CITY 3 SHEFF UTD 3

EDIN Rahic stood in front of a fans’ meeting in July and told them he’d rather see his new club draw 4-4 than scrape to a 1-0 win.

Rahic made it plain that he and co-owner Stefan Rupp did not enjoy pragmatic football; they wanted to be entertained just like supporters.

Winning is not always the be-all and end-all if the fayre served up in front of you is entertaining.

On Saturday, the Germans pretty much got their wish.

This was the football club that they had bought into; a pulsating end-to-end encounter before a vibrant Valley Parade.

You can stick your hyped-up Super Sundays, Red Mondays and Freaky Fridays … contests like this one did not need the air-brushing of excitable TV types.

Of course there was plenty of anticipation for a contest between the two Yorkshire high-fliers. Stuart McCall had billed it as the biggest game in League One.

And how the action lived up to that tag several times over. It was an afternoon to savour.

By the end of it, City had stood toe-to-toe and slugged it out with a side that will surely bag one of the two automatic promotion slots come May. The Bantams were equal in their company.

How Rahic and Rupp will have enjoyed it. Sat alongside Robert Lossau, making a flying visit from Korea to tie up the loose ends from his brief spell as fitness coach, they could not take their eyes away.

Like every fan sat in the Kop, they were glued to the non-stop activity in front of them.

In McCall, we know City have a manager who shares the views of his bosses about how the game should be played.

At that same summer forum, when the coaching staff were introduced to various supporters’ groups, he had spoken about preferring to win by the odd goal in nine than just the one.

But anyone who had watched him play down the years did not need reminding of that.

McCall is such a fan of attacking football, he conceded after the game that he had even been tempted to clap the beauty of Sheffield United’s opener.

A delicious ball from Mark Duffy was angled in off the bar by prime poacher Billy Sharp – it was a goal that would have graced any division and a worthy winner; but proved to be only a starter for the feast to follow.

Not that McCall had set up with the intention of a wild-west shoot-out.

Once again he had made four changes from City’s previous outing.

But while there was universal acclaim to the line-up sent out against Southend – one that dribbled to an unconvincing draw – news of the team on Saturday was met with general head-scratching.

The big shock was to see Stephen Darby relegated to the bench, something unheard of throughout his City career.

Some may view that as a sign of the changing of the guard within the claret and amber army. No longer the skipper, the right back is one of the many in the final year of a contract.

But McCall stressed this was another of his “horses for courses” selection. He had seen left wing-back Danny Lafferty score with a header at Shrewsbury four days earlier and wanted the added height at the back post to combat that.

So Rory McArdle shifted across to the full back role where he had started at City in 2012 – and had played a chunk for Aberdeen where McCall had observed him.

Romain Vincelot was restored to centre half after a muddling midfield display on Tuesday and Timothee Dieng returned in a central three in front of him.

McCall felt the Frenchman had looked a bit leggy at Oxford and needed the midweek breather. Suitably refreshed, Dieng played with high energy and real composure against the talented Duffy.

The sight of three strikers on the team sheet was another surprise. But it gave City the option to mix it with James Hanson’s height, Jordy Hiwula’s pace and the guile of Billy Clarke in the pockets of space behind.

So City set up without a winger or a naturally forward-thinking full back, although Matt Kilgallon did a more than passable James Meredith impression with a hand in two of City’s goals.

McCall reckoned it was the tallest team he had ever sent out as a manager – but they were undone for the first goal by a header.

Not that anyone could be faulted because of the clinical execution of Sharp’s first, which maintained his remarkable scoring run against the Bantams.

He has now scored in five of his last six encounters with them, the Capital One Cup loss for Leeds two years ago being the only exception.

So there was an air of inevitability that he would deliver the first cut for the Blades, although the accuracy and power on the pass from Duffy did most of the work.

McCall resisted the chance to join in with the ovation from the 2,700 away following in Valley Parade’s first 20,000 plus crowd of the season.

Instead he saved his applause for the well-worked equaliser ten minutes before half-time.

Kilgallon deserved the plaudits for drilling a low ball across the six-yard box which Clarke converted from a narrow angle.

But that man Sharp was at it again soon after the break. McCall had warned City about Sheffield United’s fondness for taking quick free-kicks but they switched off fatally and the striker had his ninth goal of the term and fourth in four days.

Back came City once more. Josh Cullen worked the ball across the box, Hanson appeared to shank his shot but it fell to Hiwula with a smart volley from close range.

As the atmosphere reached fever pitch, it was no place for faint hearts – or defenders.

City went in front for the first time. Again Kilgallon prompted it from the left and Dieng smacked home right-footed for his first league goal – and rich reward for his non-stop personal contribution.

But Sheffield United have lost only once at Valley Parade since 1987 for a reason.

They were briefly down but far from out and responded with a third of their own – but a terrible goal in City’s eyes.

John Fleck’s scuffed corner should have been cleared away by Hanson as the first man. But the ball ran under his foot and found its way to the back post where Chris Basham got the decisive nudge ahead of Sharp.