Sheffield United Football Club (known as the Blades) participated in League One, the third level of English football for the first time in 23 years having been relegated from the Championship at the end of the previous season. It was also their first appearance in both the Football League Trophy and the first round proper of the FA Cup for a similar length of time, as well as being the first season under new manager Danny Wilson. United began the season well, recording consistently sound results in Football League One and nearing the position required for an immediate return to the Championship. By the turn of the year, the squad was well positioned for promotion.
Reasonable progress was made in the cup competitions, reaching the second round of the League Cup, the fourth round of the FA Cup and the regional quarter finals of the Football League Trophy. With only a handful of games left to play in the league United looked set to finish in second place in the table, but in the aftermath of leading scorer Ched Evans being jailed, results declined, and United slipped to third place in the final week of the season. Although they reached the play-off final, the team were beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium, thus failing to achieve promotion and being destined to spend the following season in League One.
Team kit The team kit for the 2011–12 season was produced by Macron for the third successive year. The home kit consisted of the club's traditional red and white stripes and was based on the kit worn by the team in the early 1970s, chosen following a poll of fans the previous year. As the pre-season programme got under way the club also revealed a new all yellow away kit. By mid July the club announced that they had struck a joint sponsorship deal with cross-city rivals Sheffield Wednesday which would see both teams sponsored by the same two local companies. The Blades' home kit was sponsored by Westfield Health and the away kit by local car dealers Gilders Group (with Sheffield Wednesday's kit's having the reverse). The club later announced that a new secondary sponsor, Nexis, would appear on the back of the home shirts for the coming season.
Season overview Preseason
Following relegation from the Championship at the end of the previous season, company chairman Kevin McCabe sacked manager Micky Adams, insisting that the club needed a new start to take them forward. After a few weeks of speculation, McCabe appointed former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Wilson as Adams' successor. Wilson began to assemble his back room team, appointing former United defender Frank Barlow as his number two, fellow former Blade Billy Dearden as chief scout and Dave Morrison as fitness coach.
Wilson stressed that he intended to bring a better style of play to the team in the coming season but admitted that players would have to be sold to balance the books. Deals were already in place to sell Jamie Ward to Derby County for an undisclosed fee, and sign Danny Philliskirk from Chelsea on a free transfer, but Wilson also added to the squad in June by signing Lecsinel Jean-François from his former club Swindon Town, also on a free transfer. After much speculation, and with the players about to return for pre-season training, Darius Henderson was sold to Millwall for an undisclosed fee in order to free up money on the wage bill.
The club announced a low-key series of friendlies for July, while Wilson continued to reshape his squad, allowing young defenders Kingsley James and Phil Roe, both products of the Blades Academy, to leave and rejoin former boss Micky Adams at Port Vale on free transfers. A youthful team were held to a draw by Sheffield but overcame Worksop Town a few days later. With the team about to leave for a training camp in Malta, Mark Yeates was sold to Watford for an undisclosed fee, Ryan Flynn was signed from Falkirk for a similarly undisclosed fee and Chris Porter arrived on a free transfer having been released by Derby County. Once in Malta, United took on local sides Sliema Wanderers and Hibernians in friendly games, beating both sides. Upon returning to England, the Blades completed their pre-season schedule with two home fixtures, losing to Doncaster Rovers and drawing with Blackpool. With their pre-season schedule completed the Blades signed young winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a six-month loan deal.
Unfortunately, the latter half of July also saw the club hit the national headlines for the wrong reasons. Firstly, the club was identified by a Channel 4 undercover investigation as being offered for sale as part of an illegal ownership deal, although the Blades themselves were not implicated in any wrongdoing. A fortnight later, striker Ched Evans was arrested and charged with rape following an incident in May.
August–September: Early season optimism
The Blades won the opening game of the season away from home, outclassing Oldham Athletic, but a strong side needed penalties to overcome Hartlepool United at Victoria Park in the first round of the League Cup a few days later. Midfielder Kevin McDonald was added to the squad on a free transfer after a lengthy trial period, before the Blades resumed their league campaign, beating Brentford at home, and overturning a two-nil deficit to overcome Walsall at Bramall Lane. Having spent the previous season on loan at United, Argentinian Elian Parrino returned to South Yorkshire on a one-year deal from Estudiantes de La Plata, after which the Blades embarked on a four match run of away games in the space of eleven days. They dropped their first league points of the season as they were held to a draw by Tranmere Rovers, before suffering their first defeat of the season on a quick return to Merseyside, allowing the lead to slip once more as they crashed out of the League Cup at the hands of Premiership Everton. The team returned to league action and winning ways with an away trip to Yeovil, the first ever competitive meeting between the two clubs, after which they despatched Burton Albion to progress into the second round of the Football League Trophy.
