Josh Windass reveals Chris Wilder link ahead of Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

Josh Windass revealed this his father and Chris Wilder are good friends

Sheffield Wednesday's Josh Windass joked that he will be leaving Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder alone in Sunday's Steel City derby as the Blades boss is friends with his father.

The Wednesday midfielder revealed that his father, Dean, did his coaching badges with Wilder, and the pair struck up a friendship which has remained to this day.

Danny Rohl's side make the short trip down to Bramall Lane on Sunday afternoon in search of the bragging rights, and a first win over the Blades since February 2012.

This weekend's meeting will be Windass' first experience of a Steel City derby, with the clubs having not played each other since March 2019, and it's clear that the 30-year-old is looking forward to his first experience of the fixture.

Josh Windass reveals Chris Wilder link ahead of Steel City derby

The attacking midfielder revealed in his pre-match press conference that while he doesn't personally know any of the Sheffield United players, his father is friends with the Blades boss, and he was full of praise for the work that Wilder has done at Bramall Lane.

Speaking via Sheffield Wednesday's YouTube channel, Windass said: "My old man’s really good friends with Chris Wilder so I’m going to leave Chris alone because my old man will hammer me!"

He added: “I think my dad did his coaching badges and stuff with him, so I think they’ve maybe had a drink or two over the years, so I know they know each other, and I’ve got full respect for Chris Wilder. He’s done an incredible job at Sheffield United over the years and none more so than this year with the change of squad they’ve had.

“They’ve had a brilliant start to the season, and they’re a really tough test for us on the weekend, and we’ll be preparing properly because we know how tough it’s going to be."

Windass also joked that he's not sure how his hair will look come Sunday's game, as his barber is a Sheffield United supporter.

He said: "My barber is actually a Blade, so I’m hoping he doesn’t butcher me later on before the weekend! I said to him don’t ruin my haircut before the weekend, and he said ‘I can’t promise anything’ so we’ll see how it goes.

“I don’t know any of their players really. I played with Kieffer Moore, but apart from that, I don’t really know any of them."

Josh Windass will be looking to continue his impressive recent form in the Steel City derby

Windass has been in impressive form recently, scoring two goals in their last three games and three in their last six, including the opener in their win over Norwich City in midweek.

It took his tally to four goals in 12 Championship appearances this season and Sunday provides him with the chance to put a good performance in on the biggest stage of them all.

The attacking midfielder has scored goals in Old Firm games for Rangers and scored a memorable winner against South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in the 2023 League One play-off semi-final, and a goal on Sunday would make him even more popular with the Hillsborough faithful.

After putting pen-to-paper on a new deal with Wednesday in the summer, Windass has continued to impress, and he's someone that Wilder will surely have identified as one of the main threats to his side ahead of Sunday's game.