to do, and was then u21 keeper coach at Brighton before moving back up to Sheffield to work for our cross-city rivals under Danny Röhl. 

36. Kristian Rogers 

Total Appearances for United: 1 (2003-04) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 2 

Goals conceded per game: 2 

Rogers was an England Schoolboys international and began his career at Wrexham, where he became number one for a period before losing his place to Andy Dibble (never a good sign surely?). He was linked with Swansea but on the back of him sending some video tapes to United, we signed him. Another classic Warnock transfer! The tapes can only have been edited as he never got close to the first team and during the few reserve games I saw, he was a long way off the standard required for the Championship. He did play one game in the League Cup v QPR and then went on loan to Macclesfield. He only was at United for a year. 

United moment: Can only be the one game – the defeat against QPR, a drab 2-0 defeat.  

Career pre- and post-United: Had been at Chester before he signed for Wrexham, and after leaving the Blades he was soon back in non-league, playing for Port Talbot.  

35. Gary Kelly 

Total Appearances for United: 1 (2003) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 2 

Goals conceded per game: 2 

Older brother of Alan, he only played one game for United, drafted in as cover for Paddy Kenny and Wilko de Vogt. He joined on a non-contract basis in March but only played right at the end of the season – like Day did at Wimbledon. This was the final game of the season at Watford and the scoreline would not affect our playoff positioning as we were locked into third place. Kenny was not risked and United rotated a few players for this game. I’m not sure he had too much chance with the goals – although one came off him and was converted on the rebound – but he made a few saves to keep the score down in this dead rubber. He remained for the playoff campaign and was on the bench in the disastrous defeat to Wolves but moved on in the summer. 

United moment: Probably as well known for being Alan’s brother as his sole United appearance!  

Career pre- and post-United: Kelly grew up in Lancashire and like his younger brother and dad became a goalkeeper, with a good career in the professional game. He started at Newcastle under Jack Charlton but moved on when Jim Smith arrived, joining Bury. Here he played over 200 games before moving to Oldham playing a similar number for the Latics. He played for Ireland at youth, u21, u23 and B level. He did make the senior squad but never made an appearance as the likes of Packie Bonner, his brother, Dean Kiely and Shay Given were always ahead of him. After his brief spell at United, he moved into non-league and played for Northwich Victoria and then Leigh RMI, where he was player-manager. He then moved into goalkeeping coaching. 

34. Phil Barnes 

Total Appearances for United: 5 (2004-06) 

Clean sheets: 3 

Goals conceded: 4 

Goals conceded per game: 0.8 

He was signed by Neil Warnock in 2004 as cover for Paddy Kenny but his chances were limited at the Lane. He played five games for the club with only one league appearance, a clean sheet in a 1-0 home win against Rotherham where Paul Shaw scored the winner in Steve Kabba’s comeback game. He went on loan to Torquay but returned for the 05/06 season. He played three League Cup games in the 04/05 season and the FA Cup defeat to lower league Colchester at the Lane – the game Hao Haidong came on in! He was quite tall, but we didn’t look as secure when he deputised for Kenny. He went on loan twice while with United – at Torquay and QPR – and after the Blades got promoted, he moved on to Grimsby.  

United moment: Has to be that Rotherham game. His only league game for the club he supported but he kept a clean sheet and we won. You can never take that away from him! 

Career pre- and post-United: Barnes was a Blades fan as a boy but began his career at Rotherham, later moving to Blackpool for a six-figure fee in 1997. He spent seven years at Bloomfield Road where he had the best spell of his career. After leaving the Lane, he did well and won player of the year at Grimsby before he moved into non-league playing for several clubs. His last club listed was back playing locally at Handsworth Parramore. He now works at Handsworth Precision Tools. 

