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Birmingham City player ratings vs Sheffield United after James Beadle silences Bramall Lane Birmingham City sealed a point against Sheffield United after a 0-0 draw at Bramall Lane on Saturday evening Birmingham City opened up their Championship campaign with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Blues’ woes on the road last season were well documented and one of their darkest days arrived at Bramall Lane in December, when they were beaten 3-0. Their display in South Yorkshire on Saturday evening was miles better, with a solid defensive performance leading to a clean sheet and on another day they might have nicked a winner. FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! All the latest Blues news on Birmingham Live’s Birmingham City FC Facebook page It wasn’t until midway through the first half that either team prompted a gasp from the crowd to signify a genuine scoring opportunity. Femi Seriki’s deflected cross from the right was bicycle kicked goalwards by Patrick Bamford but only the side-netting rippled, much to Blues’ relief. That chance sparked a response from Blues and Paik Seung-ho might have made more of a superb delivery from Alex Cochrane. Cochrane’s cross was begging to be buried but Paik skimmed an unconvincing header wide. Blues actually finished the half the stronger with numerous overloads in wide positions. However, without Ibrahim Osman, who played the role of ball carrier for Blues last season, they lacked punch on the counter-attack and the first half ended all square. Tomoki Iwata tried the spectacular route to goal at the beginning of the second half with a 30-yard piledriver that Blades goalkeeper Michael Cooper watched sail over his bar. A cleverly worked corner between Cochrane and Paik allowed the former to cross and the ball dropped invitingly to Carlos Vicente. The Spaniard smashed it towards the target but a slight deflection took it behind for another corner. Vicente had a better chance when he drifted in behind down the right but he looked to pick out August Priske when he really should have gone for goal himself. Japhet Tanganga got back to cut out Vicente’s attempted pass to Priske. When Jay Stansfield found himself in a similar position to Vicente on the other side, his thought process was entirely different. The striker forced Cooper into his first proper save of the game with a powerful low shot. James Beadle was called into action for the first time with 15 minutes to go when Callum O’Hare slipped in Bamford. The goalkeeper won the battle of wits and produced an outstanding save before Phil Neumann hacked the ball clear. That preserved Beadle’s clean sheet and ensured Blues started the season with their first Championship shut-out away from St Andrew’s since January. James Beadle 7 The ex-Sheffield Wednesday loan man had to contend with jeers initially but United’s fans soon quietened down once they realised their efforts were having no effect on Beadle. Beadle made a brilliant save from Bamford late on and produced a double save to deny Ryan One and Tyrese Campbell before an offside flag went up. Bright Osayi-Samuel 8 Callum O’Hare tends to cause Blues problems but Osayi-Samuel wrapped him up at Bramall Lane. The Nigeria international is fitter than he was last season, efficient in defence and he played some progressive passes in the second half. Phil Neumann 8 Neumann continues to look every bit the solid Championship defender. He reacted to a superb touch by Bamford in the second half by popping his foot through the striker’s legs to retrieve possession. The German is doing the simple things really well. Christoph Klarer 8 Two very good challenges in the opening exchanges when United were on the up set the tone for a solid start to the season for Blues’ captain. Blues’ defence grew more comfortable as the game wore on. Alex Cochrane 8 Snapped into a couple of challenges on Donovan and, despite allowing the ex-Blues starlet to tease in a few crosses, he handled him very well. Cochrane whipped in some excellent crosses at the other end, too. Jhon Solis 8* Frustrated the home crowd by winning free-kicks and had some very good moments in midfield. Solis looks every inch the perfect Championship midfielder and is now one of the first names on the team sheet. Tomoki Iwata 7 Solid and combative alongside Solis in midfield to ensure Peck on Rothwell didn’t have it all their own way. If anything, Blues won the midfield battle. Carlos Vicente 6.5 Got into some great positions down the right and overthought his best opportunity to breach Cooper’s goal. Paik Seung-ho 6 Paik had his moments in possession and worked some clever corners with Cochrane, but he doesn’t give Blues the athleticism or creativity they need in the number 10 position. Jay Stansfield 6.5 A willing runner in a position that is far from his favourite. Stansfield had one of Blues’ best chances from the left wing but couldn’t beat Cooper. August Priske 6 Priske battled United’s burly centre-backs and played the role well without much reward. He is going to have to take a lot of knocks this season for the good of the team and this was a selfless display. SUBS Demarai Gray (for Stansfield, 74) 6 Fizzed in one dangerous cross that wasn't attacked and performed his duties defensively without fuss. Max Bird (for Paik, 80) 6 There were some smart passes, including one which set Vicente away down the right, as Bird helped Blues earn a point on his debut. Ethan Laird (for Vicente, 87) N/A Luis Vazquez (for Priske, 87) N/A Not used: Allsop, Fry, Lund, Roberts, Fujimoto