Steel City derby

Last updated

Steel City Derby
Hillsborough Stadium interior.jpg Bramall Lane End.jpg
The home stadiums of Wednesday and United in Sheffield
Other names
  • Blades vs Owls
  • United vs Wednesday (vice-versa)
Location Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Teams
First meeting
Latest meeting
Next meeting
Stadiums
Statistics
Meetings total145
Most winsSheffield United (50) [1]
Sheffield outline map with UK.svg
Red pog.svg
Sheffield United
Blue pog.svg
Sheffield Wednesday

The Steel City Derby is a local derby between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, the two professional football league teams in the city of Sheffield, England. [2] [3]

Contents

The teams have met 132 times in competitive games, with United winning 47 and Wednesday 42.

Following Sheffield United's relegation from the Premier League in the 2023–24 season [4] and Sheffield Wednesday successfully avoiding relegation to League One, the Steel City derby returned in the 2024–25 Championship season.

History

The teams first met on 15 December 1890 at Wednesday's Olive Grove ground, with The Wednesday playing a friendly match against the newly formed Sheffield United that the home team won 2–1. [5]

The first competitive Steel City Derby fixture took place on 16 October 1893 during the 1893–94 English First Division season (following United's promotion to the First Division the previous season), it ended 1–1. [6]

Most Steel City derbies have taken place in the top two tiers of English football, with only two seasons (1979–80 and 2011–12) featuring both teams in the third tier.

Alan Quinn became the first player to score a goal for both clubs in a Steel City derby match. He scored for Sheffield Wednesday in their 3–1 defeat to United at Bramall Lane in February 2003. He signed to United from Wednesday in 2004 and scored the winning goal for Sheffield United in a 1–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Bramall Lane on 4 December 2005.

Head-to-head statistics and honours

Competitive matches summary

CompetitionGames
played		United
wins		Drawn
games		Wednesday
wins		United
goals		Wednesday
goals
League119443936162149
FA Cup 93331413
EFL Cup 301225
Full Members Cup100123
Total132474342180170

Derby match league doubles

CompetitionUnitedWednesday
First Division 85
Second Division/Championship 21
Total106

Domestic titles and trophies

CompetitionUnitedWednesday
First Division14
Second Division15
League One 10
Fourth Division 1N/A
FA Cup43
EFL Cup01
FA Charity Shield N/A1
League One Play-offs 02
Total816

League Runners-up/Automatic Promotion

CompetitionUnitedWednesday
First Division24
Second Division/Championship83
Third Division/League One22
Total129

Cup or other competition Runners-up

CompetitionUnitedWednesday
FA Cup23
EFL Cup01
FA Charity ShieldN/A1
Championship Play-offs 31
League One Play-offs10
Total66
Comparative table positions of Sheffield United and Wednesday in the English football league system Steel City Derby League Performance.svg
Comparative table positions of Sheffield United and Wednesday in the English football league system