33. Iain Turner  

Total Appearances for United: 13 (2014-15) 

Clean sheets: 2 

Goals conceded: 14 

Goals conceded per game: 1.1 

I cannot remember Turner much so was surprised to see he had played 13 times (11 in the league and twice in the JPT) in the 14/15 season, the last campaign under Nigel Clough. He signed for the Blades mid-August on a six-month contract as backup to Mark Howard. He played a couple of games in the JPT before making his league debut in January as United beat Swindon. I believe Howard was injured: Turner played a run of 11 games and the team were largely successful, winning six, drawing three and losing two. He was steady enough but I do remember a couple of home defeats where he made mistakes. Quite a tall keeper, he struggled with low shots and could be a bit indecisive with crossing, but equally, I don’t remember any hugely disastrous performances.

United moment: His debut against Swindon saw him make several excellent saves in a 2-0 victory and was the highlight of his brief United career. 

Career pre- and post-United: Born in Stirling, Scotland, Turner played 13 times for his home town club before Everton saw enough to sign him for a small fee in 2003. He had eight loans in as many years and only played for Everton four times before he moved to Preston North End. He was never able to establish himself as the number one and moved on to Barnsley but again could not force his way into the side and signed a short-term deal with United. After his spell at the Lane, he moved to Tranmere and then Southport where he coached alongside his playing role. Turner was also in the Scotland U21 and B squads and got selected for the full squad despite his patchy league career but never played for the senior side. Turner only played 113 times in his 16-year career and never seemed to be a regular number one anywhere he played, with 17 games being the most he ever played in any single season. Turner became goalkeeping coach at Tranmere for a period in recent years but seems to have moved on from there.  

32. Andy Leaning 

Total Appearances for United: 25 (1987-88)  

Clean sheets: 2 

Goals conceded: 39 

Goals conceded per game: 1.6 

Leaning was an up-and-coming keeper in his early days at York and did well in cup games against bigger sides. United picked him up in the summer of 1987, when he was surprisingly released. He began with a defeat at home to Bournemouth but saved a penalty on debut – a rare feat. Leaning was a small keeper who was a good shot-stopper but lacked command and struggled with the high balls. United only won two of their first ten league and cup games as the team struggled badly. We did pick up for a spell and won four on the bounce but United were still leaking goals (Leaning only kept one clean sheet in the league) and he had not convinced, sadly not helped by a ligament injury. Roger Hansbury came in and did well but United could not afford to keep him and thus Leaning returned to the side for a trio of defeats.  

United went back into the loan market for Hans Segers, but yet again United were unable to sign him permanently. Leaning did OK in a win at Hull but three more defeats ensued including a humiliating hammering at Elland Road. He was badly exposed and struggled in the 5-0 defeat as a powerful Leeds frontline that featured the likes of Baird and Pearson really took advantage of his lack of inches (although the stats state he is 6’0’’ which I find hard to believe!). He never played for United again.

In his defence, Leaning played for United’s first team during a particularly poor time for the Blades as Billy McEwan tried and failed to change the age profile of the squad and keep them competitive.  

United moment: His debut was more successful than his final game at Leeds. However, whenever I think of Leaning, I think of the 0-5 defeat at the Lane to Oldham, which saw the end of McEwan and was undoubtedly one of the poorest displays and teams I ever witnessed, played in front of less than 10,000 fans.  

Career pre- and post-United: Having turned down York at 16 on the advice of his Dad to get a proper job, Leaning turned to local amateur football whilst pursuing a day job with British Rail. He was a regular in The North East Counties League for York RI & Rowntree Mackintosh. He was offered a professional contract in July 1985 for York and the following season he played in 30 games including an FA Cup tie against the all-conquering Liverpool side that saw York take them back to Anfield and unfortunate to lose. After leaving York for a season at the Lane, new manager Dave Bassett looked to quickly re-shape his squad. He signed Graham Benstead and then Simon Tracey, and Leaning moved to Bristol City. He then had spells with Lincoln City, Dundee and Chesterfield before retiring in 2000 with 223 league appearances to his name. 

