The Steel City derby may not be played quite as regularly as some others or quite have the same pull on a national scale but there is no doubting that what you do in this fixture can make you a legend in this particular part of the world.
That was evident enough here before the first meeting between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday in over 2,000 days. To whet the appetite, and perhaps even stir up some emotions, United opted to welcome the goalscorers from their last derby win in 2017 – John Fleck, Leon Clarke and Mark Duffy – on to the Bramall Lane pitch.
The response was ferocious, and underlined how success in this game can stand you apart as a hero of either Sheffield club. Around two hours later, there was another name to add to that list, with Tyrese Campbell’s goal proving to be the difference and swinging the local bragging rights decisively the way of United.
Perhaps it was fitting that if there was to be a winning goal scored here then it was Campbell who would claim it, given how it is not far off 25 years to the day since his father, the late, great Kevin Campbell, scored Everton’s winner against Liverpool in 1999, which solidified his status as a Goodison Park great.
Sheffield Wednesday are working with South Yorkshire police to investigate what they described as an "abhorrent" image circulating on social media of a fan allegedly mocking the death of the former Sheffield United defender George Baldock. The PA news agency understands the post in question shows an Owls supporter holding up a message on his phone referencing the 31-year-old ex-Panathinaikos player who died last month after drowning in his swimming pool in Athens. The image was allegedly taken during United's 1-0 Championship victory over Wednesday at Bramall Lane on Sunday. Sheffield Wednesday posted on X: "The club are aware of an image circulating on social media and roundly condemn this abhorrent act. We are working together with South Yorkshire Police on an immediate investigation and make it absolutely clear that there is no place in football or society for such appalling behaviour." PA Media
The Sheffield United striker may have some way to go until he is viewed in a similar light at Bramall Lane but in terms of starts, this is about as good as it gets to endearing yourself to your new supporters, following his switch from Stoke City.
This was Campbell’s third goal in four games but you suspect he may never score one as fondly remembered.
“You feel the pressure of this game among family and friends in this game, and I understand the importance of it,” Chris Wilder, United’s manager, insisted. “It was a tight game decided by a bit of quality from Ty. We’re in a good place and I like where we are at the moment.”
How Wilder himself loved this, too, underlined by his celebrations at full time before joining in some singing with the home supporters.
With off-field uncertainty lingering over the club all summer and the fallout from relegation to deal with, he has rebuilt his boyhood club and put them in a position for an instant return to the Premier League.
They were the better of the two sides here, albeit without a glut of clearcut chances, and once they went ahead, when Campbell finished a smart move to prod past James Beadle, you always felt they would go on and win. This was their sixth consecutive clean sheet at home and they have conceded just seven goals in 15 Championship games, a record only bettered by Burnley.
Now joint-top alongside Sunderland a third of the way through the campaign, the Blades are once again among the Championship’s leading contenders. The past three Steel City derbies have finished goalless and for the entirety of a subdued first half here, it felt likely that run would be extended.
Tim Walter's position as Hull head coach was questioned by factions of supporters following a 2-1 home defeat against West Brom.
Hull were jeered off at full-time by some supporters after first-half goals from Karlan Grant and Josh Maja left the struggling Tigers seven games without a victory – and level on points with the Championship bottom three.
João Pedro's excellent 40th-minute header kept alive Hull's chances of avoiding defeat, but Carlos Corberan's Baggies, who had gone eight matches without a win but are now back in the playoffs, held on to increase the pressure on Walter.
Despite having promised all-out, attacking football, the former Hamburg boss has been a divisive figure since replacing popular former manager Liam Rosenior in the summer. And this damaging result did little to convince many supporters that he should remain at the MKM Stadium.
In the day's other game, Jay Rodriguez scored a stoppage-time penalty as Burnley snatched a 1-0 victory over Swansea to end a four-game winless run.
For 90 minutes it had looked like being another frustrating afternoon for a Burnley side without a goal in their previous three games and desperately lacking creativity. But as some fans were heading for the exits, Matt Grimes handled in the penalty area while battling Burnley substitutes Rodriguez and Hannibal for the ball and, after a pause, referee David Webb pointed to the spot.
The win allows Burnley to close the gap to the top two to four points, although boss Scott Parker will know this was not the performance of automatic promotion contenders.
There were few chances for either side to speak of in that opening 45 minutes with a tense atmosphere translating to the mood among the players. The only real talking point was a yellow card for Wednesday’s captain, Barry Bannan, after a scything tackle on Harrison Burrows that sparked a melee between the players.
But that was the only real notable moment for the visitors all afternoon, who failed to really trouble United. The effort and endeavour they showed against one of the division’s best sides suggests they should have enough under Danny Röhl to avoid a repeat of last year’s relegation battle, if nothing else.
“It’s a tough one, I don’t think any team deserved it,” the 35-year-old Röhl reflected. “In one moment they scored and that was the difference between top and middle of the table.”
Campbell’s strike five minutes after half-time, when Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare combined to send the striker though, looked as though it would spark the derby into life.
But United’s defensive superiority meant the one-goal advantage they forged felt as though it could be enough. Wednesday’s only real chance came when Anthony Musaba’s driving run into the area was blocked by Femi Seriki and the Blades successfully navigated a tense final few moments to secure victory and ensure Campbell’s name would be etched into derby folklore.
