Portal:English football/Selected article/16

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional football team based in Sheffield, England who currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the Football League. Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world.

Nicknamed the "Owls", the club has won four league titles, three FA Cups and one League Cup, but their League Cup triumph in 1991 is their only major trophy since World War II. They did reach both domestic cup finals in 1993, but lost 2-1 to Arsenal each time.

Their main rivals are neighbours Sheffield United. Matches between Wednesday and United are nicknamed Steel City derbies and are usually the highlight of the season for both sets of fans. Famous matches include The Boxing Day Massacre, a Football League Third Division match which took place at Hillsborough on 26 December 1979. A record Third Division crowd of 49,309 fans watched Wednesday beat United 4-0 and the game has become part of Sheffield Wednesday folklore, even inspiring a song.

Whilst they have some successes, there has been a few bleak moments for the Owls. After relegation from the First Division in 1970, Wednesday did not reappear at this level until 14 years later after a grim 70s. Currently, they have played in the top tier 66 times, but have not returned since 2000.