Having gained UEFA 'A' licences in goalkeeping, he coached at Chesterfield, Scarborough, Barnsley and back at the Blades and was influential in the development of Paddy Kenny. He joined Leeds United and was working with their academy staff under Neil Warnock before spells back at York and Port Vale. He latterly was involved in Elite Soccer Coaching, supporting coaches privately. His son Jack, who is a Blades fan, is a county cricketer, beginning at Yorkshire and now playing at Kent.  

31. Robin Olsen 

Total Appearances for United: 11 (2021-22) 

Clean sheets: 1 

Goals conceded: 17 

Goals conceded per game: 1.5 

It seems incredible that an international goalkeeper, who’s played for some of the biggest clubs in the world and has been undisputed number one for Sweden, should be so low down on this list. However, his United career was mainly startling in the sense that he looked so bad! When we signed him after Ramsdale moved on, on the surface it seemed a coup. An established keeper coming in on loan from Roma (albeit not first choice) seemed a no-brainer. He would give a shaky defence some authority and command. Sadly, what transpired could not be more different. He made his debut at home to Preston and made an early mistake as he got himself in a horrible position to allow Daniel Johnson to score, and was indecisive all evening. He was not tested as much in the following games but then we lost a few games away and you soon realised many shots beat him. A speculative Jed Wallace goal somehow beat him at the Kop end in a defeat to Millwall and our form showed no signs of improving under Slaviša Jokanović.  

His shaky displays confused many United fans and after another error in the draw at Nottingham Forest, he (along with the rest of the United side) had a bit of a nightmare at Ewood Park. This defeat – which could have been more than it ended up – saw more calamitous decisions with Olsen often leaving his goal horribly exposed. This was the end for both the manager and his keeper. Olsen got an injury soon after and as Paul Heckingbottom came in as manager, he went with Foderingham and results improved. Olsen left United for Aston Villa in January 2022. I cannot to this day think what he did well when he played – he was not commanding, he couldn’t take the high ball and didn’t move quickly enough to save shots. He was big and wore fancy gloves: that was about it. As many have said, Sweden must really have a limited choice in his position for him to continue to play, as he’s amassed 66 caps.  

United moment: The two bookends. Mistakes in his debut against Preston were repeated in his final game at Blackburn.  

Career pre- and post-United: Olsen spent his formative years in the Malmö youth set up and after moving on, he returned to Malmö where he was able to establish himself as number one. He moved to PAOK in Greece but returned to Scandinavia with FC Copenhagen where he started to become noticed and was selected for his country for the first time. He then earned a big-money move (around £10 million) to Roma in Serie A. He never really established himself and ended up on loan at Cagliari and then Everton. Once again, he was mostly a backup and returned to Roma. United picked him up and after this did not work out, he saw a chance to be a number two at a higher level and probably with a higher wage and departed for Villa. He remained here, signing permanently for around £3 million, but again has been played sparingly as the Argentina keeper, Emi Martínez is undoubted number one. Indeed, Villa signed a young Australian keeper, Joe Gauci, who has been on the bench instead of Olsen this season so far. He may end up being one of those keepers where he is forever a reserve, rarely playing. Nice money if you can get it!  

30. Roger Hansbury 

Total Appearances for United: 5 (1987-88) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 10 

Goals conceded per game: 2 

He came to United to help give some experience after newcomer Andy Leaning had struggled and the Blades won in his first game, beating Leicester City 2-1 at the Lane. His record after this was not great, as we lost three and drew one of the final four games. His final game saw him concede twice and get injured in a 4-0 drubbing at West Brom (Paul Stancliffe had to replace him), and he ended up back at Birmingham. He was OK and looked more competent than Leaning, but in a struggling side he was not protected and then wasn’t even able to complete his loan spell due to the injury. 

United moment: You can choose between two. The game in which Birmingham, the club who held his registration, allowed him to play for us and we allowed Peter Withe (on loan to Blues) to play for them. Of course, Withe scored twice past Hansbury. Typical United! That is a situation that would not be allowed to happen today. However, his greatest contribution for United might be when he played an absolute blinder for Burnley in a game in May 1984. Hull needed to score three goals to pip United to promotion, but Hansbury kept the margin down to two and the Blades were up! 

