Leaving the club was play-off hero Steve MaClean who joined Cardiff City at the end of his contract as well as Graham Coughlan, John Hills, Steve Adams, David Graham, Barry Corr and for the second time Chris Adamson. The Owls also dipped into the transfer market before the end of August to bring in Richard Hinds, Dutch winger Ettiene Esajas, striker Akpo Sodje and England international Francis Jeffers.
The season preparations began under disruption as floods hit the Hillsborough area in July! The pitch was left underwater and large parts of the stadium were left requiring major renovation.
The clubs usually reliable pitch was left ruined to the point where it would never truly recover. The damage caused would not aid the clubs already perilous financial position.
24th July - Chesterfield 0-2 Owls
I have no recollection of this tie whatsoever, the only reason I know of this pre-season friendly is I have a programme from it. Also my son had been born four days prior.
11th August - Ipswich 4-1 Owls
Any early season optimism soon evaporated following a poor opening day showing against the tractor boys. Things didn’t improve much as Chris Brunt, another play off hero, left the club to sign for West Brom five days later for a fee of around £3M. It was to be the first of many setbacks for the owls in this particular season.
28th August - Owls 2-1 Hartlepool
After overcoming Rotherham in the League Cup first round they then faced Hartlepool United in the second round on a cool August Hillsborough evening. Most of the 8,000+ crowd will have easily forgotten this drab tie in which an extra time goal from Yoan Folly settled the tie in the hosts favour.
22nd September - Owls 1-0 Hull
A league win - Hooray!
After starting the season with six consecutive defeats in the league a first goal for expensive summer transfer Francis Jeffers settled this nervy tie for the owls. Seven days later the owls made it two in a row with a victory over Norwich city, this time Wade Small settling the televised tie. The game coincided with Jamaican centre back Michael Johnson making his debut after joining the owls on an initial months loan, a loan that was eventually extended to three.
21st September - Graham Kavanagh joins on loan. He goes on to play 7 games during this spell, scoring once.
26th September - Owls 0-3 Everton The League Cup run came to an end with a defeat to top flight Everton. The visitors secured victory with goals in the second half from James McFadden (2) and Yakubu.
20th October - Stoke 2-4 Owls
A great win in Stoke but completely overlooked and marred by the horrible leg break sustained by Francis Jeffers following an utterly disgusting tackle from dirty bastard Ryan Shawcross, who went on to specialise in the act.
27th October - Owls 2-1 Blackpool
After a shaky start to the season Wednesday began a run of six unbeaten with a victory against Blackpool. Richard Hinds with his first for the club securing the victory and also winning me a rare bet!
10th November - Owls 5-0 Southampton
A fine victory for Wednesday who thoroughly deserved the points as they rolled over a limp Southampton side
During November controversial chairman Dave Allen resigned from the club, throwing the clubs future into disarray as he had loaned the club several million pounds in previous years despite his confrontational and fractured relationship with the fans.
26th December - Burnley 1-1 Owls
We never lose at Burnley, courtesy of a Deon Burton penalty. It’s a draw this time.
19th January - Owls 2-0 Blades
The first Sheffield derby of the season took place a long way into it! Akpo Sodje terrorised the blades all game and Marcus Tudgay wrapped up the steel city tie in our favour! This was only our second victory in 9 games!
22nd January - Owls 1-1 Derby (FA CUP)
An FA Cup 3rd round replay was lost on penalties to Derby, Steve Watson bagging an equaliser in the tie.
These were the early days of the January transfer window at Championship level. I went to bed fairly late on pleased that Wednesday had retained their key players. Sadly the next day I learnt that Glenn Whelan has been sold to promotion chasing Stoke City for a pittance. He was replaced by Graham Kavanagh, who returned for his second loan spell of the season. On the same date we secured the signing of striker Enoch Showumni on a two month loan from Bristol City. The Owls had already added former Manchester United midfielder Ronnie Wallwork earlier in the month on a deal until the end of the season - he went on to play only 7 games for the club.
8th Feb - Adam Bolder - The midfielder signed on loan from QPR until the end of the season.
21st Feb - Ben Sahar - The Chelsea striker signed on loan. He put in some mixed performances that didn’t give much of an indication to the career that he would go onto have at clubs such as Auxerre, Espanyol and Hertha Berlin.
11th March - Colchester 1-2 Owls
Colchester is a long drive for a midweek tie! Wednesday continued their improved recent form with a win at their fellow strugglers in the tie that had seen the end of Paul Sturrock during the previous season.
7th March - Frank Songo’o - Cameroon winger Songo’o joined the club on a short term loan from Portsmouth. He went on to represent Zaragoza and Real Sociedad before his career petered out.
27th March - Bartosz Slusarski - The Polish U-21 striker joined the owls on loan until the end of the season and went on to score some important goals in the battle for survival.
29th March - Owls 1-1 Stoke
Glenn Whelan returned to his former home as his new club Stoke City chased the points in their quest for promotion. Wednesday had used the funds from his sale to bring in a number of loan players and it was Cameroonian winger Frank Songo’o’s quick feet that pinched a point for the owls in a physical clash at S6.
1st April - Owls 1-1 Coventry
Avoiding defeat in our previous six games looked like moving Wednesday into a fairly decent position however this drab re-arranged fixture was in the middle of what was to become a horrendous run of 8 successive draws which would drag us right into the relegation battle.
8th April - Blades 2-2 Owls
Wednesday, not for the first time, clinched a draw from the jaws of victory squandering a two goal lead. Both of goals came from loanee Adam Bolder, as we went on to draw 2-2 in the latest steel city derby.
14th April - Owls 1-1 Plymouth
The final game in the drawing run was the re-arranged fixture with Plymouth Argyle. Wednesday struggled to break their opponents down and clinched a point with a brilliant distance volley from Tommy Spurr. Brian Laws lamented at full time that although we were unbeaten in 9 and had suffered 1 defeat in 13 it was the draws that were killing us. With three games to go Wednesday needed some big performances to drag themselves back over the line.
26th April - Leicester 1-3 Owls
It was all on the line for the owls in this do-or-die tie with fellow struggler's Leicester who faced the prospect of relegation to the third tier under Ian Holloway. Wednesday duly did what they had to do in their striking orange away kit with goals from Slusarski, Watson and Clarke (who’s cheeky chip clinched it) putting our destiny in our own hands, sending us in the away end into celebration, whilst pushing our host into a grim situation. Sadly Lee Bullen pulled him hamstring in the game meaning he would be unable to make one final appearance at Hillsborough the following week.
4th May - Owls 4-1 Norwich
Wednesday had to win to guarantee our safety and in front of a packed Hillsborough the boys duly delivered despite going behind to a Darren Huckerby strike. The owls came roaring back with goals from Deon Burton (2), Sahar and Leon Clarke. All four sides of the stadium rightly stood to applaud Norwich’s former England striker Deon Dublin when he was substituted in the final game of his long career. At the final whistle the crowd cheered with relief as despite relegation fears the owls finished a respectable 16th, the form since the turn of 2007 saw the owls lose only six of the 24 games played in - just too many of those were draws! There were some tears of joy but also some tears of sadness as Wednesday’s 2005 promotion winning captain Lee Bullen bid the club a fond farewell after the game at the expiry of his contract.
This was also to be the last tie to date in which my better half was a season ticket holder as having moved into our new home during the previous season we soon took delivery of something that would change our world and influence my match going experience and habits to this day.
20th July - Another Wednesdayite was born
