Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has said he looks back fondly at his time at Oxford United as he prepares his side’s clash with the U’s on Tuesday.
Wilder spent more than five years at the Kassam Stadium and led the team back to the Football League following a 3-1 win over York City at Wembley in the Conference Premier play-off final in 2010.
He did depart in curious circumstances, opting to leave the U’s in January 2014 who were in the League Two play-off positions at the time for rivals Northampton Town positioned at the foot of the table.
There was also significant confusion around his departure as Wilder denied initial claims from former club chairman Ian Lenagan he had resigned in the wake of an approach from the Cobblers, only to then formally step down 24 hours later.
“I would say 90% of it was really good,” Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield.
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I got given to me by the chairman Kelvin Thomas at the time and the great people that I met along the way.
“The late Micky Lewis, his wife and boys coming to the game, they were a big part of the journey.”
Wilder gained promotion with Northampton two years later before moving to Sheffield United in his first stint at the club, but his spell in Oxfordshire remains an important and influential chapter in his career.
“Jim Smith was a director there as well so fabulous experience for me to learn, as a young manager, from an absolute great and Jim Rosenthal as well who was a director at the time, so fabulous people,” Wilder added.
“I still speak to Jim Rosenthal every other week and I still speak to the chairman every other week – fabulous times.
“It didn’t end in a great way, unfortunately, but I’d like to think that people will look back at then as a decent time for us.
“I’d like to think we all enjoyed one of the best days of my managerial career – a win at Wembley – first time to win at Wembley and in front of 50,000 supporters and 35,000 from Oxford was an incredible experience and one that I look back fondly on.”