The Sheffield Derby or Steel City Derby between United in red and white stripes and Wednesday in blue and white stripes has been one of English football’s most passionate contests.
These two clubs have played in different divisions this season – United in League 1 and Wednesday in the Championship – but the national spotlight has fallen on United as the first third-tier club to reach The FA Cup Semi-Finals since Wycombe Wanderers managed it 13 years ago.
Red United and blue Wednesday have met 127 times. United have won 45 matches, Wednesday 42 and 40 have been drawn. It’s been that close. The first meeting was a friendly at Wednesday’s old Olive Grove ground in 1890, the home side edging newly formed United 2-1. Three years later it was a 1-1 draw in Division One in the first competitive fixture.
Most recently, in 2012, Wednesday won a League 1 match 1-0 at Hillsborough.
It was an important season, with both the red and blue’ halves of Sheffield competing for promotion to the Championship. It finished 2-2 at Bramall Lane in November and Chris O’Grady’s winner in the return helped Wednesday to 93 points and second spot in the table. They went up – but United, only three points behind, lost to Huddersfield in the Play-Off Final at Wembley.
Chris Waddle celebrates Wednesday's 1993 FA Cup semi-final win over United
The two great rivals have usually met in the top two tiers of English football but they played in the third tier in 1979-80 and 2011-12.
There have been nine clashes in The FA Cup over the years, with three wins for the Reds, three for the Blues and three draws. The first match was a Second Round tie at Bramall Lane in 1900, a 1-1 draw with United winning the replay 2-0.
They met at the quarter-final stage in 1960, Wednesday’s Derek Wilkinson notching both goals in a 2-0 victory at Bramall Lane.
Their most high-profile match in The Cup was a Semi-Final that was switched from Elland Road to Wembley in 1993.
Red and Blue fans travelled down the motorway and a huge crowd of 75,364 saw Wednesday win 2-1 after extra-time to set up a Final with Arsenal. The Blue half of that crowd still remembers a spectacular free-kick from England star Chris Waddle that put them ahead.
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