Very few players make the move directly from Sheffield Wednesday to Sheffield United, or vice-versa, but some brave souls have, and one Owls legend seemingly regrets the switch years later.
The Steel City derby is one of the fiercest rivalries in British football, and both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United are clubs steeped in a rich history in the game.
In Sheffield, you are either a blue or a red, and once the choice is made, there is no going back. At least for supporters, there isn’t, but there are players that have turned out for both the Owls and the Blades over the years.
Ahead of the recent meeting between the two teams in the Championship over the weekend, though, one Sheffield Wednesday legend who did make that trip across the city many years ago has revealed how he found the experience of switching between the two rival clubs.
Terry Curran regrets joining Sheffield United
Terry Curran played for Sheffield Wednesday from 1979 to 1982, making 138 appearances for the Owls and scoring 39 goals along the way.
A Yorkshireman by birth, Curran was no stranger to the intensity of the rivalry between the two teams in the Steel City.
But, when he made the choice to swap Hillsborough for Bramall Lane, he had no idea the kind of reaction his transfer would invoke.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports before the derby on Sunday, Curran admitted the switch was perhaps not the best idea, and described the unusual feeling he had when he arrived at United.
“When I got there [to Sheffield United], I realised it was a bit strange,” Curran said. And, reflecting on the situation, he added: “It wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Clearly, Curran didn’t feel comfortable with the Blades, and he moved on to Everton the following season.
Many players featured for Sheffield Wednesday and the Blades
Curran is not the only player to make a direct move across the city, and there will likely be more in the future, too.
In the current Sheffield Wednesday first-team squad there is Max Lowe, who left the Blades on a free transfer in the summer to join Danny Rohl’s side. Lowe left United at something of a crossroads in his career, but has impressed for Wednesday of late.
Meanwhile, Marvin Johnson also turned out for United previously, though he had a spell with Middlesbrough sandwiched between his stints with the Sheffield clubs.
In the past, the likes of Dean Windass, Jon-Paul McGovern, Danny Batth, and Joe Mattock have all worn the colours of both Wednesday and United.
There’s also Derek Geary, Alan Quinn, and Leigh Bromby, who all featured prominently for both clubs in the 2000s when the two teams were consistently fighting it out in the second tier together.