‘Listen to this!’ – Chris Powell’s Sheffield Wednesday moment amid Hillsborough ‘noise’

Powell has been both a player and a manager at Hillsborough over the course of his career, but on Sunday he lined up in the Owls dugout as part of the home team for the first time after Danny Röhl’s decision to bring him in as part of his setup. They won their first game at S6 2-0 against Rotherham United.

Looking down at the former Tottenham Hotspur and England coach from the stands it was clear that he was soaking up the atmosphere as over 29,000 watched on at Hillsborough – and he certainly enjoyed their rendition of Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday before kick off.

“I’ve got a thing about that song,” Powell told The Star with a smile this week. “A friend of mine at Spurs, Callum, is a big Sheffield Wednesday fan and I sent it to him during the play-offs last season and where I live isn’t far from Aston Villa who sing it too. But it’s Sheffield Wednesday’s… Let’s have it right.

“I know other teams sing it like Wolves, but the noise on Sunday… I said to the staff, to Sascha (Lense), ‘Just listen to this!’ It took me aback, it was so loud. I just thought, ‘You know what, that should get us going’.

“I think the players enjoy it, and there was just a nice feeling about the place. We need to carry that on.”

Wednesday will be back at S6 next weekend, but before that comes a visit to Bristol City on Saturday afternoon as they take aim for back-to-back wins for the first time this season.