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Steel City derby

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"Sheffield derby" redirects here. For the derby between Sheffield and Hallam, see Rules derby.

Steel City Derby
The home stadiums of Wednesday and United in Sheffield
Other names
  • Blades vs Owls
  • United vs Wednesday (vice-versa)
LocationSheffield, South Yorkshire
Teams
First meeting
Latest meeting
Next meeting
Stadiums
Statistics
Meetings total145
Most winsSheffield United (50)[1]
Steel City derby is located in Sheffield
Sheffield United
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
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]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Competitive matches summary

Competition Games
played 		United
wins 		Drawn
games 		Wednesday
wins 		United
goals 		Wednesday
goals
League 119 44 39 36 162 149
FA Cup 9 3 3 3 14 13
EFL Cup 3 0 1 2 2 5
Full Members Cup 1 0 0 1 2 3
Total 132 47 43 42 180 170

Derby match league doubles

Competition United Wednesday
First Division 8 5
Second Division/Championship 2 1
Total 10 6

Domestic titles and trophies

Competition United Wednesday
First Division 1 4
Second Division 1 5
League One 1 0
Fourth Division 1 N/A
FA Cup 4 3
EFL Cup 0 1
FA Charity Shield N/A 1
League One Play-offs 0 2
Total 8 16

League Runners-up/Automatic Promotion

Competition United Wednesday
First Division 2 4
Second Division/Championship 8 3
Third Division/League One 2 2
Total 12 9

Cup or other competition Runners-up

Competition United Wednesday
FA Cup 2 3
EFL Cup 0 1
FA Charity Shield N/A 1
Championship Play-offs 3 1
League One Play-offs 1 0
Total 6 6
Comparative table positions of Sheffield United and Wednesday in the English football league system

