Wilder and Parkinson renew touchline rivalry as Sheffield United host Wrexham
Sheffield United face Wrexham at Bramall Lane on Friday with two points separating the sides, as Chris Wilder and Phil Parkinson renew a rivalry built on recent FA Cup meetings and last season's Wrexham double.
Sheffield United host Wrexham at Bramall Lane on Friday night (20:00 GMT) in the Championship, with only two points separating the teams. The fixture also reunites managers Chris Wilder and Phil Parkinson, who were apprentices together at Southampton as 16-year-olds and have faced each other many times in management.
Wilder described the match as "a tasty game" and acknowledged that the rivalry is recent rather than decades old, but said it has gathered pace. The clubs had not met for 19 years before Sheffield United beat then National League Wrexham in a fourth-round FA Cup replay in 2023, after a 3-3 draw, just months before Wrexham began three successive promotions under Parkinson. Parkinson cited that home FA Cup tie as emblematic of his team's spirit, noting Wrexham lost two players to injury in the first 10 minutes and went 1-0 down but showed determination against a side he called top-end Championship at the time.
Wrexham won both league meetings last season, coming from 3-1 down to win 5-3 at the Racecourse Ground in December and again fighting back to win 2-1 in South Yorkshire in March. Parkinson said he had watched both games back and called the 5-3 one of the Championship's best games of the season. Wilder said his side are not taking too much from last year, adding that Wrexham have good players, a management structure he knows well and summer investment.
Two players are likely to draw particular attention. Former Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore, who scored six times in 30 appearances for the Blades in 2024-25 before moving to north Wales, scored twice against his former club last season and has five goals this season at a rate of one every 160 minutes. Parkinson called Moore a real handful on his day. Callum O'Hare, who joined Wrexham in the summer window, is set to face the Blades for the first time since leaving Bramall Lane; Wilder previously criticised Wrexham's late-window approach but said he is not going over old ground.
The touchline could also be a focus. Wilder criticised Parkinson earlier this season over his assessment of Wrexham's meeting with Cardiff, saying he did not agree and that the opposition deserved more credit and respect. Parkinson said he has had plenty of battles with Wilder and expects another competitive encounter. Both sides are seeking a much-needed win to ignite their campaigns.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
