Rhian Brewster’s boyish braying proved a couple of things about Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday

That’s what ‘they’ call ‘them’, isn’t it; ‘them across the city.’ From blue to red and red to blue, somewhere down the line Sheffield’s football rivalry caught swine-flu. It’s a confusing thing to walk into the football culture of the city form the outside. Apparently, everyone’s a bleedin’ pig.

It’s about the blue and white of butcher’s aprons or the red and white of streaky bacon, of grounds built on pigstys. It’s one of them, anyway. The fact is that it’s probably all of them, one way or another.

When Rhian Brewster grabbed the microphone during Sheffield United’s celebration of promotion to the Premier League to ask the assembled audience what they thought of Sheffield Wednesday, it was a moment that was always going to ruffle a few feathers on social media.

The reactions predictable, of Blades sharpening the re-tweet button in a whirlwind of gloating laughing emojis and of Owls swooping to question why any player would use one of the biggest moments of his career to laud it over a club he may never play against. The term ‘rent-free’ came up a lot. Goalscoring statistics, too. And transfer fees.

Why the mention of Wednesday, then? Because Sheffield Wednesday, to Sheffield United, will always be relevant - nay, important - a big blue neighbouring fence in the corner of the eye. And that goes the same way round, by the way. Both clubs’ supporters sing songs about one another in matches against clubs who have no skin in the fight, where opposition players are roundly booed for merely having a connection.

Shuffling into a pub or into an armchair post-match, we’ve all had a cheeky double or two this season, haven’t we?

After former Blade John Brayford scored against Wednesday for Burton Albion last month, the first thing he did was post along those lines on social media. Jamie Vardy’s Owls affilliation is one worn on his sleeve whenever he faces off against United.

Just last week, Derby County’s David McGoldrick presented an arm signal into the Hillsborough crowd that made no secret of his Sheffield loyalties. He was roundly booed and verbally battered with chants hog-like in nature. Conor Hourihane received a flash of scorn, too, for an affiliation at Bramall Lane that spanned only 29 league appearances.

Was Brewster’s choice of Wednesday bait a stroke of class? Nah. Long way from that. Is there a context to his attempt to endear himself to Unitedites that a harsher, punchier, more partisan Owls writer would commit to print? Perhaps.

But the point is that at the height of celebration, Wednesday were there. They always will be. And if roles are reversed and Wednesday are look out from balconies in a couple of weeks, United will likely be there in some way, shape or form, too.

The two clubs feed off one another. Some of the ‘bantz’ is better than others and as is the case across all football, there could be a sprinkling of more respect shown in the spirit of the language used on social media - and, apparently, civic receptions too.

Brewster’s banter was loved by reds and riled up a few blues. And it encapsulated a little bit of what inter-city rivalry is about, as did the McGoldrick reception not long since.

This is a proper football city and Sheffield United need Sheffield Wednesday as much as the other way around; to hate if nothing else.

Those who say they’d have it any other way, deep down, are lying.