Jubilation as Owls parade through Sheffield city centre to mark Wednesday's Championship promotion

Sheffield Wednesday fans have certainly been put through the ringer over the last few weeks, first with a jaw-dropping comeback in the Owls’ play-off semi final against Peterborough that saw the club overturn a four-goal aggregate to take them through to extra time, and then to dreaded penalties, from which they emerged triumphant with a 5-3 win that secured their place at Wembley for the play-off final.

And if that was not enough, the Owls were just six seconds away from a second lot of painful penalties following a nil-nil match against Barnsley, when Josh Windass scored the winning goal at the very end of extra time, taking the club back to the Championship after two years in League One.

But after two such hard-fought, and seemingly impossible, victories, Owls fans and players alike were most certainly in the mood for celebrating with the open-top bus parade which travelled through Sheffield city centre tonight (Wednesday, May 30), setting off from Devonshire Green.

John Douglas Longstaff has been an active Wednesday fan for some 65-years, and was among the 44,000 Owls who travelled to Wembley to watch Wednesday snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Monday afternoon.

Speaking as he waited for the open-top bus parade to arrive at Devonshire Green, 74-year-old John, of Mosborough, said of the play-off final: “I was at Wembley in 1966 at 17, and was thoroughly destroyed by that; and so all these years later, to be at Wembley and to actually win a game, it’s fantastic – and to win it in such a manner – it’s unbelievable. It was surreal, especially, with what happened at the Peterborough game.”

53-year-old Brian Holmes, along with his 17-year-old son, Sam, were also among the fans congregating at Devonshire Green. He, too, was there at Wembley.

"It was a big relief at the last minute, that goal, there was bedlam at Wembley, with Wednesdayites...[the atmosphere] was incredible, 44,000 fans there, it was unreal,” said Brian, of Gleadless.

After celebrations got underway at Devonshire Green, fans lined the streets to watch Wednesday stars on the open-top bus, which travelled along Fitzwilliam Street; Charter Row; Cumberland Street; Eyre Street before makings its way down Arundel Gate and Norfolk Street, and arriving at Surrey Street where thousands were waiting to see them take to the balcony.

Two or three at a time, Wednesday players including Barry Bannan, Cameron Dawson, Mallik Wilks and the ‘hero of Wembley’ Josh Windass, all came out on to the balcony to cheers of support, and of course – ‘hi, ho Sheffield Wednesday’.

After lifting the trophy, Josh said of his winning goal, and the support from fans: “The crowd comes out for us every time. I got told before Wembley that they all came out in their droves, but when I saw it, I was in disbelief to be honest.”

He added: “As this group have shown from the semi final and the other day, we can rise back from the dead.”

Speaking from the balcony, Sheffield Wednesday chairman, Dejphon Chansiri said: “My congratulations go to Darren [Moore], the squad, and all our staff for achieving this promotion together. And of course, congratulations to you – our fans – who have been with us every step of the way for this incredible season.”