Wrexham and Sheffield United will meet on Boxing Day in the Championship with the sides having a history of ill-feeling
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder(Image: PA)
Wrexham and Sheffield United will rekindle their rivalry on Boxing Day following a heated cup encounter and a recent disagreement between Chris Wilder and Josh Windass. The Championship fixture reunites the teams nearly three years after a fiery FA Cup fourth-round double-header that concluded with the Blades claiming Wrexham showed “disrespect”.
In January 2023, Phil Parkinson‘s then non-league outfit came agonisingly close to a memorable giant-killing when Paul Mullin netted in the 86th minute to give Wrexham the lead in a six-goal spectacular in North Wales. However, John Egan’s 95th-minute header salvaged a 3-3 draw for United and forced a replay.
The second encounter at Bramall Lane proved equally as gripping as a spot-kick from Mullin once more tied the scores and appeared destined to send the match into extra-time. That was until the Blades – three tiers higher at the time – found the net twice during injury time through Sander Berge and Billy Sharp to secure a 3-1 triumph on the evening.
Tempers flared after the final whistle, with Sharp claiming Wrexham had underestimated the Blades and were already contemplating a potential fifth-round fixture before the replay had even taken place.
He said: “It was a great cup tie over two games. They played excellent. I think they’ve been disrespectful, though. A few things before the game, thinking they were already through. I’m glad we’ve beaten them. I wasn’t happy with a few of their players tonight, but that’s it now – we’ve got one over on them tonight.”
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Sharp later hinted that a Wrexham social media post targeting potential opponents Tottenham ahead of the replay had stoked his anger, saying: “I wasn’t happy with the way they’ve been as a club, like before the game, eyeing up Spurs when they’ve not even beaten us.
“I think they thought we were just going to roll over when they got back in it. I think the referee was helping them all night as well. I don’t think he gave me one foul all night tonight.”
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson took aim at Billy Sharp after a fiery clash against Sheffield United in 2023(Image: Getty)
The striker was also embroiled in a fiery confrontation with Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson on the pitch and confessed he had “lost his head a little bit” following the final whistle. The animosity injects additional flavour into this season’s Championship clashes, especially after United manager Chris Wilder seemed to take a swipe at Wrexham forward Josh Windass earlier this campaign.
Windass, who signed for Wrexham during the summer after departing Sheffield Wednesday, slammed the Blades’ celebrations following their 3-0 Steel City derby triumph at Hillsborough in November, claiming they were over the top.
Speaking whilst working as a Sky Sports pundit covering the match, he said: “I’m not sure about all these celebrations. Sheffield United were the favourites to go and win today with the squad of players they’ve got and the situation they’re in.”
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Wilder subsequently responded furiously to those who suggested his team went too far after the fixture, branding their detractors as speaking “absolute nonsense” and maintaining his players were completely justified in celebrating a derby triumph.
He said: “What do you want us to do, just walk straight back down the tunnel? It’s just absolute nonsense in my opinion. I don’t even have to answer. We don’t have to justify anything.”
Now that Wrexham have stabilised their place in the Championship and United have recently climbed out of the relegation zone, the Boxing Day clash is set to be a tantalising match-up.
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