Career pre- and post-United: Born in Barnsley, Hansbury started out at Norwich City and conceded four on his debut. He was at Carrow Road for eight years before he had a trio of loan moves lower down the leagues as he could not dislodge future Wednesday keeper Chris Woods. He played a few years in Hong Kong before returning to the UK with Burnley, Cambridge and then Birmingham where he played 57 times in a three-year spell. He signed for the Blades on loan before spending further temporary spells with Cambridge and Wolves. He ended up at Cardiff and was a regular again at his final league club. After finishing, he ended up working at a Sports Centre and then running a greeting card shop in the West Midlands.  

29. Jake Eastwood 

Total Appearances for United: 3 (2017-23) 

Clean sheets: 0 

Goals conceded: 7 

Goals conceded per game: 2.3 

Eastwood was born in Rotherham and was involved with the Blades from the age of 10. He came through the academy and was a regular for the u18s and development teams, and had a few spells with local non-league sides to give him experience of men’s football. After Simon Moore picked up an injury, I think there was real debate about whether he or new loanee Jamal Blackman would make the first team for the 17/18 season, as Eastwood had done well in pre-season. Blackman got the nod and established himself for most of the season but Eastwood played twice in the EFL Cup, a 3-2 win over Walsall and then a 1-4 pasting against Premier League Leicester, both at the Lane, where there were a few goals and moments he could have dealt with better. He came on at Wolves for the final 17 minutes after Simon Moore got sent off and conceded one goal as soon as he came on without touching the ball as a free kick was deflected in! In November 2017, he signed a three-year contract before going out on his first of many loans – to Chesterfield.  

Over the next six years, he had eight loans with seven clubs (Rochdale twice) and two spells in Scotland but never really established himself even on loan. He played only 36 times in six years, picking up injuries which restricted his time. His lack of success elsewhere coupled with the fact he was a long way down the pecking order at the Lane (we had keepers such as Moore, Blackman, Henderson, Ramsdale and Foderingham) meant it was head scratching why we always retained him. We would probably get loan fees and his wages were almost certainly not huge, but he was never going to make it at the Lane. There was a running joke about him being at the club for a lot longer than he actually was, and further gags about him having compromising photos of different managers so that we could not let him leave!

United moment: Rather than a game, my Eastwood memory is just of him always going on loan BUT always coming back. He always seemed to get a new contact and always seemed to be there for pre-season training.

Career pre- and post-United: When it was announced in summer 2023 that he was leaving the Blades, many fans did a double take and had to check that he had really left on a permanent basis. He signed a two-year deal at Grimsby and but after getting into the side, poor form saw him quickly out of it again and is now number two. He did play in the League Cup against Wednesday this season but conceded five goals! 

28. Mark Bunn 

Total Appearances for United: 35 (2009-10) 

Clean sheets: 11 

Goals conceded: 43 

Goals conceded per game: 1.2 

Bunn was part of a squad that used an awful lot of loan players in Kevin Blackwell’s last full season. After Paddy Kenny had been given a nine-month drugs ban, United needed a keeper. They had Ian Bennett, but Blackwell signed the then-23-year-old on a month-long loan from Blackburn where he was number two to Paul Robinson. This was eventually made into a six-month loan and then a full-season move.

Bunn came in and initially looked the part. He was tall, imposing and had a decent kick. However, we soon realised there was a major weakness in his game – saving shots! He was incredibly slow to move to balls which often led to long range efforts flying past him as he fell to the floor with an inability to use his feet to move across to the ball. He was not great on crosses either and for a big lad seemed to shy away from contact when balls came in.  

It did not help we had an unsettled side in front of him with the defence featuring luminaries like Nyron Nosworthy, Jordan Stewart and Marcel Seip alongside the more reliable Chris Morgan and Matt Kilgallon. He did have some reasonable games early on, but then the mistakes started to become more regular. He let in two saveable long-range goals in when Wednesday threatened a comeback at the Lane in a 3-2 win.   