With Danny Wilson still needing to raise money and trim the wage bill, the Blades had a relatively busy transfer deadline day, allowing Jordan Slew to join Blackburn Rovers for £1.1m, and Daniel Bogdanović to join Blackpool for an undisclosed fee, but turning down another offer from the Seasiders for Stephen Quinn. The Blades also agreed a deal to take two young midfielders, John Fleck and Kyle Hutton, on loan from Rangers for the remainder of the season, but the deal subsequently fell through due to issues with the paperwork involved. The team kicked off September by crushing Bury 4–0 at Bramall Lane, and then travelled to Scunthorpe United where they maintained their unbeaten start after coming from behind to grab a 1–1 draw. Off the field the restructuring of the club continued with the appointment of former Blades player Julian Winter as Chief Executive to replace the departing Trevor Birch. Danny Wilson added to his defensive options by signing Marcus Williams on a months loan from Reading, with the defender making his début only hours later, although he was unable to prevent the Blades from crashing to their first league defeat of the season as they were trounced 3–0 at home by Huddersfield Town. Despite this setback the Blades quickly returned to winning ways, reversing the previous scoreline to crush Colchester United 3–0 at Bramall Lane. The month ended on a low note however as the team suffered a shock defeat at struggling Wycombe Wanderers, although they still managed to hold onto second place in the table.
October–November: Important points dropped October started no better for the Blades as they were easily beaten 2–0 at home by league leaders Charlton Athletic and needed a last second goal to progress in the Football League Trophy as they struggled against League Two side Rotherham United. Meanwhile, Danny Wilson boosted his squad ahead of the Steel City derby, with Marcus Williams agreeing to stay on loan for a further two months and Matt Phillips and Billy Clarke arriving for a month each from Blackpool. The new arrivals failed to halt the disappointing run of results however as the Blades let a 2–0 lead slip to end up drawing with their cross–city rivals. Despite this disappointment the team bounced back to score an emphatic away win at Preston a few days later with both new signing Matt Phillips and old hand Lee Williamson netting two goals apiece. With increased competition for first team places, youngsters Danny Philliskirk and Corey Gregory were allowed to go out on loan to Oxford United and Hucknall Town respectively; swiftly followed by Connor Brown who joined Eastwood Town on a months deal. Back in the league, the disappointing results continued as United threw away a lead once again, allowing ten-men Leyton Orient to snatch a draw with the last kick of the game. Once again the Blades quickly responded to the setback by beating fellow promotion rivals MK Dons 2–1 at Bramall Lane, but then conspired to throw away yet more points, allowing Exeter City to come from behind twice in the closing minutes of the next game to snatch a 4–4 draw.
Into November and back on the road, yet another late goal was handed Stevenage all three points, leaving United fifth in the table going into FA Cup week. With Phillips and Clarke playing the final game of their loan spell, United tamely exited the Football League Trophy, losing on penalties to League Two strugglers Bradford City. There was a more positive result in the FA Cup however as a brace from Ched Evans helped the Blades ease past Oxford United. By mid–November, and with Danny Wilson still seeking to add to his attacking options, it was reported that former striker and fans favourite James Beattie had returned to training with the club and could be handed a contract depending on match fitness, and a short term deal was duly signed a few days later. Back in League action United saw out a victory over Carlisle United despite seeing a Richard Cresswell spot–kick saved in the second half, and a week later Ched Evans scored his fifth goal in four games to beat Chesterfield by the same scoreline. The month ended on a sombre note however as former player and manager Gary Speed was found dead at his home after having taken his own life less than a year after leaving his post at Bramall Lane.
December–January: Maximum points for Christmas
December started with the second round of the FA Cup and despite conceding another late goal, the Blades progressed into the third round at the expense of Torquay United, thanks to another brace from in Ched Evans, who then scored for the fifth game in succession in the next game, netting twice more in a league victory over Rochdale. The team's impressive form continued with an away win at Bournemouth thanks to two own goals, Notts County making a similar gift of an own goal to contribute to their own defeat on Boxing Day, before the Blades rounded the year off by crushing Hartlepool United on New Year's Eve; meaning that the Blades ended 2011 in second place in the table following eight victories in a row in all competitions.