In-limbo Sheffield Wednesday enjoy a drink with the ex - but could it be more long-term?

Initially awkward, moments of genuine warmth, a few fun flickering memories of old times occasionally littered with thunderous interceptions by Will Vaulks.

This was the Wednesday of old and after a fling with a racy young European that had grown to be toxic, the cautious feeling from the stands was that they might be willing to love again.

With a two-week international break ready to go, it will likely be Neil Thompson’s only outing as caretaker manager this time around. But in one afternoon he made one hell of a statement as he named a side rather cruelly shorthanded in the last few week as ‘the old guard’.

Di’Shon Bernard was the only Xisco signing that started and teenagers Bailey Cadamarteri and Joey Phuthi were on the bench. It was a popular teamsheet and a one-off stamp of statement.

There’s no pretence here that last season’s squad are guaranteed to rise through the lower reaches of the Championship with the dominance they had in League One. There never was. But the impact Thompson’s line-up had on the terraces was palpable; there seemed to be some sort of reset button pressed on months of unease.

A stretching Michael Ihiekwe block, a Michael Smith header. A spinning touch-and-out from George Byers and a Reece James ball down the line; the afternoon delivered vignettes of a season many felt had been scrunched into a ball and thrown in the waste paper basket. Even Callum Paterson obliged with one of his customary six-times-a-season head injury.

Wednesday were decent, a long way from devastating, but they delivered what was probably their most consistent performance of the season in some ways, through back-to-basics approach and faces who have won matches for this club consistently. It’s something many feel has been required for some time.

With the players being the ex in this scenario, it was a little disconcerting to see the old mother-in-law watching on from the opposition technical area.

Darren Moore appeared from the dugout pre-match to applause from the South Stand and beyond. Dejphon Chansiri sat in the director’s box and aside from two half-hearted strains from the North, heard nothing of the sort of protest experienced in recent weeks.

The Owls sought to get the ball from back to front fairly briskly and they sougtht to get balls into the box in that endeavour their approach was largely uncomplicated and pragmatic. Chances fell to Byers and Smith in the first half and Paterson in the second. But for the occasional edge-of-the-box trickery of Delano Bergzorg, Huddersfield were kept at bay.

There were periods of sustained pressure and moments of magic from the new boys, too - Bernard’s clever flick to barge his way into a spot of space was followed-up by a bustling John Buckley run that won a free-kick in a dangerous place.

Whether that metaphorical quick drink with the ex is something Wednesday return to for a second go at something more long-term will be up to their new manager. And let’s have it right, Huddersfield were poor.

Wednesday’s start to life back in the Championship means that opportunities to beat sides like Huddersfield Town at home cannot be passed-up with regularity, however early on in the season it might be. The fact is that they have now scored only once in seven matches, which is a fairly rancid stat. They had only one shot on target. Whoever steps in will need to find some way to get these scoring.

But for the main part, the vintage of 2022/23 looked relatively well. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks. Let’s see what happens next.