After defeats to Scunthorpe and Blackpool where he let in six goals, Bennett was brought in for a period. We also had Carl Ikeme on loan who did quite well and it never seemed Bunn really established himself despite getting back into the side either side of the Christmas period. He improved a little but we still conceded too many and I’m not sure many fans were worried when Blackburn recalled him in March after Robinson picked up an injury. We brought in Steve Simonsen who did well (on loan he was excellent before a drop off when he signed permanently) and he was not really missed.  

United moment: I think it sums it up that I cannot remember a particularly good or bad game. He did save two penalties against Peterborough and Reading, both in wins at the Lane. However, I just have the same image of him moving slowly to the ground as a low shot nestled into the net. 

Career pre- and post-United: Bunn started his career at Tottenham as a youngster but first played professionally at Northampton and it was here that he drew the attention of bigger clubs before Blackburn signed him for around £1 million. He only played six games at Ewood Park, with the most notable a shock 3-2 win at Old Trafford in 2011. He signed for Norwich, where he split game time with John Ruddy and stayed for three years but again was never automatic first choice and signed for Aston Villa. Despite staying for three years, he only played 18 times. At 35, he hung up his gloves and was recently goalkeeping coach at Cambridge but left in 2021. He then set up his own goalkeeping coaching school, the Mark Bunn Goalkeeping Academy, where young keepers will be practicing how to lie down and not save speculative long-range shots! Harsh, maybe? [Definitely! Ed.]

27. Steve Simonsen 

Total Appearances for United: 108 (2010-2012) 

Clean sheets: 30 

Goals conceded: 138

Goals conceded per game: 1.3 

It was hard to know where to place him. If I was assessing his spell on loan in the 09/10 season, he would be much higher up this list. Sadly, upon returning he did not look anywhere near as good in 10/11. In the first season back in League One, his form deteriorated to the point where if it was not for several basic mistakes, I believe we would have gone up regardless of the Ched Evans situation.  

He played seven times in his initial loan spell and really solidified this position. He was agile, took crosses, made some excellent saves and looked a good keeper. Many fans were desperate to keep him full time and it took a fair bit of time to sort the next summer. Many were worried that we might not keep him and he was seen as a vital signing, such was his impact. When he returned full-time, he did not carry over his form. He was still OK, but mistakes started to creep in as the team struggled, and Richard Wright played briefly. He had a poor defence in front of him but he was not the keeper we had seen the previous campaign.  

The following season he remained as we started life in League One. United amassed 90 points, but I am not sure Simonsen covered himself in glory this season. He lost his place to George Long briefly and mistakes happened quite frequently, despite the team being largely successful. I remember a run of games around October where he was culpable for several goals: he let Wednesday overpower him to score two headers at the Lane and then also dropped a cross in injury time at Leyton Orient which saw us only draw.

Long struggled when he replaced him, so he was brought back due to this more than anything but his struggles continued. We did win most games of course but I often worried when high balls went into the box and he would routinely flap at things. Several goals came from his inability to catch or punch the ball, and for a big keeper, he would almost shrivel at the point of contact.

We failed to go up but he kept two clean sheets in the playoffs against Stevenage and repeated this in the final in a game no one would have scored in if they were still playing to this day. It went to a shootout, and we all know what happened next – after every outfield player had taken their kicks, it went to the keepers. Alex Smithies scored past Simonsen but our keeper’s effort was skied and consigned us to another season in the third tier. He was released in the summer, never playing for us again. 

United moment: He was here for two and a half seasons but whenever he is mentioned, it conjures up the image of him stepping forward in that garish orange goalkeeper jersey and blasting the ball high into the Huddersfield fans behind the goal at Wembley Stadium. It’s harsh that that is his legacy as a Blade, especially as he wasn’t the only player to miss, but there is no escaping that he will be remembered for it.  

