A CONFIDENT start and a grandstand finish - but sadly no reward for Wanderers on an afternoon of frustration at Bramall Lane.

Frustrating because they blunted the Blades attack, enjoyed plenty of possession and worked several promising situations of their own, only to be undone at a short corner nine minutes from time when substitute Lee Sandford, who'd only been on the pitch for 10 minutes, decided the issue with a header at the back post. And this a defender quoted at 50-1 to score the first goal!

Always difficult to play against, Sheffield United were surprisingly cagey for the home side. The pace of Michael Ricketts and Ricardo Gardner caused them problems in the first half, while the Bolton defence, with Paul Warhurst and Gudni Bergsson assured at its heart, kept things tight at the other end.

The red and white shirts were more in evidence after the break, without seriously threatening. Wanderers were determined to follow up last week's outstanding away victory by taking something from the game and, although it might not have been a spectacular performance, they did enough over 90 minutes to merit at least a point on a ground where visiting teams have found the going tough this season.

Wanderers threw everything forward, bar the kitchen sink, in a frantic finale, laying siege to the Blades' penalty area and raising hopes that this might be our turn to deliver a sting in the tail.

On a luckier day, any one of a number of scoring efforts by Kevin Nolan, Per Frandsen, Carsten Fredgaard and John O'Kane might have done the trick.

Unfortunately this wasn't such a day.

Man of the Match: Paul Warhurst.