16th Jul - Chesterfield 0-2 Owls
I returned from a wedding anniversary break in York to meet friends for this local pre-season game. Wednesday went in big numbers in what appeared to be one of the most poorly attended pre-season encounters between the two sides. We dominated the game. Kieran Lee and Forestieri with first half goals to settle to game.
20th Jul - Owls 1-0 Benfica
The opening game - played on the Sunday for TV purposes. Villa were freshly relegated from the Premier League and fancied themselves for promotion. But it was Wednesday who won the game courtesy of a Forestieri strike. Steven Fletcher was having a storming debut when he was forced off needing stitches on a head injury. A great start
13th Aug - Norwich 0-0 Owls
We fared well in Norwich against a backdrop of Forestieri refusing to play after supposedly being ‘tapped-up’ by another club.
13th Sep - Owls 3-2 Bristol City
On a wet and windy evening and after a stuttering start to the season we looked for a second consecutive win, however found ourselves behind to two first half goals from Tammy Abraham. Fletcher pulled a goal back however Sam Hutchinson himself was soon sent off, having conceded a penalty. Fortunately Lee Tomlin hit the post and within minutes both sides were down to ten men. Wednesday then put there foot down and levelled through Barry Bannan. It looked like Bristol would hold out for a point but deep into added time Kieran Lee ghosted in to pinch a 96th minute winner!
1st Oct - Owls 1-2 Brighton
Brighton came back to Hillsborough with a score to settle after our play off victory. Goals from Baldock and Knockaert giving the visitors their first ever victory at our home. Substitute Hooper scored an injury time consolation in a tie that also saw young Goalkeeper Cameron Dawson come on at half time for the injured Kieran Westwood.
5th Nov - Owls 1-2 Ipswich
Our mixed form continued as we slumped to defeat against Mick McCarthy’s tractor boys. Hooper equalised four minutes after we fell behind, but the visitors took the 3 points following a late goal from Luke Chambers. We really didn’t perform well in this tie!
3rd Dec - Owls 2-1 Preston
Having given Wednesday a first half lead Forestieri was then sent off after 65 minutes following yet more shithousery from Preston's usual suspect. Fletcher’s 79 minute penalty made it two, however Doyle pulled a goal back three minutes later. The abiding memory of the game is the two late red cards dished out to Preston strikers Doyle and Beckford for fighting - with each other!
26th Dec - Newcastle 0-1 Owls
Watched five minutes on TV, then got called in to work. Listened to it on the radio. Car battery packed up on the way home. Great result.
31st Dec - Preston 1-1 Owls
We never get anything at Preston? Great scenes at the end when Reach smashes in the equaliser, the jump and celebration from Bannan at the end sticks vividly in my mind!
14th jan - Owls 2-0 Huddersfield
Huddersfield has been having a surprisingly good season and we’re amongst the contenders at this stage. However after a mixed first half a Ross Wallace thunderbolt gave us the lead. After 70 minutes Town were down to ten men before Forestieri wrapped up the points and moved us within a point of our visitors.
10th Feb - Owls 3-0 Birmingham
After a flurry of late January transfers saw Morgan Fox, Sam Winnall and Jordan Rhodes arrive at Hillsborough, it looked like we could really kick on. After slightly shaky recent form Wednesday picked up a second consecutive win by cruising to a home win over Birmingham.
First goals for Wednesday for new strikers Rhodes and Winnall were topped off by a late Reach strike.
4th Mar - Owls 5-1 Norwich
A run of two defeats ended with a thumping of play-off chasing Norwich. Ross Wallace fired home a long range rocket following a goalkeeping blunder. Rhodes made it two, and Morgan Fox’s first goal just before half time gave us a 3-1 halftime lead. Rhodes again and Forestieri rounded off a great victory. This was probably Fox’s best performance to date.
17th Mar - Owls 0-2 Reading
This Friday night game offered Wednesday the opportunity to close the gap on the top two. Sadly after fans battled the busy Sheffield traffic we witnessed a really poor game. Yann Kermorgant gave Reading the lead in a game where visiting manager Jaap Stam had clearly done his homework. After pressing late on Reading pinched a second with the final kick of the tie following a swift counter attack when we had sent everybody up.
1st Apr - Barnsley 1-1 Owls
Our shaky performances continued at Barnsley. After an even first half Sam Winnall latched onto a goalkeeping error to score against his former club. Sadly we couldn’t hold on and Barnsley secured a point with a late equaliser.
Out of the play off places in April!
8th Apr - Owls 2-1 Newcastle
A midweek victory at lowly Rotherham restored some confidence going into the game with the table topping Geordies. We shaded the first half and deserved to go in ahead, but the game remained goalless until Tom Lees headed home on 59 minutes. By the time Fletcher made it two the stadium was rocking. I was sat with my visiting Newcastle friend and he remarked how good our atmosphere was! Jonjo Shelvey pulled a goal back late on as the visitors rallied, but we held on for a big win!
22nd Apr - Owls 2-1 Derby
After four wins in a row confidence was high, and we secured our first home victory against Derby in eight ties! Fletcher and Hooper turning around a deficit to give me a lovely birthday treat, sadly missed by my lad who was at home poorly.
7th May - Owls 1-2 Fulham
After securing our play off place Carlos chose to make wholesale changes to the squad. We took on a Fulham side who were also guaranteed a play off place - Many people felt this would be a dress rehearsal for a Play-off final. Sam Winnall gave us a lead after nine minutes, but we were outplayed by a fairly strong Fulham team, not helped by a Marco Matias being stupidly sent off on the stroke of half time. The game also gave us a real rare treat - Urby Emanuelson coming on as a substitute with fifteen minutes remaining for his one and only appearance.
14th May - Huddersfield 0-0 Owls
Flat. Dour. Negative. Went for a draw. Got a draw but must do better.
17th May - Owls 1-1 Huddersfield
All to play for in this winner takes all clash. Having beaten Huddersfield in the league twice I was extremely confident going into the clash. A strong first half performance saw us clearly on top but it remained all square. Steve Fletcher gave us the lead shortly after the restart and we waited for the magic to happen.
Sadly this was as good as it got. Fletcher limped off ten minutes after scoring to be replaced by the ineffective Rhodes. Huddersfield began to press us and we began to look tired. Then on 73 minutes Pudil’s lack of fitness was exposed as he struggled to get back to block the cross that led to an own goal equaliser.
The game then fell to a pretty slow pace, both sides looking to play on the counter attack until the referee called an end to normal time. Just re-read the last paragraph for the extra time, although we did go for it late on.
So the game went to Penalties. Sam Hutchinson misses, our visitors score their first four. Huddersfield fail to convert there fifth, but so does Forestieri. No return trip to Wembley. A second play off failure in two years. The rest is history.
Carlos was out of contract. The squad clearly looked tired and aged. But we will go again. There’s always next year!
