30 years ago

[Tylluan]

I know it's THE Waddle game but Chris Bart-Williams absolutely purred in midfield as well and is often overlooked for his contribution. 

[mkowl]

The highlights on YouTube I can find are the "arty" low angle ones from the stuff Yorkshire TV did that season. 

Great to watch but if anyone has ever traced just the main highlights be good to see them. 

Put that 2nd half and the 1st half v Blackburn a while before I would be out for a while with a wrist injury 

[Otto_Man]

Wankers cramp?

[HoylandOwl]

I don't think I'll ever see another game like that one where one player just absolutely dominated the opposition, time after time. Waddle scared them to death that day, I wonder... Would he say that's his best all round performance in any game he's ever played? 

[Chelters]

Monday 27 December 1993

FA Carling Premiership

Everton (away)

 

After the fantastic performance and victory over West Ham, Wednesday continued their Christmas fixtures with a trip to old foes Everton. With Boxing Day landing on a Sunday, the games were played on the 27th (which might have actually been Boxing Day because technically it can’t be on a Sunday? Answers on a postcard please). As those of a certain vintage (I.e. everyone on OwlsOnline) will testify, Goodison Park had not been a happy hunting ground over the years, with the Owls having picked up just one win there in their previous 32 attempts, just two seasons before this thanks to a David Hirst goal.

 

On this occasion however, the form book was very much in Wednesday’s favour, with just one defeat in their last 15, whilst Everton were on a dodgy run and sinking towards the relegation zone. In fact, the run of poor form had led to Howard Kendall – in his second spell at the club – chucking in the towel with Jimmy Gabriel taking over as caretaker manager for what proved to be a pretty disastrous spell.

 

For the third time this season – and second in three games – the Owls were live on Sky, not a particularly good omen given the defeats to Newcastle and Arsenal in the previous two. And, with Everton seeming to be the main story for this one there was definite concern that this one could go the wrong way as well.

 

Unsurprisingly Wednesday were unchanged from the West Ham game, but Ryan Jones returned to the squad to take a place on the bench. Everton lined up with the experience of Neville Southall in goal and Dave Watson in defence, but with a distinct lack of experience further forward with young Stuart Barlow the only recognised striker.

 

The hosts seemed to be pretty fired up early on and had the better of the opening exchanges, forcing Kevin Pressman into some early action. Firstly the Owls stopper pushed away a deflected effort from Barlow, then made a fantastic double save from John Ebbrell and Graham Stuart..

 

Having stood firm for this opening salvo, the Owls managed to settle into the game and started to show their quality. Ten minutes before half time Chris Waddle crossed from a short corner, Andy Pearce rose to head what looked like his first Wednesday goal but was denied by Mark Ward on the line. Thankfully, the ball fell to Mark Bright who was able to prod home from close range and give Wednesday the lead. Bright almost got another a few minutes later but Southall was on hand to save.

 

By this stage, the Owls were starting to dominate proceedings and, just before half time they increased their lead with an unusual and memorable goal. Once again it came from a corner, this time with Roland Nilsson sending a ball in which Southall punched away, only for Carlton Palmer to send a 20-yard header looping back over the keeper and in off the bar. Whether Carlton meant it or not (I’m sure he will claim he did), and whether it was a goalkeeper error or not, was up for debate but either way it sealed the game for Wednesday.

 

The second half was comfortable for Wednesday as Everton’s lack of confidence meant they were never going to get back in the game and they offered little, with Pressman only called into action once from a Peter Beagrie effort. In fact it was Wednesday who could have gone further in front as Waddle, Bright and Gordon Watson all had chances but were denied by Southall.

 

So, after that barren run at Goodison, it was now two wins in three for Wednesday who finally seemed to have dealt with that particular hoodoo, as well as getting a win on Sky. The hosts were to have a difficult season, only just escaping relegation, whilst the Owls continued to go from strength to strength. The next game was just two days away against bottom club Swindon, another three points surely?

 

Final score : Everton 0-2 Wednesday

 

Everton : Southall, Jackson, Ablett, Snodin, Watson (Preki 11, Warzycha 75), Stuart, Ebbrell, Ward, Horne, Beagrie, Barlow. Unused sub : Kearton

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Pearce, Walker Waddle, Bart-Williams (Jones 56), Hyde, Palmer, Jemson (Watson 83), Bright. Unused sub : Woods

 

Attendance : 16,777

 

[mkowl]

Crikey how poor was that attendance at Goodison. Though it was ruddy cold. Went on the ICO and remember it stopped at some services and the local plod were confused why we were en route to a game kicking off so late on proxy Boxing Day. This was of course still fairly early days of Sky - 2nd season 

If I recall that was the first game we had the pleasure of a "musical" accompaniment of Heminghams trumpet 

[HarrySpeakup]

I was on Bright for the first goal 

[Lee]

1 hour ago, HarrySpeakup said:

I was on Bright for the first goal 

What went wrong Harry, did he move into space or were you just strong enough, either way poor defending if you ask me.

 

[Skamp]

On 27/12/2023 at 11:55, Chelters said:

With Boxing Day landing on a Sunday, the games were played on the 27th (which might have actually been Boxing Day because technically it can’t be on a Sunday? Answers on a postcard please).

Boxing day is a bank holiday and officially classed as the first working day following Christmas Day. Hence Saturdays and Sundays were 'technically" ruled out.

No one cares anymore though and so it's called Boxing Day whenever.

