Sheffield United arguably took more enjoyment from the opening night of the new Championship season than the entirety of their brief and bruising return to the Premier League.
It was November before the Blades savoured a victory last season but Chris Wilder’s vibrant team were immediately off the mark at Preston, where Oliver Arblaster’s first goal for the club and an audacious finish from Gustavo Hamer delivered a richly deserved win.
It was a hugely encouraging start by a United team who had numerous excuses for opening the new season nursing a hangover. They could have cited the demoralising effect of finishing bottom of the Premier League last season with merely 16 points, a draining takeover saga with no end in sight, the loss of several senior players, plus a two-point deduction for defaulting on payments in 2022-23. That came into effect following their return to the EFL. But, much to Wilder’s satisfaction and credit, the visitors showed no signs of self-pity.
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Andi Weimann and Yuki Ohashi both grabbed debut goals as Blackburn opened their Championship campaign with a 4-2 win over promoted Derby.
John Eustace’s men were rewarded for their fast start as they took a 19th-minute lead through Tyrhys Dolan’s close-range finish after a well-worked move. Rovers were in control for the first half but Derby battled back after the break and Curtis Nelson’s powerful header in the 67th minute levelled matters.
But the task facing the promoted Rams was laid bare by a triple Blackburn substitution just prior to the equaliser that saw Rovers introduce Weimann, Ohashi and Sammie Szmodics and that trio blew the visitors away with three goals in the space of 12 minutes.
First, Weimann headed home in the 72nd minute from close range against his former club after superb work from Hayden Carter. Szmodics, who is being linked with a move to the Premier League, then confidently swept home four minutes later to make it 3-1 before turning provider for Ohashi to add a fourth with six minutes to go. Kane Wilson headed a late consolation for Derby but this was a sobering reintroduction to the Championship after a two-year absence.
In League One, Mansfield kicked off with a 2-1 victory at Barnsley, with Stephen Quinn and Lee Gregory scoring inside the opening 18 minutes before a reply f rom Luca Connell. And in League Two, Swindon pegged Chesterfield back to draw 1-1 at Saltergate, Will Wright levelling in the second half after Armando Dobra’s 15th-minute goal.
United were on the front foot with new signings Callum O’Hare and Kieffer Moore unsettling the Preston defence throughout the first half. Their early lead owed much to good fortune, but there was no doubting United’s superiority. The grumbling that greeted the half-time whistle from some home fans reflected a trying first half for Ryan Lowe’s side. Preston started last season with a flourish and led the Championship at one point. They were given little opportunity to stage a repeat here.
Hamer, one of the few bright spots of last season for United, instigated the breakthrough with a surging run at the home defence. The threat appeared to have been dealt with by Liam Lindsay’s challenge but quick-thinking by Moore kept the move alive and released Andre Brooks on the right. The winger cut inside and teed up Arblaster on the edge of the penalty area. His shot took a huge deflection off Andrew Hughes and, with Freddie Woodman wrongfooted, sailed just inside the Preston keeper’s right-hand post. United’s vociferous support were in raptures and with good reason. They witnessed only one league win on their travels last season, at Luton.
O’Hare had a good chance to double the visitors’ lead but over-elaborated at the end of another flowing move. Preston’s threat was limited by comparison, although it increased as the contest wore on.
New signing Stefan Thórdarson, the Iceland international midfielder, was central to the improvement. It was his ball into Emil Riis that created the first chance of note for the hosts. The centre-forward did well to set himself up for a shot that was ultimately scuffed at Adam Davies. Thórdarson’s determined run then produced an opening for Brad Potts that was blocked by United captain Jack Robinson.
Leeds loanee Sam Greenwood and defender Jack Whatmough both went close for Preston early in the second half. But, just as Lowe’s team were gathering momentum, they threw it away. Literally, in Woodman’s case. The Preston keeper made a routine save from Brooks following another United counterattack. His attempted clearance was a howler, however, as he threw the ball straight to Hamer who, from 30 yards, sent an exquisite lob back over Woodman’s head and into an unguarded net. The assist may have been dreadful, leaving Deepdale audibly aghast, but Hamer’s execution was outstanding.