It was a 4-0 last time out in the league.
What are you expecting from the Blades in this tie, and how have things been since we last played each other?
Since we last faced each other in league action and after thinking we would be in for a second relegation from the second tier in two years (surely a worldwide first?), United have picked it up and have stabilised.
After the fiasco of last year, we’ve won a game at home for the first time in a year and picked up decent results against some of the big hitters in the league (a win away at Crystal Palace and a draw against Charlton where we did look good value for a win!).
Alongside that, we’ve had decent
runs in both cup competitions, with a last match loss against Liverpool in the League Cup group stages — ending an encouraging campaign which included a win against Sunderland — and we’ve got a plum away tie at WSL league leaders Manchester City to look forward to in the FA Cup after wins against Durham and Ipswich in previous rounds.
So whilst our league form hasn’t been rosy as of late, we’re still in a much better place as a club than we were last season!
Who do you think will be the biggest difference‑makers in the match?
From a Blades perspective, we’ve had a real strong showing from our midfielders this season.
Ella Kinzett has had a really good bounce back season after a dip in play last year, whilst new signing, and ex-Black Cat Mollie Rouse has been a revelation since signing on deadline day from Spokane Zephyrs — a magnificent technical footballer who’s passing ability is almost unmatched in our team.
Alongside those two, the breakout of youngster Tilly Bristow has seen us finally look like we’ve got a player to replace the attacking drive of Bex Rayner, who left two years ago. Tilly is fearless, loves to drive at a defence and at just nineteen years old, she’s got a massive future in the game and is definitely a name to remember.
From a Sunderland perspective, Emily Scarr has been a constant thorn in United’s side.
She’s scored against us in three of our last seven meetings and is such a standout player at this level. Eleanor Dale is another who constantly seems to score against us, and I’m a big fan of Izzy Atkinson from her spells at West Ham and Palace, so she’ll be a danger on Friday.
How do you feel about the team’s recent performances going into this fixture?
Recent performances have been decent but we’ve just not quite had that final killer touch to score in the league (we’ve not scored in the league since early November), and despite not picking up a point since Nottingham Forest in mid-November, we’ve been competitive in games, which is a breath of fresh air compared to last season!
It’ll be interesting to see how we play under new manager Stephen Healy.
Announced hours before the Forest match last weekend, he was an auspicious hire, in my opinion. Despite experience under Rehanne Skinner at West Ham and stabilising MK Dons after relegation, he leaves the Dons still not completely safe from relegation in a division two below ours and had seen his team get some real hammerings.
It’s perhaps an appointment for next season, but I was definitely surprised not to see Luke Turner at least given until the end of the season.
Turner has done a sterling job after stepping in for the third time as caretaker manager and I really did feel that his time to become permanent manager was now. However, we’ve got to back Healy.
Who’s been your standout player so far this season?
Mollie Rouse has been sublime this season.
We’ve gone from having a midfield that looked lost at sea last year to a very creative one this year — and Rouse has been a major part of that. The ball seems to stick to her at times as she looks to distribute the ball to our attackers.
She’s also got a really nice range of passing and has that ability to split a defence wide open with just a flick of her boot. Definitely up there with our best signings of the summer.
Which player do you think Sunderland will struggle to deal with most?
This might be a strange pick, but Jess Reavill might be one that Sunderland struggle with.
A product of our academy, Jess returned to The Lane in the summer following a stint at Stoke and Leicester. Despite this being her first season in the second tier, she looks like she’s played there her whole career, despite being only nineteen.
A confident carrier of the ball from defence and a defender who loves a tackle, Reavill reminds me of one of the best United players of the modern era in Chris Basham.
She can do it all and makes defending look easy. Alongside that, she’s a danger from set pieces and should probably have more goals to get name than the solitary one she does have.
What makes supporting Sheffield United special for you?
I like that it’s completely different to supporting our men’s team.
I think it’s been hard to connect with the men’s team following our disastrous most recent sojourn in the Premier League, and despite narrowly missing out on promotion last year, the football has been dour at times.
I really like that supporting the women’s team comes with a wider sense of community than supporting the men’s — alongside it being more fun to interact with other fans, it’s a lot more chilled and less stressful!
Which player would you trust most to score a last‑minute winner, and what’s your prediction for the final scoreline?
Charlie Devlin, most likely!
Charlie is our top scorer this season and recently added to her goalscoring exploits with a double in our FA Cup win against Ipswich. She was suspended last weekend for an accumulation of bookings so should be fresh to try and unpick the Black Cats’ defence on Friday!
We don’t beat Sunderland often in the league, so I’m going to be a little bit selfish and say a 1-0 Blades win because you guys have beaten us enough already over the course of the last five years!
