The Story Of The Rivalry That Broke Sheffield In Two

Football is a sport that unites people all over  the globe — Except in the city of Sheffield,  

where the Steel City derby has divided  friends and families for well over a century.

Separated by only a few miles,  

these neighbors make up one of England’s  best and most underrated rivalries.

And to help tell this story, I’ve collaborated  with Dan from The Wednesday Week and Oli from  

the Sheffield United Way. Links in the  description, so check them out after this.  

These creators live on either side of the derby,  and will help explain just how much it means.

But first, we need to go back to the  mid-1800s when football was taking  

its first steps as a sport. During this  time, Sheffield was coined the birthplace  

of football, thanks to the founding  of Sheffield FC. [SHOW DATE- 1857]

A decade later [4 September 1867], another club  called The Wednesday emerged in Sheffield. It  

was initially formed to keep The Wednesday Cricket  Club players fit during winter. But their success  

was so impactful that they became a singular  entity, triumphing in local cup competitions,  

gaining admittance into the FA Cup,  and earning the respect of other teams.

Though, they knew they’d need to start paying if  they wanted to keep the respect of their players.

Professionalism in England had just  been legalized in 1885. So, in 1887,  

The Wednesday began paying their  players a few shillings per match.

That same year, they settled at Olive Grove  ground after playing matches at three different  

stadiums — None of which had great facilities, so  high-profile matches were taken to Bramall Lane.

Which was a bit of an icon in Sheffield.  It was the city’s largest stadium,  

originally opened for cricket  matches, and would be a keystone  

in a new era of football. And there’s  no better example of that than this —

Though cricket was more popular in England,  

the stadium’s record crowd came for a football  match: the city’s first-ever FA Cup semi-final.

The turnout convinced the board that having  a football club was a good idea, and thus,  

the city’s third club was born —  Sheffield United [22 March 1889]

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You know the saying “good fences make  good neighbors”? Well, in this case,  

not even good fences could’ve made  these neighbors like each other.

And mostly because Wednesday fans were  upset, viewing the move as an invasion  

of their territory. Even worse, this new rival  occupied the city’s closest thing to a landmark.

The stage was set for one of the world’s  fiercest derbies. It was now just a race  

to see who would be the dominant force in  Sheffield — Beginning with their first match.

Sheffield United traveled to Olive Grove, hoping  to assert their dominance early doors. But,  

in front of 10,000 fans, Wednesday put  their rivals to the sword in a 2-1 victory.

This fixture became known as The Steel City  Derby, representing the city’s hardworking  

and resilient culture, industry,  and fierce nature of their meetings.

Fast forward to 1951, and there was  no question who was the better club.  

The Blades, as Sheffield United became known,  

had finished only five times in the top four of  the first division. The Owls, on the other hand,  

a nickname coined by Wednesday’s move to Owlerton  stadium, had finished ten times in the top four.

And major trophies were a similar story:  5 for the blades, 10 for the owls.

At the time, Wednesday was simply the better team.

With all this in mind, anyone would’ve thought  a meeting between the two would go something  

like this: a hard-fought ninety minutes  ending in an inevitable win for the owls.

But they would’ve been sorely mistaken,  

as September 8 1951 would go down as perhaps  the biggest upset in the derby’s history.

The Owls went up 1-0 early on in the match.  But The Blades were quick to respond,  

bringing the score to 2-1 before half-time.  Wednesday’s Dennis Woodhead then equalized,  

increasing the tensions in Bramall Lane.

Minutes later, United re-established their lead,  

and went on to completely  dismantle their opponents.

As if on cue, the final whistle  signaled an eruption of cheers  

inside the stadium. The Blades  had downed their rivals 7-3.

This match remains etched in archives of  the derby. But it did little to disrupt  

the overall balance of power.  As, in the following decades,  

it was Wednesday who asserted their dominance,  consistently outperforming their rivals.

True revenge came nearly a century [December  26, 1979] after their first meeting,  

in the 100th steel city derby. It was a  historically low period for the rivals,  

as the Blades joined the Owls in the  third division (of english football).

But that had no impact on the intensity of the  match or the number of fans in attendance. The  

city shook as nearly 50,000 fans flooded  Hillsborough to witness the first steel  

city derby in almost a decade. And  they were in for an exciting match.

After about half an hour, Ian Mellor  unleashed an unsavable strike,  

giving his side the lead and  lifting the owls off their feet.

