5 reasons why the Steel City derby is one of England's fiercest fixtures
To say this fixture means everything to Sheffield's half a million residents would be selling this fixture short. When someone thinks of a traditional English football derby, the clashes in Merseyside, North London and Tyne-Wear are normally what spring to most people’s minds first. Sheffield, though, has the Steel City Derby, and those who live in the South Yorkshire city know exactly how important it is and here's why:
#1 They’re tight and tense affairs
It’s a cliché to say tackles are flying in from all angles and all players during a derby match, but that’s exactly the case. It's rare when more than a goal separates the two sides at the final whistle, so it’s really not over until it’s over. Blowouts seldom happen, a 4-0 win for Wednesday in 1980 and a 7-3 victory for United in 1952 being some of the biggest differences between the sides during 90 minutes over the years.
If the champagne football of some of the Premier League’s derbies isn’t to your liking, look no further than Friday’s game. Both are footballing sides these days, which should shine through at times, but it’ll be a throwback to a bygone era of the game for the majority of the match.
#2 Flashes of brilliance
Something you wouldn’t expect in a match like this is great goals, but there have been some world-class strikes in this meeting. The fixture at Bramall Lane last season was a 0-0 draw, but United's thrashing of Wednesday at Hillsborough produced a stunner each from John Fleck and Mark Duffy as the Blades ran out 4-2 victors.
Ade Akinbiyi, Lee Williamson, Michael Tonge and Chris Waddle have all scored screamers but, without a doubt, Michael Brown's takes the cake.
His unbelievable volley to complete a United comeback against a stubborn Wednesday in 2003 has gone down in folklore as one of the best goals ever scored at Bramall Lane.
With talented players on both side of the divide on show on Friday, don't be surprised to see another stunner added to the highlight reels.