What Sheffield United boss said about Chris Wilder reunion as he prepares for "one of toughest" Middlesbrough clash

With Heckingbottom it was Barnsley, rather than the Blades, and he has also experienced the “strange” sensation of coming up against the club that he once watched from the terraces.

That is the situation Wilder faces on Sunday when the Blades travel to the Riverside to face his current employers, Middlesbrough. His successful stint as Blades boss came to an end last March, after the breakdown of his relationship with the Bramall Lane board, and Sunday’s clash will be only the second time he has faced his boyhood club since that point.

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“It becomes easier but it is strange … 100 per cent, it's strange,” Heckingbottom said of the situation.

“Whether you’re playing against them or managing, it's strange. Chris is a boyhood Blade and has gone even further because he's been lucky enough to play for them, manage them and have success with them.

“And that never goes away. There'll always be an affiliation there. It is strange but not once the whistle goes. You're looking at a green bit of grass with 22 players on and you're doing everything you can to win. So it's not weird then.”

Emotional connections aside, Heckingbottom is bracing himself for one of the toughest tests his side will face all season.

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“I've come up against Chris's teams before at different clubs,” Heckingbottom, whose first game as Leeds United boss was at Bramall Lane, said.

“Every game is difficult; the Championship is tough. There's lots of intensity to the games and it's relentless in terms of fixtures.

“It's refereed different to the Premier League and if you're not on your game, anyone can turn you over. From top to bottom.

“So we're preparing for a really tough game. We're away from home against as very good team with a very good manager and we know it's going to be one of our toughest games this season.

“But we also know that when we play well, we've shown we're more than a match for anyone.”

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