Vital Statistics
Founded: 1889
Chairman: Kevin McCabe
Last Season: League One - 3rd
Nickname: The Blades
Rivals: Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United
Major Honours
League Championship: 1898
FA Cup: 1899, 1902, 1915, 1925
Scheduled Matches
Portsmouth vs Sheffield United: Saturday, April 20th (3pm)
Sheffield United vs Portsmouth: Monday, October 29th (7:45pm) - SKY
The Manager: Danny Wilson
The Northern Irishman's managerial career has been a rollercoaster, having won promotion to the Premier League with Barnsley in 1997 but failing to make an impact at Sheffield Wednesday, Bristol City and MK Dons afterwards.
Wilson did taste promotion once again with Hartlepool in 2007 and turned around Swindon's fortunes until losing the play-off final in 2010 and then seeing his side slip into the relegation zone.
Wilson's latest appointment at Sheffield United was met with anger from United fans due to his affiliation with arch rivals Wednesday, having played and managed the Owls in the past. He is now under severe pressure to win promotion after his side lost last season's play-off final to Huddersfield.
The Ground: Bramall Lane (Capacity: 32,700)
Bramall Lane is one of my favourite football grounds in the country. It is traditional and its modernisation hasn't killed its atmosphere like in so many other grounds.
You can see the ground from a distance away as the home fans and stewards welcome you to "beautiful downtown Bramall Lane".
This is the exterior of the South Stand. By the entrance you can see statues of former club chairman Derek Dooley and defender Joe Shaw, who made 632 appearances for the club.
The South Stand is also the biggest and newest in the ground. The teams come out of this stand as the United fans sing the famous greasy chip butty song.
Pompey fans are seated in the lower tier of the Bramall Lane stand. Opposite is the Kop end which, when I went to the ground the first time, was louder than the more famous Liverpool stand of the same name.
To the left is the "Visit Malta" stand. Some banter can be had with some of the more "vocal" fans who sit close to the away supporters, which usually ends in gloating because of Pompey's terrible record at Bramall Lane!
Overall, the home of Sheffield United is under-rated. When it is full, it can produce an atmosphere on par with Fratton Park at its best. How it sounds in the third tier of English football, we shall soon see.