Watch: BBC Radio Sheffield previews Steel City derby
The first Steel City derby for more than five-and-a-half years ended with victory for Sheffield United in November - but can Sheffield Wednesday take revenge on their home turf?Join a star-studded line-up of Ross Wallace, John Fleck, Barry Bannan and Tyrese Campbell as they look ahead to Sunday's showdown at Hillsborough on BBC Radio Sheffield's Football Heaven at 18:00 GMT on Thursday.Not in the area? You can watch and listen online on the BBC Sport website and app, on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
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BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
'I've not looked back' - NI's Charles' rise from U19s to last-gasp saves
A year ago, Pierce Charles was lining up for Northern Ireland at the Under-19 Euros. Now, 12 months on, he's making last-minute saves to secure a win for Michael O'Neill's senior team. It's a rise that few would have predicted so soon, and the 19-year-old has made a big impression since making his senior debut against Belarus in October."In football, you never know what's around the corner," Charles said "I just take every step as it comes, so I wasn't really thinking ahead to playing for the senior team last summer."I was hoping one time in the future, obviously that was my target, but at that time it was just focused on the U19s."I got the opportunity back in October, thanks to the gaffer, and I feel like I've not looked back since." From his first time at Windsor Park, Charles impressed with his ability on the ball with confidence and some eye-catching raking passes is his inexperience in senior football of any kind, Charles has won as many international caps as he has made league appearances for Sheffield Wednesday. With that in mind, it perhaps isn't a surprise he struggled to impose his area at times when up against high calibre attackers in Europe. However, in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Iceland, when Northern Ireland were put under pressure after being reduced to 10 men with just over an hour to go, he more than held his most impressive moment came inside the final 60 seconds, when he got a good hand on Isak Bergmann Johannesson's goalbound header before Ruairi McConville hooked the ball away from danger."I think it showed a different side to him," O'Neill said after the game. "In the brief time we've had with Pierce, he's played more international games than club games. That's the challenge, and he needs games. "Everyone would look at Pierce and know how good he is with his feet, but how he commanded his box was excellent."It was a good night for Pierce and he got a clean sheet, which is always nice." 'It shows determination and desire' There has been a lot of excitement surrounding O'Neill's young Northern Ireland side, and Tuesday's performance showcased a different side with the grit shown to get over the line. It was all the more impressive considering their previous two friendlies had resulted in defeats by Sweden and Denmark, but the defensive display in Belfast was much improved. "With the 10 men it showed that we can hold on to a result, and obviously the past few games maybe or so we've gone up leading and then we've thrown it away," said Charles, who is the younger brother of midfielder Shea."I was hoping we could do it, and obviously we did it, so it's good momentum going into the next. "It shows the real determination, desire, character, everything that any manager wants to see." With World Cup qualifying starting in September, fans are starting to dream about what could be possible over the next 12 months. O'Neill's side start their campaign with tricky away matches in Luxembourg and Germany, and also face Slovakia in Group within the group the message is clear - to take it "one step at a time"."I think we're all only young. I think we take it one step at a time, and obviously going into September, we'll do the most we can," Charles said."I think we've got to have patience with ourselves as well, because we've got a long way to go to what we hope to achieve, especially in the future."However, Charles admitted the manner in which Northern Ireland closed out their final friendly with Iceland meant they had some strong momentum heading into September."It just fills us with more confidence. It'll be the last memory that we have until September," he added."So, I think everyone will be more positive now, going into September, rather than if we had lost tonight, for example."I can't wait until then and, of course the Germany game. They're the games that you want to play since you were a kid. I just can't wait."