Matches played

[edit]
League
Season Division Tier United vs Wednesday Wednesday vs United
Date Venue Score Atten. Date Venue Score Atten.
1893–94 First Division 1 16 October 1893 Bramall Lane 1–1 13 November 1893 Olive Grove 1–2
1894–95 First Division 1 12 January 1895 Bramall Lane 1–0 27 October 1894 Olive Grove 2–3
1895–96 First Division 1 26 December 1895 Bramall Lane 1–1 7 September 1896 Olive Grove 1–0
1896–97 First Division 1 26 December 1896 Bramall Lane 2–0 2 March 1897 Olive Grove 1–1
1897–98 First Division 1 27 December 1897 Bramall Lane 1–1 16 October 1897 Olive Grove 0–1
1898–99 First Division 1 26 December 1898 Bramall Lane 2–1 3 October 1899 Hillsborough 1–1
1900–01 First Division 1 15 December 1900 Bramall Lane 1–0 29 April 1901 Hillsborough 1–0
1901–02 First Division 1 1 March 1902 Bramall Lane 3–0 2 November 1901 Hillsborough 1–0
1902–03 First Division 1 1 September 1902 Bramall Lane 2–3 11 October 1903 Hillsborough 0–1
1903–04 First Division 1 12 December 1903 Bramall Lane 1–1 9 April 1904 Hillsborough 3–0
1904–05 First Division 1 8 April 1905 Bramall Lane 4–2 10 December 1904 Hillsborough 1–3
1905–06 First Division 1 21 October 1905 Bramall Lane 0–2 18 April 1906 Hillsborough 1–0
1906–07 First Division 1 4 May 1907 Bramall Lane 2–1 3 November 1906 Hillsborough 2–2
1907–08 First Division 1 9 November 1907 Bramall Lane 1–3 7 March 1908 Hillsborough 2–0
1908–09 First Division 1 26 December 1908 Bramall Lane 2–1 Hillsborough 1–0
1909–10 First Division 1 6 November 1909 Bramall Lane 3–3 19 March 1910 Hillsborough 1–3
1910–11 First Division 1 25 February 1911 Bramall Lane 0–1 22 October 1910 Hillsborough 2–0
1911–12 First Division 1 4 November 1911 Bramall Lane 1–1 9 March 1912 Hillsborough 1–1
1912–13 First Division 1 1 March 1913 Bramall Lane 0–2 26 October 1912 Hillsborough 1–0
1913–14 First Division 1 25 October 1913 Bramall Lane 0–1 28 February 1914 Hillsborough 2–1
1914–15 First Division 1 4 September 1914 Bramall Lane 0–1 2 January 1915 Hillsborough 1–1
1919–20 First Division 1 4 October 1919 Bramall Lane 3–0 27 September 1919 Hillsborough 2–1
1926–27 First Division 1 15 January 1927 Bramall Lane 2–0 28 August 1926 Hillsborough 2–3
1927–28 First Division 1 Bramall Lane 1–1 Hillsborough 3–3
1928–29 First Division 1 2 February 1929 Bramall Lane 1–1 22 September 1928 Hillsborough 5–2
1929–30 First Division 1 28 September 1929 Bramall Lane 2–2 47,038 1 February 1930 Hillsborough 1–1 54,459
1930–31 First Division 1 6 September 1930 Bramall Lane 1–1 36,738 3 January 1931 Hillsborough 1–3 33,322
1931–32 First Division 1 2 April 1932 Bramall Lane 1–1 37,872 21 November 1931 Hillsborough 2–1 25,823
1932–33 First Division 1 4 February 1933 Bramall Lane 2–3 32,608 24 September 1932 Hillsborough 3–3 24,804
1933–34 First Division 1 3 March 1934 Bramall Lane 5–1 32,318 21 October 1933 Hillsborough 0–1 28,049
1937–38 Second Division 2 26 February 1938 Bramall Lane 2–1 50,827 16 October 1937 Hillsborough 0–1 51,893
1938–39 Second Division 2 29 October 1938 Bramall Lane 0–0 44,909 4 March 1939 Hillsborough 1–0 48,891
1949–50 Second Division 2 21 January 1950 Bramall Lane 2–0 51,644 17 September 1949 Hillsborough 2–1 55,555
1951–52 Second Division 2 8 September 1951 Bramall Lane 7–3 52,045 5 January 1952 Hillsborough 1–3 65,384
1953–54 First Division 1 12 September 1953 Bramall Lane 2–0 45,463 23 January 1954 Hillsborough 3–2 43,231
1954–55 First Division 1 18 September 1954 Bramall Lane 1–0 37,308 5 February 1955 Hillsborough 1–2 36,176
1958–59 Second Division 2 21 February 1959 Bramall Lane 1–0 43,919 4 October 1958 Hillsborough 2–0 46,404
1961–62 First Division 1 16 September 1961 Bramall Lane 1–0 38,497 3 February 1962 Hillsborough 1–2 50,937
1962–63 First Division 1 6 October 1962 Bramall Lane 2–2 42,687 15 May 1963 Hillsborough 3–1 41,585
1963–64 First Division 1 14 September 1963 Bramall Lane 1–1 35,276 18 January 1964 Hillsborough 3–0 42,898
1964–65 First Division 1 2 January 1965 Bramall Lane 2–3 37,190 5 September 1964 Hillsborough 0–2 32,684
1965–66 First Division 1 18 September 1965 Bramall Lane 1–0 35,655 12 March 1966 Hillsborough 2–2 34,045
1966–67 First Division 1 4 February 1966 Bramall Lane 1–0 43,490 24 September 1967 Hillsborough 2–2 43,557
1967–68 First Division 1 2 September 1967 Bramall Lane 0–1 36,258 6 January 1968 Hillsborough 1–1 43,020
1970–71 Second Division 2 3 October 1970 Bramall Lane 3–2 39,983 12 April 1971 Hillsborough 0–0 47,592
1979–80 Third Division 3 5 April 1980 Bramall Lane 1–1 45,156 26 December 1979 Hillsborough 4–0 49,309
1991–92 First Division 1 17 November 1991 Bramall Lane 2–0 31,832 11 March 1992 Hillsborough 1–3 40,327
1992–93 Premier League 1 8 November 1992 Bramall Lane 1–1 30,039 21 April 1993 Hillsborough 1–1 38,688
1993–94 Premier League 1 23 October 1993 Bramall Lane 1–1 30,044 22 January 1994 Hillsborough 3–1 34,959
2000–01 First Division 2 16 December 2000 Bramall Lane 1–1 25,156 1 April 2001 Hillsborough 1–2 38,433
2001–02 First Division 2 29 January 2002 Bramall Lane 0–0 29,364 7 October 2001 Hillsborough 0–0 29,281
2002–03 First Division 2 17 January 2003 Bramall Lane 3–1 28,179 1 September 2002 Hillsborough 2–0 27,075
2005–06 Championship 2 3 December 2005 Bramall Lane 1–0 30,558 18 February 2006 Hillsborough 1–2 33,439
2007–08 Championship 2 8 April 2008 Bramall Lane 2–2 31,760 19 January 2008 Hillsborough 2–0 30,486
2008–09 Championship 2 7 February 2009 Bramall Lane 1–2 30,786 19 October 2008 Hillsborough 1–0 30,441
2009–10 Championship 2 18 September 2009 Bramall Lane 3–2 29,210 18 April 2010 Hillsborough 1–1 35,485
2011–12 League One 3 16 October 2011 Bramall Lane 2–2 28,136 26 February 2012 Hillsborough 1–0 36,364
2017–18 Championship 2 12 January 2018 Bramall Lane 0–0 31,120 24 September 2017 Hillsborough 2–4 32,839
2018–19 Championship 2 9 November 2018 Bramall Lane 0–0 30,261 4 March 2019 Hillsborough 0–0 31,630
2024–25 Championship 2 10 November 2024 Bramall Lane 1–0 31,127 15 March 2025 Hillsborough
Cup
Season Competition Round Date Venue Score Atten.
1899–1900 FA Cup 2nd Round 17 February 1900 Bramall Lane 1–1 28,374
2nd Round Replay 19 February 1900 Hillsborough 0–2 23,000
1924–25 FA Cup 2nd Round 31 January 1925 Bramall Lane 3–2 40,256
1927–28 FA Cup 5th Round 18 February 1928 Hillsborough 1–1 57,076
5th Round Replay 22 February 1928 Bramall Lane 4–1 59,447
1953–54 FA Cup 3rd Round 9 January 1954 Hillsborough 1–1 61,250
3rd Round Replay 13 January 1954 Bramall Lane 1–3 40,847
1959–60 FA Cup 6th Round 12 March 1960 Bramall Lane 0–2 61,180
1980–81 League Cup 1st Round first leg 12 August 1980 Bramall Lane 1–1 25,588
1st Round second leg 9 August 1980 Hillsborough 2–0 23,989
1989–90 Full Members Cup 2nd Round 21 November 1989 Hillsborough 3–2 30,464
1992–93 FA Cup Semi-final 3 April 1993 Wembley Stadium 2–1 75,364
2000–01 League Cup 3rd Round 1 November 2000 Hillsborough 2–1 32,283

