'Bromley away olé olé': Sheffield Wednesday lose again as fans await a reboot
'We're off to Bromley, you're off to Spurs' sang the away end as Sheffield Wednesday fell to a 1-0 defeat against Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
It was always going to be difficult for the Owls as they took on a Boro side still hoping to secure promotion into the Premier League, and while the home side have been on a tough run of form they are certainly in a better place than the visitors.
So it was no surprise to see Kim Hellberg’s side come out on top in the North East, but it’s hard to argue that Wednesday weren’t the masters of their own downfall in a game where they did have some good spells.
The first blow came before a ball was even kicked, with Pierce Charles missing from the starting XI after picking up a knock over the weekend. If you recall, there was a collision in the game against Charlton Athletic that saw him go down holding his back - and that’s probably got something to do with his absence tonight. He’s not, however, been ruled out of the trip to Oxford United.
Murphy Cooper took his place, while Jarvis Thornton, Marvelous Nakamba and Charlie McNeill all entered into the side as well… Svante Ingelsson was left out again as he battles with a knee issue.
With the changes made, and the importance of the absentees, one thing the Owls could’ve done without was giving away a cheap goal. So it was incredibly frustrating for everybody of a Wednesday persuasion that that’s exactly what they did.
The visiting side hard arguably been the better side in the opening stages, pressing Boro well and forcing their way up the field. Tayo Adaramola was using his pace well, and Liam Palmer - on his 507th outing - rolled back the years with some penetrating runs forward. Jarvis Thornton was getting amongst it, too, and there was a nervousness about the out-of-form Teessiders.
Then came the moment…
Wednesday have had a rough time of things in so many ways this season, but they’ve also been the masters of their own downfall far too often. Going into this game they’d conceded 83 goals in the Championship in 2025/26, and a huge percentage of them have felt incredibly avoidable. It was certainly the case with the 84th.
Gabriel Otegbayo, not really under any pressure, tried a pass back to Cooper in goal, but massively undercooked it. Morgan Whittaker didn’t need asking twice, and nipped in to go around the Owls ‘keeper and slot into an empty net. 1-0, and it was a truly horrible way to concede.
To his credit, there was no hiding from Otegbayo after his error. The supportive response of his teammates right after it was great to see, and he got his head back in the game. A big block stopped David Strelec from making it two, and the young centre back showed character as he got back to the job at hand.
Boro had the best of it after taking the lead, and continued to push for a second, but the Owls had some moments of their own as well as the likes of Max Lowe and Thornton looked to drive them up the pitch. McNeill had a couple of efforts, but Sol Brynn was never really tested. Given the nature of the opener, going into the break at 1-0 down won’t have gone down well with Pedersen.
Gallows humour and Wednesdayites have gone hand in hand this season, and tonight was no different.
Gallows humour and Wednesdayites have gone hand in hand this season, and tonight was no different. ‘Bromley away olé, olé’ preceded the Spurs chant, and there were a few words for the English Football League mixed in amid ‘Wednesday are massive’ singsong.
It was more of the same as the second half got underway. Boro were a bit sloppy in possession, but Wednesday didn’t look particularly solid either. Thornton was booked for trying to pull the shirt off Adilson Malanda’s back, and a scramble in the box ensued from the resulting freekick - the hosts couldn’t make it count, though. ‘Everywhere we go’ echoed around the Riverside.
Lowe gave away the ball in a dangerous position, but Aidan Morris couldn’t take advantage as he blazed over the bar. With an hour gone, the Owls were struggling to get out of their own half - if there was to be another goal, then it felt like it wouldn’t be one that the loud away end would be celebrating.
Nathaniel Chalobah and Jamal Lowe were the first changes introduced by Pedersen, with Nakamba and McNeill making way. The Zimbabwean did pretty well on his first start, but was always unlikely to complete 90 minutes. The tidiness of his display was summed up with a 96% pass completion.
Chalobah was straight into the mix with a brilliant sliding tackle in the box moments after coming on.
Honolulu Wednesday
Thornton was the next to leave the field, with 17-year-old Will Grainger stepping into the fold after a knock to his teammate. Grainger, in his Mr. Vegas-less shirt due to rules of betting sponsors on U18s, has deserved his first team chance after some excellent showings at U21 level. It was around this time that ‘Honolulu Wednesday’ began, ‘Hark now hear’ followed.
Calls for a Wednesday penalty were waved away after Morris fell in the box before scooping the ball under the challenge of Max Lowe. Instead, the Owls defender was penalised for an apparent push… We’re not sure about that one, though, and Wednesday’s wait for a penalty continues. They haven’t had one since November, and that got missed.
Back to Grainger, and he nearly had an immediate impact. Palmer’s deflected cross landed at his feet and he caught his effort well enough - sadly Brynn was up the challenge, ruining what would’ve been an incredible moment for the talented teen.
Not long afterwards, he put Luke Ayling - who is literally twice his age - on his backside after a collision on the edge of the box. Olaf Kobacki was introduced as the Owls chased an equaliser, with Jerry Yates making way.
As they pushed, they were left a bit open at the back. Otegbayo was up to the challenge in one such case, doing brilliantly to pick the pocket of Mamadou Kaly Sene before he could pull the trigger. Cooper was quick off his line to halt another Sene chance, while Adaramola was on hand to clear a goalbound dink straight after.
In the end, though, it was a carbon copy of so many Sheffield Wednesday games this season. The Owls held their own, a mistake was punished, and they lost what was an otherwise pretty tight game… Two matches left, the end is in sight. And it can’t come soon enough.
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