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The deal to bring Chris Basham to the club in 2014 was revolutionary for the Blades, with Elland Road the scene of one of his finest moments

The Championship is back with a bang this weekend, as Sheffield United head to Leeds United in a much-anticipated Yorkshire derby.

The two rivals have started the season in top form, with both finding themselves in the top six heading into Friday’s affair, with both sides looking to lay down a marker with a win after the international break.

For the Blades, it will be a first trip to Elland Road with fans inside the stadium since 2019, where they once again found themselves embroiled in a promotion race with their local rivals.

Chris Basham proved to be the match-winner that day, and a return to LS11 will leave many reminiscing on the decade-long spell the Steel City stalwart had with the club.

Chris Basham proves to be the match-winner in Leeds United, Sheffield United encounter

With the promotion race as tight as ever at the top of the second division, Sheffield United travelled to Elland Road in March 2019 riding the crest of a wave, with the feeling as good as it had been for some time at the club.

Following a return to the Championship from League One, the Blades had finished in the top half of the second tier the season before, and were stepping up their efforts for a return to the Premier League during the 18/19 campaign.

Things were also bubbling with Leeds United, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side had put themselves in the conversation for a return to the top flight with two months of the season remaining, with the clash between the two Yorkshire rivals likely to have major consequences come the end of the season.

With the tension palpable, neither side wanted to give an inch, and as a result, chances were at a premium throughout.

After a first-half stalemate, the hosts were first to show their hand, with Tyler Roberts striking a post from the edge of the penalty area, before Basham further engraved his name into Sheffield United folklore.

With Billy Sharp plowing a furrow up top, the striker had Liam Cooper back-pedalling with 20 minutes left on the clock, having latched onto a flick on from strike partner David McGoldrick.

Searching around for support, who else would the frontman see galloping towards goal other than Basham, who had gone unnoticed in his foray forward, before Sharp picked him out on the edge of the penalty area.

One touch was all it took, as the grizzly, no-nonsense Bladesman all-but tackled the ball into the back of the net, with Kiko Casilla left sat on the penalty spot with the ball sidling past him into the back of the net.

Cue Blades bedlam, as the away end at Elland Road erupted into absolute chaos, with the very man who epitomised the football club on the pitch scoring one of the most important goals of the season in front of their eyes.

With their backs to the wall, United saw out the next 20 to claim a priceless victory at the home of their rivals, and with that they held the advantage heading into the final stretch of Championship matches.

A six-point gap at the end of the season proved just how vital that strike was from the Blades legend, with that moment on enemy turf just one of many reasons he is considered a Sheffield United legend.

Leeds United fixture will spark memories of Chris Basham’s Sheffield United tenure

Basham was one of a number of United stalwarts to leave the club this summer, with George Baldock and Oli Norwood also among those to wave goodbye to Bramall Lane.

With over 350 appearances for the club during his decade-long association with the red half of the Steel City, no one has summed up the Blades’ resurgence in recent seasons quite like the former Blackpool man, who made a lasting impression since his arrival in July 2014.

Nigel Clough was the man to bring him to the club back when they were languishing in the third tier, and ten years on, the defender left the Yorkshire side with three seasons in the Premier League under his belt, as well as three promotions.

With his reliability at the back never once questioned, the ex-Bolton Wanderers man proved to be Chris Wilder’s trusted steed during his first stint at the club, with a staunch backline underpinning all the success they had in their rise up the divisions.

Chipping in with the odd goal like that against Leeds was the icing on the cake for United fans, who worshipped the ground he walked on during his time with the club.

A winner, a leader, a gentleman, Chris Basham will forever be a United legend, and as Blades fans walk into Elland Road on Friday night, they will immediately be thrown back to one of his finest moments for the football club.