Unfortunately financial mismanagement continued to blight the club. Having lost key players the previous season Laws was effectively being asked to work miracles with one hand tied behind his back. The loss of Brunt and Whelan previously had freed up funds but these were being swallowed up by loan players brought into to supplement a shallow squad.
Headline summer signings included midfielder James O’Connor and Chelsea winger Jimmy Smith, who signed on loan.
29th July - Chesterfield 1-0 Owls
Pre-season friendly, becoming a bit of a tradition here. I was there but have no recollection. I was probably drunk.
For the first time since leaving the top flight in 2000 the owls sat atop of the football league - given it was only after the first game! Could this be the year!?! A rampant owls side tore into Burnley, with Akpo Sodje looking particularly hot! Sadly this was only a glimpse of what would be possible, the cult like figure of Sodje who Laws just seemed to be able to fire up, as Akpo went over with a knee injury. In truth he sadly never reached these heights again, although he had moments throughout the season. It’s a shame as he could just never stay fit.
16th September - Reading 6-0 Owls
A low point. Readings a shit place to go for a stuffing. It’s like being heckled from a corporate box. A piss poor performance front the owls. Laws’ sides had a habit of when it didn’t click it was spectacularly bad.
17th October - The white Cafu signs
Two days prior to the first Sheffield derby of the season Laws brought Lewis Buxton in on an intial months loan from Stoke City. He would leave the club at the end of the 2014/15 season.
19th October - Owls 1-0 Blades
Brian Laws truly had the blades’ number. All the talk in the build up was whether Sodje would be fit to face the visitors again after terrorising them the previous season - alas he only made the bench that day. Kilgallon was, in hindsight, harshly sent off for the blades in a ding-dong encounter, but the winning goal was a lovely chip by Captain Steve Watson following Paddy Kenny’s poor clearance!
8th November - Owls 1-0 Doncaster Rovers
Leon Clarke’s first half strike was the deciding factor in this tie, but the owls had to withstand heavy pressure in order to claim the derby victory.
Driving home from a call out at work on a Saturday morning. Unsure whether to attend for financial reasons I heard an interview with a Fulham player on TalkSPORT being slyly derogative about the club, so thought I’d show up to give the boys the support. Fulham, still in their premier league form, were clearly a class above and strolled despite our hard work. However another thunder bastard form Tommy Spurr (becoming a bit of a habit this!) made things interesting.
7th January - Hello Mr. Chairman
Lee Strafford appointed the clubs new Chairman, replacing Dave Allen who had resigned in December 2007.
9th January - Micky Grey becomes an owl
Wednesday completed the initial loan signing of England capped fullback Michael Gray from Wolves.
17th January - Owls 4-1 Charlton Athletic
Was this a sign of things to come? Wednesday thrashed bottom of the table Charlton in the first home game since the owls unveiled local entrepreneur Lee Strafford as the clubs new chairman. And who was this wonder kid Darren Potter? Scored on his debut after signing on loan from Liverpool and displayed a lovely range of passing. Marcus Tudgay plundered two goals to continue his decent form this season and Franny Jeffers even managed to bag his first goal in 12 months.
7th February - Blades 1-2 Owls
I’m not sure my 7 month old son knew what was happening. Glued to the radio listening to the game, having palpitations every time the radio Sheffield commentator mentioned they were breaking. I mean we’d never won there in my lifetime but after stunners from Spurr and Tudgay it was more obvious that Laws had the blunts’ number!
17th Feb - Owls 0-1 Barnsley
A defeat. At home. To the Dingles...
That never happens.
This goaless draw made it five without a win. And two wins in 9 since the steel city derby victory. This was shaping up to be a real up and down season.
After a decent season the clubs end of season form had trailed off - 2 wins from 10 games. Cardiff travelled to Hillsborough in search of a play off place, however had been thrashed the week before 6-1 by Preston. Preston had to win and Cardiff had to lose. The pressure was all on the visitors. Cue Jermaine Johnson’s fantastic volley to clinch a fantastic victory for the owls, yet again sending the home fans happy. The result saw the club finish the season in 12th - we were stereotypical mid table mediocrity, but after the drama of the previous season I was OK with this. Brian Laws had overseen an overhaul of the squad - losing a number of key players for financial reasons, battling on through injury crisis’ and bringing through younger players, hopefully he could continue that the following season.
Off the pitch Lee Strafford has called on the community to help the club out in return for on field investment. A number of initiatives were launched including on-line ticket sales for the first time in order to encourage supporters through the door. But I was confident in the job Laws was doing for the resources he had and being still fairly young and naive I was still thinking of when we returned to the top-flight rather than if. I mean we’re Sheffield a Wednesday. I’m sure next year would be our year!
Off the pitch Lee Strafford has called on the community to help the club out in return for on field investment. A number of initiatives were launched including on-line ticket sales for the first time in order to encourage supporters through the door. But I was confident in the job Laws was doing for the resources he had and being still fairly young and naive I was still thinking of when we returned to the top-flight rather than if. I mean we’re Sheffield a Wednesday. I’m sure next year would be our year!
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