Matches played

League
SeasonDivisionTierUnited vs WednesdayWednesday vs United
DateVenueScoreAtten.DateVenueScoreAtten.
1893–94 First Division 116 October 1893Bramall Lane1–113 November 1893Olive Grove1–2
1894–95 First Division 112 January 1895Bramall Lane1–027 October 1894Olive Grove2–3
1895–96 First Division 126 December 1895Bramall Lane1–17 September 1896Olive Grove1–0
1896–97 First Division 126 December 1896Bramall Lane2–02 March 1897Olive Grove1–1
1897–98 First Division 127 December 1897Bramall Lane1–116 October 1897Olive Grove0–1
1898–99 First Division 126 December 1898Bramall Lane2–13 October 1899Hillsborough1–1
1900–01 First Division 115 December 1900Bramall Lane1–029 April 1901Hillsborough1–0
1901–02 First Division 11 March 1902Bramall Lane3–02 November 1901Hillsborough1–0
1902–03 First Division 11 September 1902Bramall Lane2–311 October 1903Hillsborough0–1
1903–04 First Division 112 December 1903Bramall Lane1–19 April 1904Hillsborough3–0
1904–05 First Division 18 April 1905Bramall Lane4–210 December 1904Hillsborough1–3
1905–06 First Division 121 October 1905Bramall Lane0–218 April 1906Hillsborough1–0
1906–07 First Division 14 May 1907Bramall Lane2–13 November 1906Hillsborough2–2
1907–08 First Division 19 November 1907Bramall Lane1–37 March 1908Hillsborough2–0
1908–09 First Division 126 December 1908Bramall Lane2–1Hillsborough1–0
1909–10 First Division 16 November 1909Bramall Lane3–319 March 1910Hillsborough1–3
1910–11 First Division 125 February 1911Bramall Lane0–122 October 1910Hillsborough2–0
1911–12 First Division 14 November 1911Bramall Lane1–19 March 1912Hillsborough1–1
1912–13 First Division 11 March 1913Bramall Lane0–226 October 1912Hillsborough1–0
1913–14 First Division 125 October 1913Bramall Lane0–128 February 1914Hillsborough2–1
1914–15 First Division 14 September 1914Bramall Lane0–12 January 1915Hillsborough1–1
1919–20 First Division 14 October 1919Bramall Lane3–027 September 1919Hillsborough2–1
1926–27 First Division 115 January 1927Bramall Lane2–028 August 1926Hillsborough2–3
1927–28 First Division 1Bramall Lane1–1Hillsborough3–3
1928–29 First Division 12 February 1929Bramall Lane1–122 September 1928Hillsborough5–2
1929–30 First Division 128 September 1929Bramall Lane2–247,0381 February 1930Hillsborough1–154,459
1930–31First Division16 September 1930Bramall Lane1–136,7383 January 1931Hillsborough1–333,322
1931–32 First Division 12 April 1932Bramall Lane1–137,87221 November 1931Hillsborough2–125,823
1932–33 First Division 14 February 1933Bramall Lane2–332,60824 September 1932Hillsborough3–324,804
1933–34 First Division 13 March 1934Bramall Lane5–132,31821 October 1933Hillsborough0–128,049
1937–38 Second Division 226 February 1938Bramall Lane2–150,82716 October 1937Hillsborough0–151,893
1938–39 Second Division 229 October 1938Bramall Lane0–044,9094 March 1939Hillsborough1–048,891
1949–50 Second Division 221 January 1950Bramall Lane2–051,64417 September 1949Hillsborough2–155,555
1951–52 Second Division 28 September 1951Bramall Lane7–352,0455 January 1952Hillsborough1–365,384
1953–54 First Division 112 September 1953Bramall Lane2–045,46323 January 1954Hillsborough3–243,231
1954–55 First Division 118 September 1954Bramall Lane1–037,3085 February 1955Hillsborough1–236,176
1958–59 Second Division 221 February 1959Bramall Lane1–043,9194 October 1958Hillsborough2–046,404
1961–62 First Division 116 September 1961Bramall Lane1–038,4973 February 1962Hillsborough1–250,937
1962–63 First Division 16 October 1962Bramall Lane2–242,68715 May 1963Hillsborough3–141,585
1963–64 First Division 114 September 1963Bramall Lane1–135,27618 January 1964Hillsborough3–042,898
1964–65 First Division 12 January 1965Bramall Lane2–337,1905 September 1964Hillsborough0–232,684
1965–66 First Division 118 September 1965Bramall Lane1–035,65512 March 1966Hillsborough2–234,045
1966–67 First Division 14 February 1966Bramall Lane1–043,49024 September 1967Hillsborough2–243,557
1967–68 First Division 12 September 1967Bramall Lane0–136,2586 January 1968Hillsborough1–143,020
1970–71 Second Division 23 October 1970Bramall Lane3–239,98312 April 1971Hillsborough0–047,592
1979–80 Third Division 35 April 1980Bramall Lane1–145,15626 December 1979Hillsborough4–049,309
1991–92 First Division 117 November 1991Bramall Lane2–031,83211 March 1992Hillsborough1–340,327
1992–93 Premier League 18 November 1992Bramall Lane1–130,03921 April 1993Hillsborough1–138,688
1993–94 Premier League 123 October 1993Bramall Lane1–130,04422 January 1994Hillsborough3–134,959
2000–01 First Division 216 December 2000Bramall Lane1–125,1561 April 2001Hillsborough1–238,433
2001–02 First Division 229 January 2002Bramall Lane0–029,3647 October 2001Hillsborough0–029,281
2002–03 First Division 217 January 2003Bramall Lane3–128,1791 September 2002Hillsborough2–027,075
2005–06 Championship 23 December 2005Bramall Lane1–030,55818 February 2006Hillsborough1–233,439
2007–08 Championship 28 April 2008Bramall Lane2–231,76019 January 2008Hillsborough2–030,486
2008–09 Championship 27 February 2009Bramall Lane1–230,78619 October 2008Hillsborough1–030,441
2009–10 Championship 218 September 2009Bramall Lane3–229,21018 April 2010Hillsborough1–135,485
2011–12 League One 316 October 2011Bramall Lane2–228,13626 February 2012Hillsborough1–036,364
2017–18 Championship 212 January 2018Bramall Lane0–031,12024 September 2017Hillsborough2–432,839
2018–19 Championship 29 November 2018Bramall Lane0–030,2614 March 2019Hillsborough0–031,630
2024–25 Championship 210 November 2024Bramall Lane1–031,12715 March 2025Hillsborough
Cup
SeasonCompetitionRoundDateVenueScoreAtten.
1899–1900 FA Cup 2nd Round17 February 1900Bramall Lane1–128,374
2nd Round Replay19 February 1900Hillsborough0–223,000
1924–25 FA Cup 2nd Round31 January 1925Bramall Lane3–240,256
1927–28 FA Cup 5th Round18 February 1928Hillsborough1–157,076
5th Round Replay22 February 1928Bramall Lane4–159,447
1953–54 FA Cup 3rd Round9 January 1954Hillsborough1–161,250
3rd Round Replay13 January 1954Bramall Lane1–340,847
1959–60 FA Cup 6th Round12 March 1960Bramall Lane0–261,180
1980–81 League Cup 1st Round first leg12 August 1980Bramall Lane1–125,588
1st Round second leg9 August 1980Hillsborough2–023,989
1989–90 Full Members Cup 2nd Round21 November 1989Hillsborough3–230,464
1992–93 FA Cup Semi-final3 April 1993Wembley Stadium2–175,364
2000–01 League Cup 3rd Round1 November 2000Hillsborough2–132,283

