SHEFF UTD 2-1 SHEFF WEDS: Despite a late fightback triggered by Kalvin Phillips’ red card, Wednesday suffered the ignominy of relegation in the Steel City derby
Sheffield Wednesday have suffered the earliest relegation in Football League history after slipping to defeat against fierce rivals Sheffield United. The Owls needed to win at Bramall Lane in order to avoid being relegated to League One.
But they had a nightmare start as former Leeds striker Patrick Bamford gave the Blades the lead with just a minute-and-a-half played. Things then got worse on 19 minutes as Harrison Burrows doubled the hosts’ advantage.
Wednesday were given hope shorty into the second-half as on-loan Manchester City man Kalvin Phillips was sent off for an awful challenge on Svante Ingelsson. Charlie McNeill then found the bottom corner to make United even more uncomfortable.
Gabriel Otegbayo was sent off late on for two bookable offences, with both sides finishing the game with ten men. The final whistle eventually signalled Wednesday’s demotion to the third tier of English football which comes at the culmination of what has been a truly awful season for the crisis club. Much-maligned former owner Dejphon Chansiri led the club into financial disarray, with players and staff not being paid on time on multiple occasions.
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That saw Wednesday placed under a number of transfer embargoes. Fans attempted to remove the Chansiri from Hillsborough with various protests.
Former boss Danny Rohl also left shortly before the start of the season to be replaced by his assistant, Henrik Pedersen. The club were placed into administration in October, which automatically saw them deducted 12 points.
A further six points were then deducted in December for Wednesday failing to meet payment obligations. Another grim chapter in Wednesday’s horror season saw club icon and long-serving midfielder Barry Bannan depart the club for Championship rivals Millwall in the January transfer window.
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The Owls remain on minus seven points following their defeat at Bramall Lane, and they could still become the first club in English football history to finish a season on negative points. Wednesday have won just one game so far this season, that solitary victory coming against Portsmouth at Fratton Park back in September.
Pedersen’s side will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Norwich City. As it stands, Wednesday will be joined by Oxford United and Leicester City in League One – the latter having also had six points deducted after being found guilty of PSR breaches.
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