One name may mean different things to Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United supporters: View | OneFootball

The father and son duo will be remembered quite differently at each club

Highlights

The two sides of the Steel City derby, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, share a name, a city and, down the years, shared the careers of players.

In Dean and Josh Windass' case, they have even shared different generations of the same household, with Dean - Josh's father - being one of those players to turn out for both sides.

The pair will both leave positive legacies, but they'll be left on either side of the divide.

Ask the people of Sheffield who their favourite Windass is, and their response will likely depend on the team they follow.

Dean Windass left an impression on Bramall Lane

The Hull-born forward first moved to Bramall Lane towards the end of 2002 on loan. He impressed, scoring three goals in four games during his short temporary stint.

He returned in the new year after Middlesbrough manager, Steve McClaren, agreed to let him return until the end of the season, with the idea being to sign a new deal.

He played his role in getting the Blades to two semi-finals in the domestic cup competitions and to the Championship play-off final - then called the First Division - against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That season will live long in the memory of United fans and Windass played an important part in it.

There may have been more happy memories had Windass not been left out of the final at the Millennium Stadium. Manager at the time, Neil Warnock, opted to go with pace in attack and decided he needed a reserve goalkeeper on his bench, so it was Windass to make way.

The snub hit Windass hard. His loan deal was supposed to turn permanent that summer, but the player felt he could no longer work with Warnock and instead opted to move to Bradford City.

Prior to his temporary switch to Bramall Lane from Boro, the older Windass had already been out on loan to their close rivals, Wednesday.

The fact that there was another club in the middle of him crossing the divide is probably enough separation to keep his reputation intact for the Blades.

That, and the fact that he did little of note whilst with the Owls. His loan lasted a month in December 2001, in which time he appeared just twice, contributing no goals.

The Windass family weren't quite done with Wednesday though. Dean's son, Josh, who was just seven at the time of that loan move, would go on to have a far greater impact at Hillsborough Stadium.

Josh Windass will be remembered far more fondly at Wednesday

It was the younger Windass that will arguably go down as having the greatest impact on the city of the pair. Josh has spent the largest portion of his career with the Owls since signing from Wigan Athletic, first on loan before that deal was made permanent in 2020.

He would go on to become a key figure at the club, sticking by their side as they faced relegation into League One and creating many memories for supporters.

There is likely to be no memory that will top his contribution in the third-tier play-off final in 2023, though. The game had been stuck at an impasse for 120 minutes and penalties looked certain, but Windass was still to have his decisive say.

Left with space to crash the box, he charged towards the goal and dived to get anything he could on the ball. It proved enough. The net bulged and the Owls' fans inside the stadium erupted. He had made history and placed Wednesday back in the Championship with one crucial header.

It's a moment that will go down in the club's history books and will endear him to the blue and white half of the city forever.