SHEFFIELD OF DREAMS

Wilson loved it on either side of the Steel divide

- ■by MIKE WALTERS

DANNY WILSON sampled the venom of Steel City rivalry on the day he was unveiled as Sheffield United manager - with hundreds of fans protesting against his previous connections with Wednesday.

Hillsborough. There is a raw honesty about Sheffield people, and on matchday it's fierce.

"During the week, they work side-by-side on the shop floor but on derby day friendships are put on hold.

"I've been to a few derbies as a manager or as a neutral observer and, if you're not ready for it, the noise can be daunting.

"Do I have any regrets about working on both sides of the divide? None whatsoever - I'm lucky that both sets of supporters came to appreciate what I had to offer, which was hard graft."

He expects tomorrow's Steel City set-to at Hillsborough will be tight and tempestuous.

Above all, he says Blades manager Chris Wilder will be desperate to avoid the ordeal of another Wembley tightrope in the play-offs if they miss out on automatic promotion.