Non-competitive matches

Eligible games – Friendlies
VenueDateAttendanceCompetitionWinnerScoreNotes
Olive Grove 15 December 189010,000FriendlyWednesday2–1First ever meeting between the two sides
[ citation needed ]
Bramall Lane 12 January 189115,000FriendlyUnited3–2First United win
Olive Grove 23 April 18913,250 Wharncliffe Charity Cup Wednesday2–1Tournament went uncompleted
Olive Grove 17 October 18921,500FriendlyDrawn1–1First drawn game
Hillsborough 9 August 199413,724Steel City Challenge TrophyUnited2–3Inaugural match for the trophy
Bramall Lane 5 August 199513,254Steel City Challenge TrophyWednesday1–3Last meeting between the sides under Dave Bassett's time at United
Bramall Lane 27 August 19967,271Steel City Challenge TrophyUnited4–1Last non-competitive match

Famous matches

The most famous match at Bramall Lane was on 8 September 1951, an encounter United won 7–3 in front of a crowd of 51,075. Wednesday scored after just ninety seconds through Thomas, but goals from Derek Hawksworth and Harold Brook gave United a 2–1 interval lead which would have been greater if McIntosh in the Wednesday goal had not saved a Fred Furniss penalty. Dennis Woodhead equalised for Wednesday after sixty minutes, but in rapid succession, Alf Ringstead, Hawksworth and Ringstead again, and Fred Smith scored for United, Woodhead pulled one back for Wednesday before Brook made the score 7–3.

In February 1967, broadcasting history was made when the derby at Bramall Lane was shown live on Pay-TV. United’s Bill Punton scored the only goal in the first pay-per-view League game on British television, and only the second to be televised live. [7] The coverage was available to around 700 subscribers in the Sheffield area, who had to pay ten shillings (50p) for the privilege of watching.

