How do you follow up a miracle?
That is the question exercising Darren Moore and Sheffield Wednesday ahead of Monday’s promotion decider against Barnsley, a game they have arrived at via the most improbable comeback in play-off history at Hillsborough.
Having dredged their reserves to overturn a four-goal first-leg deficit against Peterborough on a famous Hillsborough night, minds have had to be re-focused. The bigger prize is still to be claimed.
Three times Moore mentioned it in a dressing room address after Peterborough that has, predictably, gone viral.
“Listen boys, we’ve got one more, we’ve got one more. Enjoy tonight but we’ve got one more,” he says before midfielder Barry Bannan, Wednesday’s talisman, chips in to praise the way Moore and his in-house psychologist Tom Bates managed to transform their mentality.
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) May 18, 2023
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They will require all of that focus to beat opponents who did the double on them in the regular season, the second win part of a precipitous fall which saw Wednesday tumble out of the automatic promotion spots despite accruing 96 points.
“I’m very confident. If you can’t take something from that win against Peterborough then don’t bother turning up,” former Owls icon Chris Waddle tells i.
“People will say Barnsley beat them twice but this is a one-off, it’s at Wembley. It finishes that day, someone will be crying and I hope it’s Barnsley.”
Inevitably given the size of the club, the expectation will be on Wednesday. It has been a rollercoaster season: 96 points, a record number of clean sheets, but Moore has faced criticism for the collapse that saw Ipswich and Plymouth steal the two automatic promotion spots.
Ash Rogers, of Owls podcast The Wednesday Week, was at London Road for the first leg and says the atmosphere was “toxic” after the 4-0 defeat. But unity has well and truly returned ahead of Wembley, with the club selling 44,000 tickets for the final.
“The support is outstanding considering what has happened in the last few years. We’ve had 23 years out of the top flight, 40 years without a trophy,” he says.
“I know people talk of the nerves of Wembley but I can’t wait. I’ll enjoy it. Last Thursday was an ‘I was there moment’ and I think Monday will be the same.”
All eyes will be on Moore who, despite leading League One for so long this season, has faced criticism from some quarters for a lack of “Plan B”.
“I feel for Darren, the job is promotion, if they do that on Monday then he’s done it,” Waddle says.
“He’s spoken well, he’s been honest, he’s got on with it. It’s just the top two got away from them when they had their little dip.
“Did the players get found out, did they get nervous? I don’t think it was his fault because the formation and system didn’t change. Sometimes managers get blamed but you have to point your finger at the players.”
Rogers, too, speaks in support of a man who “just gets it”. “Whatever happens on Monday, he should stay,” he says.
The scale of Wednesday’s potential is emphasised by the demand for tickets in South Yorkshire, which sold out before going on general sale.
The Chansiri ownership has spanned eight years but after an initial push with funds, they have plateaued. Waddle yearns for a “transformative” takeover to take the club back to the level they were at when he played at Hillsborough and competing for major honours.
“It’s a club that could maintain Premier League status, they’re one of the clubs that could go into that league and survive. They’re a long way from it at the moment but potentially they could do it,” Waddle says.
“I’m very surprised that no-one has come in over the years and thought, like they have done with Newcastle and other teams like that, ‘this is a project and we could end up with a lot of rewards’.
“(Owner Dejphon) Chansiri has had his time in my eyes. He put money in originally but if you look at the last few years they’ve signed a lot of players on free transfers but they don’t spend much money anymore.
“If you were looking for somebody to take over, then without a doubt Sheffield Wednesday would be a great option for somebody.”
They will be hoping the long road back starts on Monday.
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