Sheffield United Women: New Year Update

Our SUFCW Correspondent talks through a swift December and gives out his half-season awards

John Slingsby

The month of giving and good cheer delivered gifts grand and disappointing for United. A bit like when you were younger and got that toy you’ve wanted all year, alongside the dreaded socks and vests (N.B. both very important gifts once you grow older).

December saw United only play twice. Yet both games provided thrills and spills that make the Home Alone franchise look like those conversations you have with a relative you don’t know once the Christmas dinner is done and dusted. Enough Christmas allegories and references for one year: let’s get on with the review!

The matches

Rugby Borough 2 - 3 Sheffield United

A thrilling WFA Cup third-round tie saw United come from behind twice to see off Rugby Borough in extra time. The stars of the show for United were Izzy Goodwin and Bex Rayner, the two attackers combining for all three goals to ensure that Izzy went home with the match ball after a first hat trick for United, against her former club. 

Rayner assisted all three of Goodwins’s goals to claim her own hat trick of assists (don’t know what you get for a hat trick of assists. Bex, if you’re reading this, please do get in touch and let us know what you got for the hat trick of assists).

The team formerly known as Coventry United would not go quietly into the night as both teams looked towards booking a spot in the fourth round of the Cup. Borough would take the lead twice via Angelina Nixon and Lily Greenslade, as United clawed their way back to a level scoreline as the game ended. In extra time, it would be United who would find that killer blow, Goodwin netting from the spot to send United into the fourth round of the Cup and a tie against WSL opposition Tottenham Hotspur in the new year.

Sheffield United 2 - 2 Charlton Athletic

In our final game of the calendar year, United were a whisker away from grasping a well-deserved victory against table-topping Charlton Athletic. United blew away our hosts in the first half and went into the halftime break with a deserved 2-0 lead. Despite being pegged back after the hour mark, dogged defending from United meant it looked like the three points would be staying in Sheffield, but Charlton scored a cruel equaliser in the eighth minute of the seven minutes added on at the end of the contest.

Despite being without talisman Goodwin, United played possibly their best half of the season so far in the first 45, as Charlton had no answer to our incessant stream of questions. United opened the scoring just before the twenty-minute mark after constant pressure in the opening exchanges. Jodie Hutton continued her good form and once again showed her prowess from set pieces with a curling effort from an acute angle that went through bodies and nestled into the net at the Bramall Lane end. 

United kept the pressure up and could have had more before our second of the contest, which came in spectacular style. Starting in our own half, more or less every player in the red and white touched the ball with intricate build-up play that would make Guardiola’s Barça blush. The ball came to Jodie Hutton, who tested Rogers in the Charlton goal with a firm effort that the keeper could only parry into the path of an onrushing Ash Hodson. Hodson despatched home with United proving too good for Charlton in the first period.

While the contest went in favour of the visitors in the second half, United were still impressive, with some stout rearguard action limiting Charlton. This strong defensive line was broken on the hour when Addison slotted home high into Stenson’s net. United went back to limiting the Charlton charge and it looked like it would be enough to get a very well-deserved three points, but it wasn’t to be – and in controversial fashion, as Skeels slammed home past Stenson to secure a point for the league leaders after the allotted additional time was up. Despite the late disappointment, United took the game to the league leaders and looked very good against top opposition: promising signs for United as we head into 2024.

(Half) Season Awards

As we’ve hit the halfway point of the season, we’ve now seen enough of United to be able to hand out some half-season awards! Will these change between now and the end of the season? Who knows! That’s the fun of awards, I guess. Anyway, let’s get on with handing them out!

Player Of The (Half) Season: Izzy Goodwin

It’s very hard to look past Izzy Goodwin as the player of the season so far. Since signing in the summer, the striker has been a revelation up front, with 10 Goals in 14 games a hell of a return. She isn’t all goals, however: Goodwin is a constant menace to any opposing backline and seems to treat challenges and potential hindrance of progress towards goal like a hot knife cutting through butter. She’s already close to being a WSL-standard forward. I’d love her to stay in the red and white stripes beyond the end of the season, but if she continues like she is now, she’ll be swiftly on to very big things indeed.

Signing Of The (Half) Season: Fran Stenson

We have recruited very well this season with Goodwin, Ash Hodson, Jodie Hutton and more all strong contenders for this award. The permanent capture of Fran Stenson, however, has been revelatory as she establishes herself as one of the top young goalkeepers in the league. A major factor in us still being in the division since joining on loan in January, Fran has been superb again this season and pulls off a “Save of the Season” contender on a near-weekly basis. She’s a commanding presence in the area, and having a ’keeper the calibre of Stenson is a major boon for United. If she can keep up her good form for the rest of the season, we’ll definitely be climbing up the table in no time.

Goal Of The (Half) Season: Bex Rayner vs. Charlton Athletic, 27th August 2023

Another category that was very tough to decide a winner for. United have scored some very good goals indeed so far this campaign (Jodie Hutton, please stand up), but this absolute screamer from Bex Rayner on the opening weekend of the season just about tops the lot.

Further adding to this goal's importance was the fact it came in the dying embers of the contest and saw us do to Charlton what they would do to us in the reverse fixture at The Lane. If you’ve followed the Blades for a while, you’ll know that Rayner is capable of the spectacular on a pretty regular basis (see her goals against Forest and Durham last season, for example). This goal against Charlton is typical Rayner. Slamming home from 30 yards is just… Bex. She makes the sublime look normal.

Defensive Player Of The (Half) Season: Rachel Brown

Since coming into the team on a regular basis since the turn of the year, Rachel Brown has been immense and has been a major part of the turnaround in our defensive fortunes. It’s hard to believe that Brown wasn’t a regular before the second half of last season: she has the engine of a Duracell Bunny and the defensive acumen of prime Alex Scott. A call up, alongside Charlotte Newsham, to Scotland’s Under 23s has been the icing on the cake of a superb year for our number 24.

Offensive Player Of The (Half) Season: Izzy Goodwin

When it was announced that Courtney Sweetman-Kirk would be retiring in the summer, it looked like United might struggle to replace a regular goal threat in The Championship. The emergence of Izzy has been a revelation for United this term. As mentioned before, 10 goals at the halfway point of the season is not to be sniffed at. Alongside her build up play, Izzy never produces the same finish twice when in front of goal: delicious chips, cool slotted finishes, silky dribbles followed by little dinks, she has it all. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of what’s in the locker in the new year!