The "Boxing Day Massacre" was a match played on 26 December 1979. Sheffield Wednesday won 4–0, with goals from Ian Mellor, Terry Curran, Mark Smith and Jeff King. The United side at the time were top of the league, while Wednesday were 4th in the table. Sheffield Wednesday were promoted at the end of the season.

On 3 April 1993, the two teams met in the FA Cup semi-finals. The game was scheduled to be played at Elland Road while the other semi between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur was to be played at Wembley. However The Football Association was forced to move the fixture to Wembley due to extreme pressure from the fans of both teams. The match itself proved to be a classic, with Wednesday winning 2–1 after extra-time. Chris Waddle and Mark Bright scoring for Wednesday, and Alan Cork scoring for United. The match was watched by 75,364 spectators. [8]

The 2017-18 Steel City Derby at Hillsborough on Sunday 24 September 2017, saw United claim their biggest win at Hillsborough with their 4-2 victory in front of a crowd of 32,839. Goals for United came from John Fleck in the 3rd minute, Mark Duffy in the 67th minute, and two (in the 15th and 77th minute respectively) from Leon Clarke against his former side, with Gary Hooper in the 47th minute (scored in the first half as two minutes were added on) and Lucas Joao (65') scoring for Wednesday. [9] This game was nicknamed the 'Bouncing Day Massacre' by the United fans, due to a chant by the Wednesday fans following Joao's goal that ended abruptly as a result of Mark Duffy's goal shortly afterwards. [10]

Resurgence in the Steel City Derby

After Sheffield Wednesday's relegation from the Premier League after the 1999–2000 season both teams frequented the same league for seven of the next ten years. This caused the local rivalry between the two teams to increase and to cause an emergence of crowd trouble in 2003 [11] 2008 [12] [13] and 2019 [14]

Before the 2000–01 season both teams were only in the same league for six seasons between 1970–71 and 1999–00 (twenty-nine seasons), although this period did see one FA Cup semi-final meeting in 1993 and a Zenith Data Cup (Full Members Cup) meeting in 1989.

Off-pitch relationship

Supporters of the two Sheffield clubs have a fierce but healthy relationship. This goes right back to 1889 after Sheffield Wednesday, formed in 1867, had vacated Bramall Lane due to a dispute over rent. To compensate for the loss in revenue, the Cricket committee took the decision to form another football club, thus Sheffield United were established and Bramall Lane subsequently became their home.[ citation needed ]

The Clubs themselves do appear to have an amicable relationship, and on 15 July 2011 both Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday held a joint conference called "Supporting Sheffield" in which they announced a joint shirt sponsorship deal with two local Sheffield based companies for the 2011–12 League One season. The two local sponsors were Westfield Health (a Not for Profit healthcare organisation), who were the home kit sponsor for the Blades and the away kit sponsor for the Owls, and the Gilder Group (a Volkswagen car dealer), who were the away kit sponsor for the Blades and the home kit sponsor for the Owls. United and Wednesday both made a six figure sum from the sponsorship deal. [15] The deal was the first of its kind in English football with The Telegraph likening the deal to Glasgow rivals and neighbours Celtic and Rangers who have frequently shared shirt sponsors in the past. [16]

Played/Managed for both clubs

Players to have played for both clubs:


Scored in the derby match for both clubs:


100+ appearances for both clubs:


Managed both clubs:


Played for Wednesday, managed United:


Played for one, coached the other:


Coached both teams:


Other connections:

