Sheffield Wednesday Football Club - The Owls

Sheffield Wednesday History

2006-07 Season

9th in the Championship
League Cup: 1st round: Wrexham h. 1-4
FA Cup: 3rd round replay: Manchester City a. 1-2

Highlight:
3-2 win at Leeds United, 3/3/07

Low Spot:
0-4 defeat at Colchester United, 18/10/06

Good:
Chris Brunt
One of the Championship's most exciting talents. Clever on the ball and with the ability to take defenders on and beat them Brunt should have a bright future ahead of him.
Reached double figures for goals which is comfortably his best return and there should be more to come as his confidence continues to grow.
Glenn Whelan
We gave him stick last year but his wholehearted approach was seen to much greater advantage this time around in an improving side.
With more flair around him Whelan became an influential player for the Owls and offers the prospect of continued improvement in the engine room.

Bad:
Burton O'Brien
Theoretically in the same mould as Brunt but has not been able to impose himself on the first team at Hillsborough and time may just be running out.
Leon Clarke
Flatters to deceive. Looks to have the physical attributes but lacks composure at the vital time and, perhaps, the required ability for this level.

In Brief:
This turned into the most promising season at Hillsborough for a long time.
There was an awful start in which seven of the first ten league games were lost as well as a shocking League Cup exit at home to Wrexham.
This prompted the club to part company with Paul Sturrock and the improvement under Brian Laws was remarkable.
There was a fine spell from mid October to the end of the year and after another poor spell around the end of January the club finished the season in fine style, losing only one of their last thirteen games and collecting thirty points in the process.
Laws' biggest achievement was in producing a side that could regularly find the net, at last giving the clubs' excellent support something to really shout about, and optimism for next season is high.
Significant investment will surely be needed to give the club a real chance of challenging for the Premier League, however.

Sheff Weds F.C - Club History

Sheffield Wednesday Football Club was formed in 1867 and sprang from the Sheffield Wednesday Cricket Club.

The club was originally known as simply The Wednesday until 1929 when they changed to their present name.

Sheffield Wednesday were one of the top sides during football's infancy.

They reached the FA Cup semi final in the competition's second year and made the final in 1890, only to lose 1-6 to Blackburn Rovers.

Sheffield Wednesday were elected into the Football League in 1892 and in 1896 won the FA Cup after a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Owls topped that success by winning successive League titles in 1903 and 04 and in 1907 the club won their second FA Cup by defeating Everton 2-1.

Thereafter a decline set in as the club stopped challenging for honours and eventually slipped into the second division in 1920.

Having regained their first division place in 1926 Wednesday then stunned football by once again claiming successive League Championships in 1929 and 30, captained by veteran inside forward Jimmy Seed.

Five years later the club won the FA Cup again after a 4-2 defeat of West Bromwich Albion, Ellis Rimmer scoring twice in the last three minutes and thereby succeeding in scoring in every round. There would be a long wait for their next major honour, however.

For over twenty years Wednesday would alternate between the first and second divisions before spending the entire 1960's in the top flight after winning the second division title in 1959.

The club even overcame the match fixing scandal of 1963 which saw their England centre half, Peter Swan, and centre forward, David "Bronco" Lane inprisoned.

In 1966 Wednesday made it to the FA Cup final without playing a game at Hillsborough.

They defeated Reading, Newcastle United, Huddersfield Town and Blackburn Rovers away from home before disposing of Chelsea at Villa Park in the semi final.

It looked as though the trophy was on its' way to South Yorkshire when goals from Jim McCalliog and Dave Ford put them 2-0 up against Everton at Wembley with only half an hour left.

A catalogue of blunders saw the game turn on its' head, however, and left Everton 3-2 winners.

Wednesday were relegated to Division Two in 1970 and then dropped into the third division for the first time in 1975.

A revival was staged under the management of first Jack Charlton and then Howard Wilkinson.

Wednesday were promoted to Division Two in 1980 and then Division One in 1984.

Although the Owls were relegated in 1990 they won promotion the following year as well as surprising Manchester United, and everyone else, in the final of the League Cup, John Sheridan scoring the only goal of the game.

In 1993 Wednesday made it through to both domestic cup finals only to lose to Arsenal on both occassions.

When Wednesday finally dropped out of the Premier League in 2000 they became one of several clubs who could not cope with the resultant drop in finances and fell back into England's third tier in 2003.

Last season saw new manager Paul Sturrock inspire a revival which took the club to a play off final victory over Hartlepool United.

It may well still be a while, however, before the club is in the financial position to again cut it as a top flight club despite the excellent backing they still receive from their fan base.

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