Just two points separate Sheffield United and Wrexham as the pair lock horns in the Championship at Bramall Lane on Friday night ( ). The match-up pits Chris Wilder against his former Southampton youth team-mate Phil Parkinson. And despite the new nature of the somewhat unconventional rivalry between the clubs, the various sub-plots once again make for an intriguing encounter.
"It's a tasty game," said Wilder. "It's not historical over 15, 20 to 25 years, it's a recent one, but it's gathered pace along the way." Having not met in 19 years, the Blades narrowly overcame then National League side Wrexham in a fourth round FA Cup replay in 2023, just months before the Red Dragons gained the first of three successive promotions under Parkinson. The Welsh side held their Championship counterparts to a 3-3 draw before losing 3-1 in the replay.
But it served as an early signal that Wrexham were determined to compete with the big guns in the near future. "We were talking at a function last night, someone asked me what game typified the Wrexham team and one of them was the home game [against Sheffield United] in the FA Cup," Parkinson said this week. "We lost two players through injury in the first 10 minutes, we were 1-0 down but the determination of the group in that game was incredible.
"There was a big gulf between the two clubs at the time, they were top end Championship, one of the best teams. "I think if you can encapsulate everything you'd want in a performance, obviously we didn't get the win, but in terms of the spirit, belief and the hunger, that was all on display." Wrexham urged to board Championship rollercoaster Wrexham fined for fielding ineligible players Wrexham won both meetings between the sides last season, coming from 3-1 down to win 5-3 at the Racecourse Ground in December before again producing a comeback to beat the Blades 2-1 in South Yorkshire in March. "I watched both games back this week," said Parkinson.
"The 5-3 was probably one of the best games in the Championship in the whole season for any team. It was a great game of football." Given the significant changes made to both squads during the summer, Wilder is not dwelling on his side's pair of losses to the north Wales outfit last term. "We're not taking too much regarding what happened last year," he said.
"We know they've got some really good players. They've got a good management structure that I know well, and they've invested in the summer to make their group stronger." Latest Wrexham news, analysis and fan views Unlucky seven? Wrexham aim to buck bizarre trend When it comes to the playing personnel, two men in particular are likely to attract significant attention.
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