The Rivals

Sheffield United.

Stadium: Bramall Lane (32,702 capacity)

Nickname: The Blades

This Steel City club are the fiercist of Wednesday's rivals, created in 1889 by Charles Clegg. They were formed to generate revenue for the abandoned Bramall Lane ground when Wednesday left it to move to Olive Grove. Their most successful period was between 1897 and 1925, where they won the league in 89 and the FA Cup in 1899, 1902, 1915 & 1925. They had a season in the Premier League but decline followed, seeing the Blades relegated to the third tier for the first time in 23 years. Undoubtedly the past 10 years have seen The Blades have the upper-hand on the Owls but after the blues' promotion to the Championship at the expense of United (who had 2 games in hand and a 5 point cushion over Wednesday) - fans of the Owls have bragging rights once again. United will now attempt to push on under the leadership of former Owl player and manager, Danny Wilson.
Record victory: 10-0 vs Burnley, 1929
Record defeat: 0-13 vs Bolton Wanderers, 1890
Record attendance: 68,287 vs Leeds, 1936

Barnsley FC.

Stadium: Oakwell (23,009 capacity)

Nickname: The Tykes, Tarn

Founded in 1887 by clergyman Tiverton Preedy, Barnsley St Peters (dropped in 1987) are a 'friendly rival' of Wednesday, with no real hatred between the two sets of fans but a rivalry born of location. In 2002 they were plunged into administration due to the ITV digital collapse and were only saved on the liquidation date by Peter Doyle who was the mayor at the time. Commonly called 'The Dingles' by Wednesday fans, Barnsley have recently had the bragging rights over the Owls too. They have been a 2nd tier side for longer than any other club in history. The Tykes won the league in 1934, 39 and 55 and went on to win the FA Cup in 1912. They also finished as runners up in Englands 2nd tier in 1997 leading to a solitary season in the Premiership in 1997/98 where their record was P38 W10 D5 L23 with 37 goals scored but 82 conceded - finishing with a relegation total of 35 points.
Record victory: 9-0 vs Loughborough Town, 1899
Record defeat: 0-9 vs Notts County, 1927
Record attendance: 40,255 vs Stoke City, 1936

Leeds United.

Stadium: Elland Road (39,460 capacity)

Nickname: The Whites

Founded in 1919 after being disbanded for illegal payments to players during World War 1, United are the most successful of Wednesdays rivals, winning the FA Cup in 1972, League Championships in 1969, 74 and 92 - and regularly featuring in European competition, including the European Cup Final in 1975. However, they dipped into the third tier of English football in 2007 and faced liquidation. This was the lowest point of the Whites history. Over the recent years Leeds have been on a steady decline with financial problems occuring more than once, now revitalised and on the verge of a takeover, 'Dirty Leeds' are on the up and will be pushing for promotion from The Championship under the leadership of former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock.
Record victory: 10-0 vs Lyn Oslo, 1969 (European Cup)
Record defeat: 1-8 vs Stoke City, 1934
Highest attendance: 57,892 vs Sunderland, 1967

Rotherham United

Stadium: New York Stadium (12,021 capacity)

Nickname: The Millers

The 'Toy-towners' are again a rivallry born of location rather than hatred. Wednesday fans see fans of The Millers as an irritation rather than a rivalry, their constant mimicking of Sheffields finest borders on playground insults. The majority of Owls see Rotherham's mocking as a fanbase trying to form a rivalry and ignore their attempts. The Millers won the Division Three title in 1981, pipping Barnsley and doing the double over Sheffield United in the process. In 1996, Rotherham beat Shrewsbury 2-1 at Wembley to claim the Football League Trophy with over 20'000 fans making the journey South. They have spent the majority of their history in the lower echelons of the football pyramid but recent events have them moving in the right direction. A brand new (excellent) stadium and investment into the squad see's Rotherham moving in the right direction and the building blocks to their future have now been laid.
Record victory: 8-0 vs Oldham, 1947
Record defeat: 1-11 vs Bradford, 1928
Highest attendance: 25,170 vs Sheff Utd, 1952

Doncaster Rovers

Stadium: The Keepmoat Stadium (15,231 capacity)

Nickname: Donny, The Rovers

Another rival born of location, this South Yorkshire team was founded in 1879 by Albert Jenkins in response to the emerging popularity of the game in Sheffield and turned professional in 1885, but the red & white clad Rovers had a miserable start to life in the game, suffering relegation after relegation. In 1938 their home at the time, BelleVue was upgraded from a 10,000 to a 40,000 stadium. Rovers have their place in history for being involved in the longest recorded football match - against Stockport County. After 30mins of extra time, the authorities decided to play until somebody scored... after 203mins it was still deadlock and with darkness closing in the match was to be decided by a replay (Rovers won 4-0). During the early 90s, Ken Richardson  took over as major shareholder - but having been rejected in his attempts to secure a new stadium, he hired 3 men to torch BelleVue and planned to sell the site to developers, landing him 4yrs in jail. New owner John Ryan oversaw the rise of the club which culminated in a League One playoff final victory over rivals Leeds United in 2008 to reach the Championship.
Record victory: 10-0 vs Darlington, 1964
Record defeat: 0-12 vs Small Heath, 1903
Record attendance: 37,149 vs Hull City, 1948







Special thanks to Chris Bywater for the Barnsley FC history. Chris has been a Barnsley fan for over 20 years and is a very good friend of mine. You can follow Chris on twitter: @Byi05