Wrexham deny ‘disrespecting’ Sheffield United and point finger at Billy Sharp
Phil Parkinson denied allegations from Sheffield United’s captain, Billy Sharp, that Wrexham had been “disrespectful” in the buildup to their FA Cup fourthround replay, before then accusing Sharp of being disrespectful himself following a thrilling tie at Bramall Lane.
The Championship side ultimately ended Wrexham’s fairytale run in this season’s cup as two late goals from Sharp and Sander Berge secured a 3-1 win and a meeting with Tottenham in the next round. But Sharp then launched an onslaught towards the non-league side, saying he was glad they had knocked Wrexham out after what he perceived to be a disrespectful approach from some of their players.
Sharp told ITV: “I think they’ve been disrespectful with a few things before the game, thinking they were already through. I’m glad we’ve beat them. They’re doing well in their league, we’re doing well in ours, but I wasn’t happy with a few of their players.
“I wasn’t happy with the way they’ve been as a club before the game, eyeing up Spurs. They’ve not even beat us.”
Those comments were countered by Parkinson, who accused Sharp of causing a scene in the tunnel after the match had concluded. “I was a bit disappointed with Billy, with some of the things he was shouting down the tunnel,” Parkinson said. “He’s a fantastic player but I thought he was disrespectful after the game. The way their players celebrated was a mark of how tough we made it for them. My message to Billy is: you’re better than that. My players are humble people and they’re a credit to the football club.”
Parkinson’s opposite number, Paul Heckingbottom, attempted to play down any talk of unsavoury post-match scenes, but he did admit: “There’s a way to win and a way to lose, that’s it. I’m not interested in it. There’s lots of things that come with Wrexham and part of that is all the attention off the pitch, so how you behave then gets magnified.”
Parkinson added he hoped Wrexham’s run to the fourth round could act as a springboard for their bid to gain promotion back to the Football League. He said: “We’ve shown everyone what we’re all about as a football club, the spirit of Wrexham and how strong it is. We wanted this Cup run to enhance our league campaign and I really feel it has.”