Career pre- and post-United: Steven Preben Arthur Simonsen, to give him his full name, started out at Tranmere despite being born and raised in the North East. His Dad was a Danish seaman, hence the surname, and he could have played for Denmark (he did play for England u21s). He developed quickly at Prenton Park, to the extent Everton made him the record signing for a UK keeper when they paid over £3 million for him in 1998. He only had one season, where he played regularly, before he moved to Stoke. He spent six years in the Potteries and was first choice for much of that time as they went up to the top flight.

Thomas Sørensen came in, leading to Simonsen’s move to the Lane. After the playoff defeat in 2012, he moved to Preston but picked up injuries and never fully established himself. After one season, he went north of the border to Dundee and then surprisingly earned a move to Rangers who were out of the Scottish Premiership at this time. It was a mixed time and I remember seeing some dreadful errors, with his feet and hands, which brought back memories of the final days with United. He actually got suspended for betting and was then released. He had a brief spell in India at FC Pune City before retiring.  

26. George Long 

Total Appearances for United: 123 (2011-18) 

Clean sheets: 39   

Goals conceded: 106  

Goals conceded per game:  0.9 

Long came though United’s youth ranks and was part of a very successful squad that made it to the FA Youth Cup final in 2011. Before playing against the likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard in this two-legged game, he had made his Blades debut at the age of 17 – a 4-0 defeat at Swansea for an already-relegated Blades side, becoming the youngest keeper to play for United in their history. The next season he was number two to Steve Simonsen, managing two games when the experienced keeper went through a poor run of form but had a jittery performance against Exeter and conceded four yet again. He was given a new deal, but started the season behind new number one, Mark Howard.  

When Howard got injured, Long did well in a win at Leyton Orient, keeping his place and playing 44 games in all competitions. However, Howard regained his place the following season after some poor performances and he ended up on loan at Oxford and Motherwell, the latter under Stuart McCall, where he was very successful. This led to him returning to be Nigel Adkins number one for the 15/16 season. He started with a shaky game at Gillingham in a heavy defeat and had a patchy season. Long signed a new contract under Chris Wilder, but after losing his place, he went on loan to Wimbledon and helped keep them up.

After a shaky start to his United career (albeit in only a few games), Long had some decent spells during his first proper full season in 12/13. He looked like he had all the attributes to go on and be a top keeper, and I remember thinking he might go right to the top as he was a decent size, showed good hands and could kick the ball far too. However, he was a real confidence keeper and one mistake invariably led to a run of poor games. We saw him in and out of the side for a bit and then he was allowed to move on – the start of the League One title season saw a few such as him, Brayford, Hussey and Adams moved on and we brought in Simon Moore who gave the team more solidity. We did switch formations and Long was unfortunate to carry the can. 

United moment: I often think of that game at Gillingham where United in the bright green away kit and hopes high for promotion got absolutely mullered. Long struggled all afternoon in the baking sun. 

He did come back and do OK but then the following season we had another disastrous early game that maybe was the end of him as a Blade. He pushed one shot out for a goal (v Rochdale I think?) but the Southend game was a disaster for the whole team and the keeper normally gets looked at when you concede three at home in the first half. 

Career pre- and post-United: After United, Long was mostly number two at Hull and then Millwall. At Hull, he got a rare start against the Blades and saw three goals flash past him in the first half in United’s promotion season. His path crossed with United again as Long, now at Millwall and first choice, showed both sides of his game. He let a free kick in from distance rather weakly but then made a series of saves in the second half. His reaction at the end of this game was quite strange. He had been given some light hearted jibes from the Blades behind the goal but after the 3-2 win he turned round and let out a round of profanities towards the fans of the team that gave him a living in the game! Whenever I saw him for Millwall, he made a mistake and I was surprised he was their first choice. He ended up at Norwich and in a defeat to Leeds conceded three goals in a come-from-behind win for the away side and the same weaknesses on long shots seemed to be in evidence. He started seven games last season but remains primarily the back up to Angus Gunn. 

Next time: Countdown 25-11