How George Baldock spirit inspired Sheffield United's derby win over Sheffield Wednesday after "never" promise

As the clock ticked towards 2.26pm and three shrills on referee Andrew Kitchen’s whistle confirmed another Steel City derby double for Sheffield United, the thoughts of many of those players present turned quickly towards one that sadly wasn’t. In body, anyway; George Baldock has been with the Blades all season in spirit.

It was no different on Sunday, with the now-traditional airing of his ‘Starman’ song towards the end of a fixture he contested a few times during his time in South Yorkshire. He was the type of character that relished derbies against Wednesday; leaving absolutely nothing out there, expecting the same the other way and more often than not, saving his very best for such big occasions.

Baldock was not a United player when news of his tragic passing filtered through late last year but that did not make it any easier to swallow and digest. The best of him, as a player and as a person, had come as a Blade; he had scaled the heights on the field and raised a family off it. His life-changing move to Panathinaikos was made with a heavy heart; his tragic passing sparked grief among those who knew him well, and those who only felt like they did.

So it was so incredibly touching that United dedicated Sunday’s derby to their former right-back, not long after what would have been his 32nd birthday earlier this month. The ‘Baldock 2’ shirt that goes everywhere with United was retrieved from the dressing room and held aloft during the celebrations, boss Chris Wilder pointedly displaying it as he took the deserved acclaim after his first derby double as Blades boss.

“This club has been through a lot this season,” he said later during a lengthy round of interviews that saw all manner of frustrations seep out of his body. “From the changing of the ownership in pre-season, getting the players in with minus-two points and trying to stick a team together and hit the ground running.

“Having the target on our back straight away. There was a lazy journalistic point of view that Sheff United had just been in the Premier League, so we should be one of the favourites to go back up. To stick a team together, and to change the way we played and all the other things.

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“And then, the tragic death of just an incredible player and an incredible, incredible culture carrier. He was a popular player amongst ex-players and even players here. We all knew his journey; he’s been on the journey with us. So when we talk about the players - when we talk about Basham and the skipper [Billy Sharp] and McGoldrick and Oli [McBurnie], and Iliman [Ndiaye] and Sander Berge, George is right up there.

“Absolutely right up there, because of what he was about. I remember him coming here, when we played in the 4-2, and he was absolutely outstanding against some really good players. He would have loved today. It would have been right up his street. So yet again, we recognise him. He’s never forgotten. We have his shirt up in every away game and every home game, and he’s there with us. And we wish he was still here.”

Baldock joined the Blades when they were fresh out of League One and helped them into the Premier League two years later, before forming a key part of the side that finished ninth in their first season back in the top-flight in a dozen years. While at United he became a senior Greek international, qualifying through a grandparent, and played against the likes of Kylian Mbappe of France on the international stage.

He became a two-time promotion winner in 2023 before agreeing a move to Greece after his Blades contract expired. He had been at Panathinaikos for a matter of months when news of his tragic passing filtered through, sparking emotional tributes across the football world but especially at his former clubs including MK Dons and United.

“I’m sure George would have been proud of us”

“We’ve had his shirt up all season,” said skipper Jack Robinson, who played alongside Baldock at Bramall Lane. “We’ve remembered him. He was a big part of my life for nearly five years. And it was really tough to take when I found out that news.

“But he’s always with us in games like that because he’s the type of person that would have absolutely loved playing in those games. And it’s that spirit that we need to take on. We have done that and we’ve proved it. And I’m sure he’d be proud of us for performances like that.”

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Another close friend of Baldock at Bramall Lane was striker Rhian Brewster, who scored the winner to send the Blades back level with Leeds United at the top of the Championship and dedicated the moment to the defender afterwards. “It was amazing,” he said. “I think you could see the emotion from us, because we came here to get a job done and we did that.

“And then you could see the passion from us, because we really, really wanted to do it. You could see the pure emotion of all the players with the fans, and then holding up the shirt for Georgey. I think he would have been proud of us today. He used to thrive in games like this and wear his heart on his sleeve. He would have been really, really proud of us today. And 100 per cent, that was definitely for him as well.”