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "11v11 Records". 11v11. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  2. ↑ "The Steel City showdown". BBC Sport. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  3. ↑ Smith, Peter (9 September 2019). "Stoke v Port Vale named in top 30 English football rivalries, below Vale v Crewe". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Sheffield United relegated after thrashing at Newcastle". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Sheffield United the first 100 years. Clarebrough, D. 1989, ISBN   0-9508588-1-1
  6. ↑ "United vs Wednesday – Facts & Figures". Blades-Mad. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  7. ↑ Wilson, Neil (11 February 1967). "Five Men and a Million Pound Soccer Problem". Hull Daily Mail . p. 13. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  8. ↑ Rollin, Jack (1993). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN   0-7472-7895-4.
  9. ↑ "Sheffield Wednesday 2–4 Sheffield United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Sheffield United: Fans remember the 'Bouncing Day Massacre' one year on". The Star. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "FA investigates crowd trouble". BBC Sport. 3 February 2003. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  12. ↑ "Fans clash at Steel City Derby". Sheffield Star. Johnston Publishing. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  13. ↑ "Atmosphere report (Sheffield United – Sheffield Wednesday 08 April 2008)". FootballDerbies.com. 10 April 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  14. ↑ "Sheffield derby: Fans blast policing as Wednesday and United draw". BBC News. 5 March 2019.
  15. ↑ "Both Sheffield United and Wednesday forecast friction over sponsorship link-up". Sheffield Star. Johnston Publishing. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  16. ↑ "Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday to share shirts sponsors this season". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield Wednesday F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield United F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, following relegation from the Premier League in 2023–24. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at Bramall Lane since their formation. For most of the club's history, United have played in red and white striped shirts with black shorts. Their main rivals are Sheffield Wednesday, with whom they contest the Steel City derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramall Lane</span> Football stadium in Sheffield, England

Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Dooley (footballer)</span> English footballer, manager, and chairman

Derek Dooley MBE was an English football player, manager and chairman. He lived in Sheffield for the majority of his life, taking roles at both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Sheffield</span>

Sheffield has a long history of involvement in sport. Although cricket was the first organised sport, it has gradually been supplanted by football. Both the main two local football teams grew out of cricket teams. Sheffield can claim many firsts in football the most famous one being Sheffield F.C. being the world's first and oldest football club. Today it has a club in every major team sport in England. Sheffield became the first UK National City of Sport in 1995 and is now home to the English Institute of Sport (EIS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Hagan</span> English footballer and manager (1918–1998)

James Hagan was an English football player and manager. He played between 1938 and 1958 for Sheffield United and once for England. As manager he had his greatest successes with S.L. Benfica in the early 1970s.

Alan Quinn is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England. In the Football League First Division, Arsenal emerged victorious as champions.

Leigh David Bromby is an English retired footballer who played as a defender.

Derek Marshall Hawksworth was a footballer who played in the position of winger for Sheffield United.

Alfred Ringstead was a professional footballer who played in the position of outside right for Sheffield United between 1950 and 1959.

The history of Sheffield United Football Club, an English football club based in Sheffield, dates back to the club's formation in 1889.

The 1974–75 season was the 76th completed season of The Football League.

The 2008–09 season was Sheffield Wednesday Football Club's 107th competitive season, their 4th consecutive season in the Championship, and their 151th year in existence as a football club.

The 2009–10 season will be Sheffield Wednesday's fifth consecutive season in the Football League Championship and 108th season in The Football League since being elected to the Football League First Division in 1892.

Sheffield United Football Club participated in League One, the third level of English football for the first time in 23 years having been relegated from the Championship at the end of the previous season. It was also their first appearance in both the Football League Trophy and the first round proper of the FA Cup for a similar length of time, as well as being the first season under new manager Danny Wilson. United began the season well, recording consistently sound results in Football League One and nearing the position required for an immediate return to the Championship. By the turn of the year, the squad was well positioned for promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–12 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season</span> Sheffield Wednesday 2011–12 football season

During the 2011–12 season, Sheffield Wednesday F.C. competed in League One, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the Football League Trophy. It was their second consecutive season in the third tier of English football, and their 110th season in the Football League. At the end of the season they completed their aim of automatic promotion to the Football League Championship, after a remarkable season with many twists and turns.

During the 2009–10 English football season, Scunthorpe United F.C. competed in the Football League Championship.

Reginald Fidelas Vincent Freeman was an English football player and manager.

The 2013–14 Football League Championship was the tenth season of the Football League Championship under its current title, the twenty-first season under its current league division format and marked the 125th anniversary of the Football League's inaugural season. The season started on 3 August 2013 and finished on 3 May 2014, with all matches on the final day kicking off simultaneously.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.