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Goalkeeper Pierce Charles is relishing every second of his rapid rise with club and country
Eleven months on, he is number one for the senior Northern Ireland side and Sheffield Wednesday's first choice goalkeeper. It's been quite a ride for the teenager, who continued his outstanding record at Windsor Park on Tuesday with another international clean sheet in a 1-0 friendly win over Iceland. In four appearances at the national stadium, the 19-year-old has kept the opposition scoreline blank three times with just one goal conceded in a 1-1 draw versus Switzerland. 'In football, you never know what's around the corner,' said Charles reflecting on the last year. 'Last summer, I wasn't really thinking ahead to playing for the Northern Ireland senior team. 'I was hoping one time in the future, obviously that was my target, but at that time I was just focused on the Under-19s. 'I got the opportunity back in October, thanks to the gaffer (Michael O'Neill), and I feel like I've not looked back since. 'Now I'm just trying to improve my performance every time I come away and take every step as it comes.' Ahead through a first-half strike from Isaac Price, Northern Ireland went down to 10 men just before the hour when Brodie Spencer was sent off, leading to pressure from Iceland. 'With the 10 men, it showed that we can hold on to a result,' said Charles, younger brother of midfielder Shea. 'Obviously the past few games, (against Denmark and Switzerland) we've gone ahead and then we've thrown it away so to show that we can hold on, especially with 10 men, it's fairly good. 'I was hoping we could do it, and obviously we did so it's good momentum going into the next games and it shows our determination, desire and character, everything that any manager wants to see. 'I think we were a bit disappointed in the first-half because we took a while to get going but to turn it around in the second, to keep the goals out and to keep the clean sheet, it's really positive.' Charles was a key factor in earning the victory, maintaining his concentration to make a fine save near the end. 'I think it's the most important point for a goalkeeper,' stated Charles. 'The first 15 minutes of the second-half, if you don't have anything to do, you've just got to keep yourself ready, because you never know when their best chance might come, which was at the end, and you've always got to be ready.' Charles was helped by one goal line clearance from goalscorer Price. 'He seems to love this place, doesn't he? He scores every time he comes here,' said the Owls star post match. 'He's lethal in front of goal, and he showed what he can do in the second half of the season at West Brom as well. He put on really good performances. At Windsor, he's doing it at both ends!' Quizzed on the World Cup double header in September away to Luxembourg and Germany, Charles added: 'The win fills us with more confidence. It'll be the last memory that we have until September. So, I think everyone will be more positive now, going into September, rather than if we had lost against Iceland for example. 'I can't wait until then and, of course, the Germany game. They're the games that you want to play in since you were a kid. I just can't wait. 'We're young and we take it one step at a time, and obviously going into September, we'll do the most we can. I think we've got to have patience with ourselves as well, because we've got a long way to go to what we hope to achieve, especially in the future.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
'Talk of sacking Wilder a bit strange'
Andy Giddings, BBC Radio Sheffield reporter A meeting is scheduled to take place in which the owners of the football club will discuss whether they want Chris Wilder to continue as the team's the noises from the other side suggest Wilder is raring to go and crack on to try and get Sheffield United promoted next does seem strange such a short time after the play-off final, and given Wilder's successes - he was a kick of a ball away from becoming, via some metrics, Sheffield United's most successful manager - that this is even a discussion.I can understand where some fans have reservations about AI [being used for recruitment processes]. You can cite certain teams but it's never going to be the same as at Brighton and Brentford of how they use their recruitment outside the inner workings of those clubs is ever going to know what goes is no silver bullet to recruitment and in any recruitment process, I'm sure a lot of fans will agree that there has to come a point where you use the technology. Great, that's there has to be the human element of it because there isn't a statistic in the world that can tell you about heart, fight and character. Can you do it when the chips are down? Rob Staton, BBC Radio Sheffield reporter Here's what I don't understand - why offer Chris Wilder a new contract in January? It seems a little bit strange that you would give Wilder a new contract and then a few months later move haven't had a chance to speak to the new owners. You would imagine that perhaps if they were to make a move like this, they would answer some questions as to why, and their vision, and what exactly they are thinking you do have to wonder, sometimes with owners they have some ideals, ways they want to work around things. Have Sheffield United not been this way before?Because in the past they went to Slavisa Jokanovic, they wanted to do things differently. They then had to rip that up a few months later and go back to the system that had worked in the Sheffield United didn't win promotion last season but they did have, by and large, a successful season after a difficult rebuild last summer. Could history repeat itself here?
