With their Gibraltar based training camp barely a week away, Icarus FC got their pre-season preparations off to a flyer, with a tough fixture against a very talented Sheffield United Youth Academy side. The fixture, which was a repeat of last year's close run affair was again organised by the Commanding Officer of the Sheffield Career's office - Flt Lt Jim Schofield, who added "Having worked with the Sheffield United Academy last year during their pre-season regime, I was delighted at the offer of a repeat fixture. It is a great privilege to be offered a fixture against such high profile opposition, and one which the Club will relish".

Following a decent warm up and in depth team talk from Team Coach - Flt Lt Joe Griffin, Icarus took to the field with an air of confidence. It was evident in the early stages of the match that the game would be hard work, however as the Championship sides' youngsters zipped the ball around the pitch, Icarus worked hard to close them down and deny them time on the ball. With the youngsters becoming frustrated it was Icarus who started to enjoy increased possession, with the wide threat of Render and Gilbert posing the Sheffield defence problems. This threat coupled with the organisation of the Icarus back line proved to be crucial at how the first half was to unfold.
With the match goalless and nearing the half-hour mark it was Sheffield United who felt hard done by, as what looked to be a legitimate penalty claim was waved away by the referee. Debutant goalkeeper - Mark Bowden was quick to pounce on the loose ball and launch an Icarus counter-attack, which after some hard work and tenacity by both Andrew Martin-Tonks and Kev Thom, saw the ball arrive at the feet of Kevin Gilbert. Controlling the ball instantly and without hesitation; Gilbert then confidently steered the ball over the keeper and into the top left hand corner of the goal from 15 yards, to give Icarus a 1-0 lead at the break.

Reeling from the sucker punch in the first half, Sheffield United began the second half of the game with the introduction of 9 new players, to the delight of the Icarus bench! Despite keeping the youngsters at bay for the first 45 minutes, it soon became apparent that the remainder of the match would be a far more difficult task, and it wasn't too long until the scores were level. Following the award of a free kick to Sheffield just outside the Icarus 18 yard box, the resultant cross was met powerfully by a United striker whose header was deemed to have struck the arm of a defender. Influenced largely by the appeals of the Sheffield players, the referee controversially awarded the penalty, with the incident in the first half perhaps swaying his decision. Despite the best efforts of Bowden in the Icarus goal it was the United striker who was to gain the upper hand as he confidently despatched the spot kit, levelling the game with half an hour still to play.
With the Sheffield United players all looking to impress the watching Academy staff, and with the Icarus players resolve starting to wane, John Hetherington introduced some fresh legs into the Icarus team. Howie Heap replaced Kev Thom who had worked tirelessly as the lone striker; Josh Fortune replaced James Render and Influential central midfielder Ben Joyce made way for Hetherington himself.
With the game drawing to a close and with Icarus attempting to push forward, it was Sheffield United again who were to reap their rewards. A clever move down the United left wing saw the lone Sheffield striker apparently beat the offside trap and finish well under the onrushing Icarus keeper, despite the appeals of Scott and Fisher at the heart of the defence. Rattled by this late goal Icarus again conceded before the final whistle, leaving the final score 1-3 to the visiting team.

Following the customary show of sportsmanship and handshakes after the final whistle, John Hetherington was able to comment on his team's performance. "Whilst the score line may not have accurately reflected the game, we must remember that Sheffield United only narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season. Taking that into account, each and every one of the Icarus players can be proud of their performance today, and is a great boost as we head to Gibraltar for further pre-season training." The head of Sheffield United's Youth Academy - Ron Reid added, "It is always a good test for our youngsters to be put through their paces by a different style of opposition, It is a valuable visit as it tests character, promotes camaraderie and team work outside our normal comfort zone."

Icarus FC will be hoping to keep Sheffield United as part of their ever-growing fixture list, and will be wishing the Senior team every success as they again push for promotion into the Premier League.

Team: Bowden, Turner, Hyland, Scott, Fisher, Renders (Heap 75), Martins-Tonks (Hetherington 55), Griffin, Thom (Fortune 75), Joyce, Gilbert. Subs not used: .