Sheffield United and Birmingham City played out a goalless draw at Bramall Lane, an underwhelming curtain‑raiser for the Championship season. Both clubs aim for promotion, but the match offered little excitement, with chances at a premium and no shots on target in the first half.

Chris Wilder and Chris Davies will look to add quality to their squads before month‑end. Optimism was high, yet neither side hit the ground running, and the tightly contested half yielded no clear advantage.

The opening 45 minutes saw a flurry of action: Patrick Bamford hooked a deflected cross from Femi Seriki wide, while Birmingham answered with Alex Cochrane’s cross to Paik Seung不足 who failed to convert. In the bootstrap half, Carlos Vicente was played through, but a pass was cut out by Japhet Tanganga. The first shot on target came from Jay Stansfield, saved by Michael Cooper, followed by a routine save.

Callum O'Hare sent Bamford clear, but the shot hit James Beadle’s feet for a clean save. Both teams displayed only fleeting moments of promise, and the result will likely be forgotten as the season progresses.