How the 80s saw the temporary end of Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United

Highlights of the game on BBC’s “Match of the Day” later that night – John McPhail for United and a classic Terry Curran goal in a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane. The city’s clubs were not destined to meet again in a league derby for more than a decade.

Wednesday were on the rise – promoted that season to the old Second Division, four seasons in the second tier before promotion to the top-flight for 1984/85.

United by contrast were on a downward trajectory – relegated to the Fourth Division for the only time in their history at the end of the 1980/81 season. A slow climb back up the divisions until promotion to the First Division was achieved at the end of 1989/90 under Dave Bassett.

And in that season Wednesday under Ron Atkinson, relegated back to the Second Division. Contrasting fortunes for the city’s clubs as the decade came to an end.

The average league attendances for the two clubs during the decade are interesting – for Wednesday a decade high in 1984/85 of 27,762 and a low of 16657 in 1982/83, for United a decade high in 1989/90 of 16989, and a low of 9991 in 1986/87.

Attendances at all football league games in the early 1980s saw a dramatic fall of over a third to reach a post-war low of 16,488,577 in 1985/86. Football on the decline and in that season the television companies “switched-off” football - screens were blank for months.

For football the 1980s was a decade like no other. On and off the field.

On the field – the great Liverpool team with their seven First Division championships, their last in 1989/90, dominated. The thrilling finale to the 1988/89 season and Arsenal’s added time title winning 2-0 victory at Anfield snatched the league championship from the hosts.

The European Cup saw great success for Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa in the first half of the decade, Ipswich and Tottenham had notable triumphs in the UEFA Cup.

On the world stage there were players that would grace any era – Diego Maradona to the fore, his “hand of god” goal a stand-out, and that’s not forgetting his phenomenal ability.

The 1980s will be remembered for the three tragedies – the Bradford Fire in 1985 at City’s Valley Parade Ground – 56 supporters lost their lives, hundreds injured. Weeks later at Heysel in Brussels, 39 supporters killed in the wake of charging supporters and the collapse of a wall at the crumbling ground.

And in Sheffield at Hillsborough – April 1989 – the disaster like no other. Ninety-six Liverpool supporters lost their lives as a result of the terrifying crush in the central pen of the Leppings Lane terraces.

The ramifications were immediate and impact immense – key safety requirements and regulations applied at grounds, capacities reduced, all-seater stadiums in the top two divisions. English clubs banned from Europe following the Heysel disaster.

For those who lived through the 1980s this will stir all the memories, for those who don’t remember it, those times will seem alien to the carefully cultivated brand of Premier League football and all that surrounds it.

All the above and more can be found in a new book “What was Football like in the 1980s?” by Richard Crooks (Pitch Publishing). The book has some focus on the Sheffield clubs in the 1980s – and the subjects covered in it are supplemented with Richard’s experiences of following football and Wednesday in the decade.