Non-competitive matches

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Eligible games – Friendlies
Venue Date Attendance Competition Winner Score Notes
Olive Grove 15 December 1890 10,000 Friendly Wednesday 2–1 First ever meeting between the two sides
[citation needed]
Bramall Lane 12 January 1891 15,000 Friendly United 3–2 First United win
Olive Grove 23 April 1891 3,250 Wharncliffe Charity Cup Wednesday 2–1 Tournament went uncompleted
Olive Grove 17 October 1892 1,500 Friendly Drawn 1–1 First drawn game
Hillsborough 9 August 1994 13,724 Steel City Challenge Trophy United 2–3 Inaugural match for the trophy
Bramall Lane 5 August 1995 13,254 Steel City Challenge Trophy Wednesday 1–3 Last meeting between the sides under Dave Bassett's time at United
Bramall Lane 27 August 1996 7,271 Steel City Challenge Trophy United 4–1 Last non-competitive match

Famous matches

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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

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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

[edit]

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

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Players to have played for both clubs:


Scored in the derby match for both clubs:

  • Alan Quinn


100+ appearances for both clubs:

  • Leigh Bromby


Managed both clubs:


Played for Wednesday, managed United:


Played for one, coached the other:


Coached both teams:


Other connections:

  • Derek Dooley, played for and managed Wednesday and was then had a variety of roles at United including Commercial Manager, Managing Director, Chairman and Vice President
  • John Harris, managed United and scouted for Wednesday

Notes and references

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  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.
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