Newspaper stokes play-off rivalry with 10 reasons Hull is better than Sheffield

Wednesday fans react after hearing Hull is supposedly better than Sheffield.

Sheffield Wednesday will do battle with Hull City in Saturday's nerve-jangling encounter at Wembley for a place in the Premier League.

But the city's newspaper The Hull Daily Mail has taken a tongue in cheek swipe at the Steel City and the Owls ahead of tomorrow's crunch clash, coming up with ten reasons why Hull is better than Sheffield.

This is what a proper Olympic gold medallist looks like.

According to the list, the Hull accent, the city's bridges, famous fans and even the River Humber are better than what we've got on our doorstep.

Writer Angus Young describes Hull as "one easy winner when it comes to these two Yorkshire rivals" and goes on to explain why City will beat Wednesday in the multi-million pound clash.

We know he's wrong of course, but before we explain our own reasons why Sheffield is better than Hull, here's just some of the reasons why he claims the sea port is better than the Steel City.

"Both cities have their own particular vocabulary," he writes, "but while The Arctic Monkeys might have made being a Mardy Bum fashionable, the ultimate insult belongs to Hull whenever someone is called a Pattie-Slapper."

He also hits out at the city's hilly terrain and adds: "Try pedalling up Sheffield's many hills and you will soon be cream-crackered. In contrast, Hull's pancake flat terrain is perfect for cyclists of all ages."

He goes on to list Hull having better tourist attractions, more Grade I listed historic buildings and can boast 80s pop star Sinitta as a Tigers fan and adds: "We've got the mighty Humber on our doorstep, Sheffield has the mucky River Don trickling past Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium. There's just no contest."

And with all that in mind and with our tongue also firmly in cheek, here's ELEVEN reasons why Sheffield is better than Hull...

1) We've got TWO football teams

See this? This is the right colour for a phone box.

OK, so one of them is spectacularly rubbish at play-off finals (sorry Blades fans) but nothing beats the Steel City Derby. There's nothing exciting about playing Scunthorpe United or Grimsby Town.

2) Our phone boxes are the right colour

White phone boxes? What's all that about? They should be red - and Sheffield's most certainly are. Although some might prefer them to be blue and white.

3) Talking of street furniture, we've got a gold postbox too

Sinitta? We'll see your Sinitta and raise you The Human League.

Hull might have one as well, but that's only for a boxer called Luke Campbell that no-one has ever heard of. Who hasn't heard of our pretty as a picture golden girl Jessica Ennis?

4) A much bigger stadium

Hull's titchy little shoebox can only hold 25,000. Hillsborough of course can hold nearly 40,000. Game over.

5) We've been in the Premier League many more times

Wednesday have played in the top flight of football for countless seasons while Hull trundled along in the lower divisions, forever being labelled as the biggest city in England never to have hosted first class footy. Come back when you can match our record, sunshine.

6) The music is miles better

You'll never get anything like this in a Hull chip shop.

Arctic Monkeys, The Human League, Pulp, Richard Hawley, Def Leppard - we've not even got started. What have you got? Everything But The Girl and forgotten 90s Britpop Z-listers Kingmaker? Pah!

7) Supertram!

If you go to Hull, the best you can hope for when it comes to public transport is a bus. We've got slick super modern trams that whizz you around the city. People in Hull probably go to work on a trawler. Probably.

8) We make their fish and chips taste better

We admit they bring us the cod that go into making our fish suppers, but here in Sheffield we add the icing on the cake - a good old dousing of Hendo's. Think of that when you're sprinkling on your salt and vinegar Hull boys and girls.

9) Miles more shops

Hull's Prince's Quay shopping centre boasts 80 stores. Meadowhall has an eye watering 280 - ie, 200 more. Stick that in your fish-flavoured pipe and smoke it.

10) We've got a much better poet

Foul-mouthed Hull poet Philip Larkin is famed for his well-known couplet "they f*** you up, your mum and dad." But it doesn't come close to the beauty and magic of Sheffield: Sex City, courtesy of our premier wordsmith, Jarvis Cocker.

11) We've got Yorkshire's best newspaper

In 2015, The Star was named ahead of the Hull Daily Mail as Yorkshire's best newspaper. The Mail is only fit for wrapping your chips (and humble pie) in. With Hendo's of course.

Newspaper stokes play-off rivalry with 10 reasons Hull is better than Sheffield - here's why they're wrong