CITY 2 SHEFFIELD UNITED 1
League Division 1
23rd October 1971
attendance 41,688
scorers
City Doyle(51), Lee(56)
Sheff U Dearden(52)
Ref Peter Baldwin
City Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Summerbee, Bell, Davies, Lee, Mellor – sub Towers
Sheff Utd Hope, Badger, Hemsley, Flynn, Colquhoun, Hockey, Woodward, Salmons, Dearden, Currie, Reece – sub Scullion
Mike Doyle smacks home the opener, and the City players celebrate
FROM THE PRESS BOX
JEFF HODGSON WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
Manchester City will have few more testing challenges than the one thrown down by Sheffield United.
City’s post-match casualty list was evidence enough of the physical attitude Sheffield applied in their bid to reduce the effect of the Blues’ attacking armoury.
Wyn Davies had four stitches in a nasty head wound. Colin Bell had a gashed leg and Mike Summerbee also took severe punishment.
It was a tribute to the brave Blues that they never shirked their responsibilities up front. A less determined side might have been intimidated by Sheffield’s relentlessly tough approach.
But City took the knocks and came back for more, and a 2-1 triumph was no more than their courage deserved.
The Blues made it one way traffic until their second goal forced the Yorkshire side out of their defensive shell.
Mike Doyles 51st minute goal was equalised by Billy Dearden within a minute before City stormed back to sew it up with a goal that should find a place of honour in the Maine Road scrap book. Francis Lee, who finished the match with a temperature of 101 after feeling the after affects of flu, powered home a great solo effort that gave City their just reward.
But this was no one-man supershow from City. They had plenty of heroes to share the merit ratings, with Colin Bell, thriving on the responsibility of taking over the captaincy, and young Ian Mellor leading the way in attack.
And when it came to dealing with the menace of Sheffield’s quick counter thrusts, Alan Oakes, in spite of his long lay-off, and Tommy Booth turned in workmanlike performances
