Sheffield Wednesday must make history achieve to mission impossible in play-offs

Two goals in either half saw the Owls fall to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Peterborough United on Friday evening, a result that almost certainly will see them condemned to another season in League One.

Of course the tie isn’t over yet, with 90 minutes left to play, but Moore’s side have an almost impossible task to achieve at Hillsborough on Thursday night as their hopes hang by a thread.

Never before in English play-off history have a team overcome a 3+ goal deficit in the second leg, with the biggest comebacks having been achieved after teams left the first game two-goals down.

Only once – in 1997/98 – has a side managed to successfully progress after conceding three in the opening game, with Northampton Town’s 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers overturning a 3-1 away defeat standing as possibly the format’s best comeback.

It’s not never been done in football, though… Many will remember Barcelona’s incredible turnaround against Paris Saint-Germain in 2016/17, losing 4-0 in the first leg only to smash the French for six in the second – they managed to pull it off.

The difference was, though, that they had Lionel Messi, and Luis Suarez, and Neymar. Which is, of course, quite a bit difference.

It’s not over, but Wednesday don’t just have a mountain to climb. They’ve got to get up Everest with an elephant on their backs.

But Bolton Wanderers beat the Posh 5-0 in February, so…

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