That summer I left school! And I got a girlfriend (I know, an undatable like me!). Myself, Russel and James has enrolled into college for the September. I was studying Engineering, Russell was doing something to do with IT and James was doing something that involved him doing bleep tests every week and spending a lot of time in fields! As you’d expect then life was changing. Out went the bubble and security of school as we stepped out into the real world. In those early college days we were constantly being reminded by lecturers that we weren’t at school anymore, yet chastised when we went to Weatherspoons for a liquid lunch, sometimes not making it back to college for the afternoon sessions. But being out in the big wide world was an eye opener, and despite a season travelling all over watching Wednesday, I suddenly began noticing and became aware of things that had previously passed me by.
But anyway we’d renewed our season tickets and this time the ticket was supplied in a white wallet, the negative of the previous seasons. Surely this season would be better?
Pre-season saw several replaced big earners such as Jonk, De Bilde & sadly Des Walker leave and replaced them with more moderate additions such as Paul McLaren, loanee Paulo Bonvin & ‘Super’ Danny Maddix, whilst also leaning on the youthful players who broke into the first team the previous season.
Wednesday played Derby and Spanish side Alaves, fresh from their UEFA Cup final appearance against Liverpool, in friendly games to get the supporters in the mood for a second tilt at the First Division.
The owls kicked off the season at home to Burnley in a televised game, being shown on TV on the ultimately doomed ITV Digital platform. Wednesday, wearing for me one of the worst kits I’ve ever seen us use, had beaten the visitors during the decent end of season run the previous season yet turned in a pretty insipid display in this opener. From memory Chris Stringer saved a penalty however it was re-taken after he was adjudged to have come off his line. We eventually went down to an opening weekend 2-0 defeat.
Wednesday limped on through the early parts of the season in pretty much the opposite way they had finished he previous. A string of poor results ensued up to and including a 1-1 home draw with relegated Bradford (who featured ex Wednesday playmaker Benito Carbone amongst their ranks) and a 6-2 home defeat at a sun drenched Hillsborough against a rampant Manchester City. Boca Juniors loanee Paulo Bonvín scored early for Wednesday but City were far too good for the owls, with Ali Bernabia pulling the strings for Kevin Keegans side who eventually went up as champions!
https://youtu.be/UpV8Gtlo53k
https://youtu.be/UpV8Gtlo53k
Inevitably as is the Wednesday way we limped on winless in 11 before Peter Shreeves stood down, with Terry Yorath stepping up to take charge, initially on a caretaker basis.
12th September - Wednesday faced Premier League opponents Sunderland in the Worthington Cup, and tossed aside their league form. After taking the tie into extra time the owls ran out 4-2 winners in a game that included the first of several stunning Wednesday goals during the cup campaign.
20th Oct - Owls 2-1 Walsall. And wouldn’t you believe it! Wednesday, despite going behind in the first half, ended the dismal run with Paulo Bonvin netting a last minute winner! This result triggered a mini revival that led to Yorath being appointed permanently, which to me was both an extremely lazy and poor decision, ultimately made on cost!
10th November - The girlfriend, obviously enthused by my passion for the club, asked to come to a game. Grimsby - 0-0. Nothing further to say.
24th November - After another poor run the owls took on struggling Stockport managed by former owl Carlton Palmer. 5-0 to the owls, three goals coming in the last seven minutes. Had we turned a corner?
19th December - A League Cup quarter final at Hillsborough under the lights saw Watford come to town and leave on the back of a 4-0 hiding by a rampant Wednesday. Matt Hamshaw score THAT goal!
A six league game winless streak through December highlighted that aside from Gerald Sibon and Efan Ekoku we were desperately short of goals. During this run the girlfriend attended a 1-1 home draw with Millwall, where we conceded late equaliser, and a 5-0 defeat to Norwich.
8th January - League Cup Semi-Final. Girlfriend yet again in tow. Ekoku on the scoresheet but the Owls eventually succumbed 2-1 to Premier League Blackburn Rovers, Brad Friedel in the visitors goal leaving a lasting impression. A goalkeeping injury crisis saw Paul Heald join on loan and playing well in the second leg, but the owls eventually succumbed to a 3-6 aggregate defeat.
The barrel chested Shefki Kuqi soon arrived in the January sales, and scored his first goal in an away win at Burnley as the struggling owls began a run of form that would ultimately be enough to keep them up. Just.
It may be that I had discovered beer in a big way, or maybe just my age, but the end to that league season is pretty much a blur, nothing else really stands out.
Both Sheffield derbies finished as dull uneventful 0-0 bore draws. The season was wrapped up with a 3-1 defeat to Stockport and a 2-2 home draw with play off placed Wolves.
The clubs bleak financial position was now crippling apparent, we had carried a debt from our Premier League days, had just avoided another relegation with a squad containing players still on big wages, and had recruited poorly following relegation, and relied on a string of loan signings (Bojan Djordjic anyone?) at times to get a side out.
The clubs bleak financial position was now crippling apparent, we had carried a debt from our Premier League days, had just avoided another relegation with a squad containing players still on big wages, and had recruited poorly following relegation, and relied on a string of loan signings (Bojan Djordjic anyone?) at times to get a side out.
I have no idea how, at 16, I funded matchdays, nights out (16 year olds going clubbing, wouldn’t happen these days but clearly in 2001 standards were maybe different) and college. I earn’t money labouring on the side at college and helping out my grandad doing odd jobs and tending his vegetable garden, but ultimately come the end of the season I knew I had a big decision to make. I was applying for jobs all over in order to finance my developing lifestyle. I’d was booked to go on holiday with the missus and her family, so needed cash desperately. My season ticket renewal had dropped through the post. As my life had changed the previous summer it was only beginning to develop further!
What are your memories of this season? Please correct me if I’ve gotten any details wrong. Other than the league cup run it was pretty forgettable. As I looked back on the previous season with a degree of fondness what I recall of this time was just dirt! The youthful optimism being quickly replaced with ‘Is it really like this all the time?’
@maplo16
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