Sheffield Wednesday face Watford as they look to earn their first victory in 30 matches

Sheffield Wednesday will aim to end their long wait for a win against Watford in tonight’s Championship match at Hillsborough Stadium.

Henrik Pedersen's side are yet to win in front of their own supporters this term, and are in pursuit of their first three points since a 2-0 win away at Portsmouth on 20 September, 30 matches ago.

Watford, who have already appointed three different managers this season, still have hopes of qualifying for the play-offs after what’s so far been a mixed campaign.

The Hornets find themselves in ninth heading into tonight’s game and could potentially climb to within three points of Wrexham if results go in their favour.

Elliot Bell named referee for Sheffield Wednesday vs Watford

Liverpool-born referee Bell has been confirmed by the EFL as the referee for tonight’s match between Sheffield Wednesday and Watford.

Bell has been a referee since 2015 and has been officiating in the Football League since April 2024.

He’s overseen a combined total of 13 Championship matches in his career so far, including eight in the division this season. In that time he’s booked 32 players, giving him an average of four yellows per game. However, he’s only sent one player off this term.

Bell has taken charge of two Owls matches in his career, with the Hillsborough outfit winning one away to Swansea in February last year and losing the other this season in the League Cup to Grimsby Town.

George Byrne and Shaun Hudson have been named as the assistant referees for tonight’s contest. Meanwhile, Andrew Kitchen has been confirmed as the fourth official this evening.

When did Sheffield Wednesday last face Watford?

Sheffield Wednesday are winless in their last 10 league games against Watford, in a run stretching all the way back to 2013. However, Pedersen’s side can take some encouragement from the fact that they were able to travel to Vicarage Road and pick up a point earlier in the campaign back in December.

That contest proved to be eventful with the Owls taking the lead through Charlie McNeill in the first half before being denied just their second win of the season by a 97th minute strike from Vivaldo Semedo.

It was very much a back against the wall performance from Wednesday, who defended very well for large chunks of the game before eventually leaving with only a point.

Wednesday also earned a 1-1 draw on their travels to Watford in May 2025, but will be wary of the threat posed by a team that notably beat them 6-2 when they last visited Hillsborough in November 2024.