'We've got our Wednesday back' - Sheffield Wednesday fans celebrate new era on day of high emotion
The Owls are under new ownership after a torrid season and administration
Sheffield Wednesday fans have got their club back.
They sang it loud and proud on an emotional day at a rocking Hillsborough. If you could bottle the happiness you would feel very rich for the rest of your life.
What a whirlwind. It felt like three days rolled into one. There really should not have been 34,000 fans - a record attendance for the Championship this season - after not winning at home for more than a year and only once all season. The atmosphere was ridiculously good, silly ridiculous. Had you viewed the scenes without any context, you would have assumed they had been promoted, not relegated.
Boy was it fun. It all started with David Storch, Michael Storch and Tom Costin visiting the Fans’ Zone, nailing the Honolulu dress code. They were recognised immediately and mobbed for pictures. They shook hands with supporters, took time to speak to them and told them that they are here because of them. Small gestures which will go a long way. Many fans thanked them for saving their club. As the three of them gathered in front of the crowds, they were greeted with a heroes welcome and chants of ‘Wednesday are massive, everywhere they go.’ As if they didn’t already know. They genuinely looked overwhelmed and shocked by the reception they got.
Then the ‘gift.’ No points deduction next season. Supporters had been told to arrive early. Most had guessed that there would be a speech from Storch. And there was, but with a wonderful twist, via a video countdown on the big screen. People leapt out of their seats as the number went from 15 slowly down to zero. Should the new owners guide the club to future success, that will be a moment that everyone remembers.
And so to the game. Not many of them have really mattered this season. And neither did this one to an extent - it was all about a new era - but the result was the cherry on the top. The sun shone and Wednesdayites sang about having their club back. Storch must think this football lark is a piece of cake. USA, USA, USA.