However, their luck was set  to run out as a kick to the  

chest saw medics carry off United’s captain.

And as if things couldn’t get worse, the Owls  capitalized, scoring two goals in two minutes.

To top things off, United’s keeper took  down Curran in the box for a penalty.  

And with the atmosphere around  him, he was never going to miss.

This iconic day in the lives of Wednesday  

supporters birthed one of the club’s  most nostalgic chants— Hark Now Hear.

Similar to their clash in ‘51, this  match is bookmarked in Sheffield folklore

But unlike that 7-3 thrashing, this result  changed the course of the rival’s seasons.  

The Owls found new energy and ended the  campaign with promotion celebrations.  

Their neighbors found it difficult to bounce  back, finishing the season in mid-table.

But fortunes had changed by the  90s. Both sides were selected as  

founding members of England’s new  top flight, the Premier League.

It was a new chapter in history,  

one which both clubs could now use as  a gauge of success. Who would stay up?

In the league, it looked to be The Owls, who  sat just outside of top four. Their rivals,  

on the other hand, sat just outside  of relegation. Needless to say,  

blades fans weren’t having a great year  as the sorrows of football carried into  

their personal lives. ‘Cause  to them, it wasn’t just a game.

Their only chance of silverware was the FA  Cup, in which they’d already beaten teams  

like Man United and Blackburn Rovers,  booking their place in the Semi-Finals.

And that season’s semi-finals were truly  something special, as they featured two of  

England’s fiercest derbies: the North  London derby and the Steel City derby

First up — Wednesday vs. United at Wembley  in front of 75,000 passionate supporters.

The whistle blew and the crowd was  off their feet just two minutes later,  

as Chris Waddle scored a stunning free kick.

This strike was perhaps a sign  

of what was to come, but for the moment  Wednesday had to contend with United’s  

equalizer; a brilliant pass followed  up by a smooth finish by Alan Cork.

In a match of so much historical significance,  it’s no surprise that extra time was needed.

And, dramatically, the final goal came  in the dying seconds of the match.

Though Wednesday lost to Arsenal in the  finals, downing their rivals in the FA  

Cup and finishing 7th in the league made  their fanbase the happier of the two.

At least, for that season. But fast forward  to 2017 and things would completely change.

It had been five long years since  their last derby. During that time,  

The Blades had broken free from League  One with promotion to the Championship,  

while The Owls had tried and failed  to escape the 2nd-tier for a decade.

At last, it was time for a family reunion.

Both squads had several club legends,  including the likes of Bannan, Westwood,  

Basham, and Sharp. So It was  **going** to be an intense match.

The game kicked off at Hillsborough and,  

once again, sebut drating proved to be a  formality as fans celebrated an early goal.

United midfielder, John Fleck, scored  

a brilliantly deceptive free kick,  leaving Westwood rooted to the spot.

Soon after, Leon Clark found himself through on  goal and slotted the ball past the keeper. It  

was a move made worse by the fact  that Clark used to be an Owl.

But everyone knows 2-0 is a dangerous  scoreline. And Wednesday proved that to  

be true, firing home a well-placed  strike just before halftime.

Wednesday substitute Lucas Joao  etched his name into the scoresheet,  

bringing the game level for the first time.  

And as his strike beat the keeper, the stadium  shook from the home crowd’s continuous bounce.  

Everyone was on their feet, jumping up and  down, chanting, and willing their team forward.

It was a true embodiment of Sheffield —  unbridled passion and a love for the game.

But drunk with excitement, nothing could’ve  prepared the fans for what would happen next.

Only 2 minutes later, Mark Duffy played  a 1-2 with Clark, beat his man for pace,  

sold him twice with fake shots, and blasted  a strike into the upper left-hand corner.

And almost as soon as Wednesday’s  celebrations had started, they came  

to a halt and were replaced by an equally  emphatic crowd donning the red and white.

The game wasn’t over, but the goal  dealt a devasting blow to the hosts,  

who ended up losing 4-2.

And Duffy’s contributions earned  him the nickname “The Bounce Slayer”

But, as much as passion and hatred have been the  focus, this rivalry is more than that. Because,  

at the end of the day, football is about unity.  And both clubs know that, as they’ve joined forces  

multiple times to support men’s mental health,  charity, and local business — just to name a few.

Comment where you think this ranks  among England’s top rivalries