Sheffield United have won promotion the Championship – and they could meet Sheffield Wednesday next season.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has told BBC Radio Five Live that he will relish facing Sheffield Wednesday should they miss out on promotion.
The Blades won promotion back to the Championship after six years in League One on Saturday afternoon, beating Northampton Town – manager Wilder’s former club – 2-1 thanks to second half goals from Leon Clarke and John Fleck.
With 88 points from 42 games, few can argue with United’s promotion back to the second tier, and they could meet some local faces when they start their Championship campaign.
Rotherham may be going down to League One, but Barnsley have enjoyed a great season, Bradford City could yet win promotion to the Championship through the play-offs, Leeds United could be in the Championship if they miss out on promotion to the Premier League, whilst Hull City are in danger of being relegated from the top flight.
However, the name that all United fans want to see in the Championship next season is city rivals Sheffield Wednesday, who are fighting for promotion to the Premier League themselves.
The Owls have blown hot and cold under Carlos Carvalhal this season, but sit sixth in the Championship table, meaning they currently occupy a play-off spot, and a shot at promotion to the top flight.
United captain and boyhood Blades fan Billy Sharp used the promotion celebrations to fire shots at Wednesday, admitting that he wants them to miss out on promotion so United can beat them twice next season.
United manager Wilder has now been asked about Sharp’s comments by BBC Radio Five Live, and he laughed off Sharp’s comments by promising to be more diplomatic even if his words echo the thoughts of many at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp celebrates getting promoted
A boyhood Blades fan himself, Wilder admitted that he would love to face Wednesday next season, but noted that if they win promotion, then they will have deserved it, as it’s tough to get out of any league.
“He’s saying what a lot of us think, so I’ll be a little bit more diplomatic about it,” said Wilder. “It’s a fantastic footballing city, and you don’t get any guarantees because you’re a big club. We’d love two games against our rivals across the city, but if they go up, they’ll be well-deserving, because to get out of a division, whether it’s by winning it, getting promoted or going through the play-offs, you’ve got to do a lot of things right.”
“If they don’t go up, then we’ll look forward to a lot of local games, as Barnsley have had an outstanding season, and around the area there are a lot of clubs, so we’ll be looking forward to all those games,” he added.
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