Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder takes inspiration from Newcastle United's 'Great Entertainers' as he looks to galvanise the 'Blades Nation'

The conversation always flows freely, just like the Peroni, as they discuss matches gone by and ones coming up. And invariably, at some point, it always turns to Newcastle - where Beresford spent six years as part of the ‘Geordie Nation’ project.

“John’s an old pal of mine and it’s great to hear all his stories about what it was like up there in the Nineties, playing under Kevin Keegan and all of that,” Wilder said last night. “I never tire of hearing about it, because they had so many special talents. That team galvanised an entire city and they had all the people behind them. They had a great time on the pitch and, from what I can fathom, they had a great one off it too.”

Wilder’s fascination with the Newcastle squad which thrilled, spilled and swashbuckled its way to two second-placed Premier League finishes explains why, as his Sheffield United side prepare for Sunday’s visit to St James’ Park, he is so excited by the prospect of taking a team to the North-East.

Like the rest of the country, Wilder was seduced by Keegan’s attacking tactics and penchant for a maverick. But it was the ability of that team to reinvigorate an entire region which still captures the United manager’s imagination.

“I’m trying to,” Wilder replied when asked if, in his own way, he wants to orchestrate something similar in South Yorkshire. “Our supporters will give you their opinion but I get the impression that, admittedly on a different scale because we’re not going out and buying people like David Ginola and Faustino Asprilla, that we’ve created a similar mood here. We’ve stirred something up, reignited something that's always been there.”

Although Newcastle are no longer the force of old - they were 13th, seven points clear of the relegation zone, when competition was suspended in March - it still speaks volumes about the speed of United’s progression that, just over a year after being promoted, they will enter this fixture nine better off.

But Wilder, who counts his opposite number Steve Bruce as a trusted confident, still has the utmost respect for both Newcastle and their support. Indeed, even though it could work to the visitors’ advantage, he admitted to being “hugely disappointed” that the contest will be taking place behind closed doors as the country continues to battle the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Obviously they are the only show in town up there whereas here we have ourselves and Sheffield Wednesday, but there’s definite things in common,” Wilder said, drawing similarities between the two cities. “From a working class point of view, the outlook from that and the fact football is the number one talked-about topic in both. You can’t take away the passion Sheffield shows for the game and that’s the case in Newcastle.”

“That’s why,” Wilder continued, “I was so looking forward to this game, with all the fans there. I still am now. Because, and I don’t mean this in a disrespectful way to anyone else, but I don’t think football is the number one thing in a lot of other Premier League cities. But it certainly is for me, for our supporters and for our city. And it certainly is for Steve, for his supporters and their city as well.”

United were held to a controversial draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday, when a technological glitch prevented Hawkeye from spotting Oliver Norwood’s first-half free-kick had been carried across his own line by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. Although the final result was ultimately a source of huge frustration for both Wilder and his players, it saw them climb to sixth and ensured they remained firmly in the Champions League conversation.

The possible return of John Fleck and Jack O’Connell from injury would be a major boost for United as Wilder looks to consolidate their position as Sheffield’s top dogs by leading them into Europe next term. David McGoldrick is expected to be fit despite falling awkwardly towards the end of last week’s encounter at Villa Park.

“Both clubs here have always had the ability to have success,” Wilder, a lifelong United supporter, said. “Sheffield Wednesday had their success in the era when they won the League Cup in the early Nineties and got a promotion, with us looking on enviously. Even the most ardent of United fans at the time will have been thinking ‘we want a bit of that.’

“We’ve ignited something here over the last two or three years and the key now is to keep that going.”

It has been noticeable, ever since the campaign was brought out of mothballs following an enforced three month break, that Wilder has refused to entertain the prospect of facing the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich next term - insisting he will only “talk about it” if United are “still in the mix” with “one or two games left”.

Some commentators have interpreted that as an attempt to shield his players from the type of suffocating pressure which comes with the territory in Newcastle; particularly during Beresford’s time there.

“I’d take the pressure and the intensity, with what happened back then, I’d take that all day long,” Wilder, dismissing that theory, said. “You bet I would. But I think we’re a little bit off that right now aren’t we."

An important message:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, please purchase a copy of our newspapers or subscribe to thestar.co.uk.

The coronavirus lockdown is having a major impact on many of our local advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive. That means we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers and subscribe to our website during this crisis.

Stay safe and take care. Thank you. James.