'People remember winners' – Chris Wilder looks to make more Sheffield United history

Not since Wednesday's Brian Laws in 2008-09 has a manager masterminded home-and-away derby victories in the same season. Neil Warnock in 2005-06 was the last Blades manager to pull it off.

And when asked about the historical significance of a win in Sunday's lunchtime Championship game, Wilder was very aware of that background.

“Of course there will be a legacy if we can win,” he said. “Whether it's getting the double from my point of view, whether it's the players or supporters, getting promotion and from the opposite.

“Their manager (Danny Rohl) will not want to get beaten twice and be known as a manager who lost both derby games, and their players too and their supporters.

“We understand it's going to be a cauldron. Their supporters will try to make their shirt as light as possible.

“But on the flip side, if we get the upper hand and manage to get in front and have a positive performance and get the result we're all after, then it will be a heavy shirt from their point of view.”

That the next game for both sides is almost a fortnight away because of an international break will only heighten the emotions.

“There'll be a lot of calmness and enjoyment if we do get a positive result and it'll be a long two weeks for whoever doesn't get the result they're after,” said Wilder, whose side won the November game 1-0 at Bramall Lane – thanks to a Tyrese Campbell goal – immediately before an international break.

“I should imagine it was a pretty long two weeks for them after the last one and a pretty good two weeks for us that we capitalised on and moved quickly on with.

“At the end of it we've got time to assess and reflect.”

There is certainly no danger of Wilder downplaying Sunday's game.

“When we played Sheffield Wednesday first season back in the Championship (2017-18) their manager (Carlos Carvalhal) talked about it as another game and I didn't,” he said, recalling his side’s 4-2 win at Hillsborough.

“I'm certain Sheffield Wednesday's manager (Danny Rohl) won't be talking about this as just another game.

“You have to get the balance right, you have to show discipline, you have to show courage, you have to show calmness but you have to show that passion that sometimes decides these tight games.

“It's going to be on the edge, we know exactly what we're walking into. I've said all along that the game where we won 4-2 the noise, from my experience, was possibly the most deafening noise I've ever come across in a football stadium.

“Obviously it quickly quietened down as we know, historically, but we know everything's going to get chucked at us.

“It's not just a different away game, it's against your local rivals with all those things on the line and everything that everyone is trying to achieve.

“I'm trying to achieve a double as a Sheff United manager, the players are trying to achieve a double that will go down in history. People remember winners.

“We're trying to preserve and improve our away record, which is the best in the division.

“And we've still got a fight to preserve or improve our league position (currently second in the Championship), which is an outstanding achievement so far but still with nine to go.”

There is plenty of stake for both sides at Hillsborough on Sunday.