Sub-plots intensify Blades and Wrexham's rivalry

Former team-mates Chris Wilder and Phil Parkinson lock horns again as Sheffield United face Wrexham in the Championship on Friday night. Last season's fixtures between Sheffield United and Wrexham were the first league meetings between the sides since the 1982-83 campaign Just two points separate Sheffield United and Wrexham as the pair lock horns in the Championship at Bramall Lane on Friday night (20:00 GMT). The match-up will pit Chris Wilder against his former Southampton youth team-mate Phil Parkinson once again. Despite the new nature of the somewhat unconventional rivalry between the clubs, the various sub-plots once again make for an intriguing encounter. "It's a tasty game," said Wilder.

"It's not historical over 15, 20 to 25 years, it's a recent one, but it's gathered pace along the way." Having not met in 19 years, the Blades narrowly overcame then-National League side Wrexham in a fourth round FA Cup replay in 2023, just months before the Red Dragons gained the first of three successive promotions under Parkinson. The Welsh side held their Championship counterparts to a 3-3 draw before losing 3-1 in the replay. But it served as an early signal that Wrexham were determined to compete with the big guns in the near future. "We were talking at a function last night, someone asked me what game typified the