Blades pay tribute to Baldock in first home game since tragic death

'It's been the toughest two weeks of my time in football but the players were outstanding and I'm really proud of them,' said Chris Wilder.

'We got the balance right on and off the pitch; it was a big performance and a big result on a really poignant day.'

Sheffield United fittingly honoured George Baldock on Saturday, the hugely popular defender whose sudden tragic death on October 9 left his family and one half a football-mad city devastated.

Baldock drowned in the pool of his Greek apartment near Athens, shortly before he was due to fly back to England to celebrate his one-year-old son Brody's birthday at the family home in Sheffield.

This was the Blades' first home game since the 31-year-old's passing and raw emotion dripped from every corner of Bramall Lane.

The strength of feeling summed up how much Baldock – who served United brilliantly for seven seasons – meant to Blades fans.

The Greece defender was affectionately nicknamed Starman or Furious George, a reflection of his fiery commitment during 219 appearances for a club he twice helped to reach the Premier League.

The tributes in the matchday programme were endless, with current and former players describing how deeply affected they had been by his loss.

For Wilder, who signed Baldock from MK Dons in June 2017 “for a bottle of pop and a packet of Wotsits”, the pain remains visibly raw.

“Pound for pound, George Baldock is right up there with the best that have pulled on a red and white shirt,” said the Blades boss, resplendent in a black suit and tie.

Baldock was a loving partner to his fiancé Annabel Dignam, a father to Brody, a son, brother, uncle and much-loved friend to so many.

“I still cannot comprehend how George’s family are feeling,” added Wilder.

Fans began arriving several hours before kick-off with many laying flowers, flags, jerseys and pictures at an impromptu shrine set up outside the Tony Currie Stand.

It has become a focal point for a grieving fanbase who had waited over a fortnight to pay tribute to Baldock on home soil.

‘Play for the badge on the shirt and we’ll remember the name on the back – RIP George Baldock,’ read one poignant message.

‘RIP Starman – from the Whiteheads’ said another as Wilder’s players began arriving for the match.

The footballing divide runs deep in the Steel City but a Sheffield Wednesday shirt was draped next to the dozens of United jerseys.

The words inscribed on it simply read ‘From all at Sheffield Wednesday, our thoughts are with you’.

The mood was understandably sombre and, a couple of hundred yards away, supporters congregated in the fan zone as young singer Jonny Eldridge performed on stage.

Tears were shed when he sang the David Bowie classic Starman, reworked of course with the lyrics that became Baldock’s song during his time at the club: ‘There’s a starman playing on the right, his name is Georgie Baldock and he’s f***ing dynamite’.

It was nothing to the emotion inside Bramall Lane as kick-off approached.

At 2.45pm, the tributes to Baldock began, including footage on the big screen showing some of his most memorable moments in a United jersey.

Baldock hailed from Buckingham and was brought up in a footballing family, but he will be forever remembered as a Blade.

United’s working-class fanbase could relate to the passionate, high-energy right-back who wore his heart on his sleeve and played a key a role in the club's rise under Wilder.

Gary Sinclair, Bramall Lane’s long-serving stadium announcer, almost choked up as he orchestrated the pre-match tributes.

There was a minute’s silence and a minute’s applause in the second minute, with Baldock having worn the number two jersey before leaving for Greek giants Panathinaikos in the summer.

A huge banner bearing Baldock’s name was passed along the Kop and the Starman song was given frequent airings.

It would have been easy for Wilder’s players, after two successive defeats, to have suffered distraction. They did not.

Kieffer Moore scored the opener before Tyrese Campbell – signed from Stoke in the summer – added a second after the break.

At the end, Blades captain Oliver Arblaster and team-mate Jack Robinson together held a United shirt bearing Baldock’s name and number.

It was an enduring image; the ultimate tribute to Sheffield United’s beloved Starman.