Portsmouth 2(1) - 0(0) Sheffield United 7:45pm 9th March 1999 Nationwide League Division One Knight, Robinson, Simpson, McLoughlin, Whitbread, Awford, Whittingham, Peron, Vlachos, Durnin, Igoe Subs not used: Thogersen, Miglioranzi, Nightingale Goals: Awford 64 Booked: Igoe Sent Off:   Tracey, Derry, Quinn, Woodhouse (Cullen 83), Jacobsen, Holdsworth, Morris, Hamilton, Marcelo, Devlin, Ford (Twiss 83) Subs not used: Henry Goals:   Booked:   Sent Off:   Attendance: 10,287 Referee: P Danson (Leicester)

Former England Under-21 international Andy Awford scored his first home goal to put the skids under promotion-chasing Sheffield United. Awford scored his only other goal five years ago at Watford but he made no mistake with a close-range header in the 64th minute. He was perfectly placed to head home after fellow defender Adrian Whitbread had set him up with a header across goal following a corner. Sheffield United were stung into life by Awford's goal and several times came close to snatching an equaliser. Big striker Marcelo volleyed narrowly wide and had another goal-bound effort deflected for a corner. Powerful Norwegian defender Anders Jacobsen headed just over, but the best chances fell to United's England youth striker Lee Morris. Morris should have scored when Paul Devlin beat two defenders in the area and left him with only goalkeeper Alan Knight to beat. But the veteran got across brilliantly to block Morris's shot. In the dying minutes, with Sheffield United committed to attack, they believed they should have had a penalty. Morris appeared to be brought down by Whitbread, but Leicester referee Paul Danson rejected heated United appeals. Manager Steve Bruce said: "The referee was the only person who did not think it was a penalty, but it summed up our night. "Portsmouth never troubled us all evening until they scored and not much afterwards. "Nothing seemed to go for us, and we knew when the penalty was rejected that it was not going to be our night." Norwegian defender Jacobsen provided Bruce with his only consolation in a storming display. "Jacobsen was fantastic," he said. "He looks a real discovery, and I hope he carries on like that. It was only his second game." Match-winner Awford said: "I could not believe it when the crowd started chanting my name. It was hard to understand that I had scored the goal. "When we scored, I did not even know how to celebrate and now I only want to get another one or two to add to my collection.