Sheffield clubs look steeled for happier double after relegation pain of 2021

There was a particular quip doing the rounds this time last year in one of England's largest cities, with the UK again in the midst of a full lockdown.

In Sheffield, the gallows humour at the time was that "the pubs are shut and the football's crap".

In February 2021, Sheffield United were on their way to a chastening relegation from the Premier League. They were a team that had got into a habit of losing and were a shadow of the side that posted a ninth-placed finish in the top flight the year before.

Across the city, Sheffield Wednesday were fighting against the tide in the Championship, thanks to a six-point deduction (it was originally 12 but was later halved on appeal) handed down for a breach of rules regarding the sale of their stadium.

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With supporters locked out of grounds, optimism was thin on the ground in the Steel City.

It was all very different from the year that had preceded it. In early 2020, just as the first case of coronavirus was detected in the UK, United were in the lofty position of sixth in the Premier League; Wednesday sixth in the Championship.

Since then both have seen their form nosedive dramatically.

For the city that gave the world this great sport (Sheffield FC, the world's oldest club, were formed in 1857), last season was the nadir, resulting in an unwanted first - a double relegation.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there was particular ignominy in that each team finished bottom of their respective leagues.

Between them they managed just 19 league wins, a tally already comfortably surpassed as both clubs target an immediate promotion.

Whilst last year was grim for both Blades and Owls' fans, this year offers fresh optimism.

Arguably the biggest boost has been supporters actually being able to follow their clubs again in the flesh.

That dedication is backed up by the numbers.

Bramall Lane's average attendance this season is more than 27,000 - the highest in the Championship.

Hillsborough's average is 21,000 - second only to Sunderland in that division.

Both are on four-game winning streaks and both have mouth-watering local derbies this weekend. Both fixtures not only offer the chance of bragging rights in White Rose country, but the opportunity to bloody the nose of a promotion rival at the same time.

United head to Huddersfield revitalised since Paul Heckingbottom's appointment following the ill-fated reign of Slavisa Jokanovic.

After auditioning for the role in the latter stages of last year's disaster campaign, Heckingbottom was handed the reins on a full-time basis in November.

Victory at the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday lunchtime would propel United into the play-off spots, if only for a few hours.

Stuart McCall, a former United player who is now one of Heckingbottom's right-hand men on the coaching staff, says when the new coaching set up walked into the role, they immediately noticed an understandable hangover from last year's painful relegation.

As well as managing to address that, the new set-up have also re-strengthened the link between Blades fans and their club after a testing few years.

McCall told the Mirror : "When you come in, you get a sense and feel for that (hangover).

"It's a mentality thing. We knew the players needed a little bit of guidance and confidence.

"It was about getting that confidence back up but also restoring the link between the club and the fans.

"And you can understand that having gone slightly, having had 18 months of an upward trajectory. That flatness happens.

"It was horrible playing those games in empty stadiums. We were still fortunate to be going to work still.

"But you get that extra edge and thrill from a full house, like we'll hopefully see at Huddersfield on Saturday."

Twenty-four hours after United attempt to muscle in on the Championship's top six, Wednesday will welcome league leaders Rotherham to Hillsborough as they aim to make their own assault on the play-offs.

Like their city rivals, Darren Moore's side are on a fine run of form after a huge revamp of the playing squad.

The number of departures and arrivals over the summer was well into double figures on both counts. There was a rocky patch over the past few months, with some Wednesdayites calling for Moore's head but he rode it out and the team are homing in on the top six.

Key to that has been their form at S6, with just one defeat in the league all season.

Defender Liam Palmer, on the club's books since he was seven and who made his debut 12 years ago, has seen plenty of regime changes down the years at Wednesday.

He agrees with McCall that fans have helped spur the team on this year, and hopes that Wednesday can quickly make amends for last season's relegation.

"You need the fans, not just in derbies, but in big moments of games," Palmer told the Mirror ahead of a game that is likely to see a crowd of 30,000 on Sunday.

"With fans in the ground, you can feel them almost dragging the ball towards the goal. That's how much they come into effect.

"Likewise, when you need a kick up the a**e they can give that too!

"We've had it rough here in the last few years with the pandemic, the season with no fans, the points deductions.

"Now is the time for us to right those wrongs and take the club back to where we think it should be.

"I've been here for the good times and bad, and hopefully there'll be some more good times soon."

Should both clubs earn promotion then it would be only the second time ever that it has happened, after Wednesday went up from Division Two and United successfully negotiated Division Three in 1983-84.

This weekend will not necessarily make or break either team's chances of earning immediate promotions.

But for fans on both sides of the Steel City divide, they at least have something to cheer about once more.