Sheffield Wednesday vs West Brom: The Owls' long winter is over – they deserve some time in the sun

Sheffield Wednesday beat West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon on an afternoon that effectively saw them earn 18 points... The result wasn't the big win.

Sheffield Wednesday fans showcased themselves on Saturday. Image: Alex Young

‘Winter is coming’ was the phrase so often used in a pretty popular TV show, often in this accent of ours. Under Dejphon Chansiri, Sheffield Wednesday often felt gripped by a kind of cold authority - distant, immovable, difficult to reach. Sound familiar?

Winter didn’t come to Hillsborough, though… It settled in. For Wednesdayites, their long night consisted of unpaid wages, and walkouts, and fan forum rants. There were restrictions, and protests, and embargoes - oh so many embargoes. The disrespect shown to an already long-suffering fanbase pushed many to the edge, with several vowing never to return until that man had gone. At times the very future of their beloved football club was thrown into question.

A new dawn rises

‘Always winter, but never Christmas’, CS Lewis once wrote, and that feels fitting, too. Ten years of Chansiri brought with it few sunny days, and far too many bleak ones. Fans and staff were left out in the cold, disrespected and disregarded. Now, at last, the thaw…

On Saturday afternoon, as the biggest Championship crowd of the season filled up a stadium that was itself a victim of its former owner, light shone at S6 once again. And under the Honolulu sun, Wednesdayites started to remember what it felt like to bask in the warm embrace of something that had felt so distant for so long. Hope.

David Storch, as well as his son, Michael, and their co-owner, Tom Costin, took to the field to a gigantic roar ahead of kick-off. The American spoke of brighter days, of hot water in the stands, and how these fans would have their football club back. The old Owl will return, with a tweak or two. Those would come in the future - but there was one gift that was for the here and now…

Thousands of eyes were diverted to the big screen. On it appeared the number -15 - it needed no explanation. Down it counted, past 12, past 9, past 6. On 1 it lingered, ever so slightly, before switching to a 0 - and the cheer was deafening. Chansiri was gone, and now his shadow wouldn’t loiter over the club’s new start.

Then there was some football. Will Grainger got his first senior start, Jamal Lowe saw an early effort well-saved by Max O’Leary, and some solid defending from the Owls kept the Baggies at bay. Pierce Charles also got down low to keep out Aune Heggebo, but wasn’t really tested. Alfie Gilchrist fired in an effort, too, but the Wednesday goalkeeper was up to it once again.

West Brom had form on their side, Wednesday didn’t. On days like this, though, none of that matters. Today, for the first time in a long time, it felt like the football gods were smiling down on Hillsborough - that 2025/26 would not end winless at home.

Football loves a narrative

Nathaniel Chalobah celebrates. Image: Alex Young

This sport loves a narrative, we’ve seen it plenty, and today was to be no different. First up it was Nathaniel Chalobah, bundling home from close range to take the lead. The Kop erupted, Hillsborough erupted, and in what is possibly his final game for the club, the former Chelsea man was able to create one truly unforgettable moment in what has been an incredibly difficult spell. For it to be him felt incredibly wholesome.

Up next was Liam Palmer, a man with over 500 Wednesday appearances to his name. He’s seen it all, done it all, with this football club. He’s also been so much more than a footballer far too often, having to help guide his teammates and staff members through dark waters on many an occasion. For him to find the net today, of all days - as a new era begins for his boyhood club - was poetic. He’s one of our own.

The noise was raucous. ‘Wednesday are massive’ and ‘Honolulu Wednesday’ reverberated around this storied venue, and at one point this writer could literally feel the stand shaking beneath his feet. ‘If you don’t…’

Liam Palmer got in on the action. Image: Alex Young

Half-time came and went, and it was more of the same in the second stanza. Jamal Lowe clipped the post with a lovely effort, and Dominic Iorfa came on for his 222nd - and potentially final - outing in a blue and white shirt. Charlie McNeill, meanwhile, replaced 17-year-old Grainger after he picked up a knock.

Karlan Grant pulled one back late on, finishing from close range, but it didn’t matter. Palmer came off to a standing ovation as ‘One of our own’ belted out from the stands. As things stand, it’s his last game too.

The final whistle went, and relief set in. Relief for three points - finally, relief for the end of this torrid campaign. Wednesday end on zero points, just like they’ll start next season. In normal circumstances, neither of those are things to brag about, but after the season from hell, zero points sounds fucking lovely.

With the likes of David Hirst and Howard Wilkinson watching on from the stands - forming part of a 33,750 crowd - Hillsborough bounced again. The sun shone down on Hawaiian shirts of every colour, songs about favourites from yesteryear filled the air, and in the director’s box Storch and Co will have grinned from ear to ear as Wednesdayites showcased the club’s greatest asset - themselves.

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