[Chelters]

Wednesday 29 December 1993

FA Carling Premiership

Swindon Town (home)

 

There are a few teams who have only had a single season in the Premier League (did someone say Barnsley?) and it would be hard now for anyone under the age of 30 to believe that one of them was Swindon Town. They had, of course, been denied relegation in 1990 due to ‘financial irregularities’ (various rumours of dodgy dealings which we won’t go into here) but, under the management of Glenn Hoddle, had been promoted via the play-offs in 1993. Hoddle had promptly buggered off to Chelsea at the first opportunity, leaving his assistant John Gorman with the almost impossible task of trying to keep the little club from Wiltshire in the league.

 

They arrived at Hillsborough to face an in-form Wednesday, fresh from wins and clean sheets against West Ham and Everton. It looked like an easy three points for the Owls,  but the visitors – predictably bottom and with just two wins all season, none of them away from home – were battling and it was not as straightforward as expected......

 

With a busy Christmas and New Year period, Wednesday made a couple of changes to the previous two games. Andy Sinton had recovered from injury and replaced Chris Bart-Williams, whilst Gordon Watson replaced Nigel Jemson up front. The visitors, as you might expect, were short of top flight experience, and fielded Sheffield-born Fraser Digby in goal.

 

The first half certainly did not go to plan for the Owls. With just five minutes on the clock, Swindon took a surprise lead, as John Moncur’s corner was flicked on by Keith Scott for Andy Mutch to prod in from virtually on the goal line. This shook Wednesday into action, and an equaliser came just three minutes later. Chris Waddle fed Watson in the box and his volleyed low cross was finished easily from close range by Mark Bright for his tenth of the season.

 

One might have expected normal service to resume but it was not to be the case as the Robins retook the lead on 19 minutes. Wednesday’s defence went AWOL as Roland Nilsson was caught too far forward, allowing Craig Maskell to latch onto a diagonal ball over the top, advance into the area, and finish low past Kevin Pressman.  Wednesday were just not at it and could have gone further behind on two occasions : Andy Pearce was well placed  to save what looked like a certain goal with a brilliant tackle and then Pressman denied Nicky Summerbee with a great save.

 

Something had to change and it took a double substitution midway through the second half to get Wednesday firing as Chris Bart-Williams and Ryan Jones replaced Pearce and Sinton. This led to two goals in three minutes for the Owls but not without controversy.

 

First, a cross into the box by Bart-Williams was clawed away by Digby, but at some cost to himself as he collided with Watson. With the Swindon keeper lying prone on the floor, the referee somewhat surprisingly allowed play to continue and, after a bit of pinball in the box, Watson fired home into the Kop net. Another goal followed soon after, again there was a bit of pinball in the box, but Graham Hyde took charge and his run and low cross was finished by Watson. 

 

Once again the feeling was that the job was surely done for the Owls, particularly as Watson raced through in the last minute for what looked to be his hat-trick. Unfortunately he dragged his shot just wide rather than squaring for Bright to tap home, and it was to prove costly as Swindon got an injury time equaliser. With Watson tracking back to try and atone for his error, Match crossed from the left and Maskell got there ahead of Pressman to power a header into the roof of the net.

 

It was a strange game, maybe a bit of tiredness was creeping in but at least Wednesday had shown some fight by twice coming from behind. Swindon, for their part, probably deserved something and were understandably upset over the Owls’ second goal. But, as someone who grew up in Wiltshire and knew a few Swindon fans, I never liked them so tough s**t.

 

Final score : Wednesday 3-3 Swindon

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Pearce (Jones 63), Walker, Waddle, Sinton (Bart-Williams 63), Hyde, Palmer, Watson, Bright. Unused sub : Woods

 

Swindon : Digby (Hammond 68), Fenwick, Horlock, Whitbread, Taylor, Summerbee, Maskell, Moncur, Ling, Mutch, Scott (Fjortoft 80). Unused sub : McLaren

 

Attendance : 30,570

 

[mkowl]

Fact about that game, Wednesday fans ended up in the top of the West Stand. I recall with Wednesday doing well there was a large POTG turn up. Always reckoned the actual attendance was higher - Christmas bonus for someone !

[Chelters]

Saturday 1 January 1994

FA Carling Premiership

Queens Park Rangers (away)

 

It can’t be 2024 surely. 2024 is the future, right? If, like me, you find New Year somewhat bittersweet as the festive period draws to a close and you are reminded of how quickly the years race by, join me for another dose of Owls related nostalgia as we see what happened when 1993 became 1994......

 

Wednesday had, of course, visited Loftus Road a few weeks earlier (exactly a month in fact) and triumphed 2-1 in the League Cup, so the Rs would no doubt be out for revenge here. The Owls were, as we know, on a good run or form, but the hosts were not doing too badly themselves and, in fact, were above Wednesday in the top half of the table. 

 

The Owls made a couple of changes after the frustrating draw against Swindon, with Chris Bart-Williams and Ryan Jones returning to the starting line-up in place of Andy Pearce – with Carlton Palmer reverting to a centre back role again - and the injured Chris Waddle. The QPR team looked solid, with names such as Trevor Sinclair, Ray Wilkins and Les Ferdinand standing out.

 

The first half was a fairly low-key affair, with a couple of half-chances for Jones and Gordon Watson the only events of note from a Wednesday perspective.

 

The second half saw the hosts get on top and Kevin Pressman (increasingly looking like a future England international at this point) had to show his mettle. First he saved from a Michael Meaker effort then turned aside a powerful effort from Ferdnand.

 

The real action of the match was squeezed into the final 20 minutes and the catalyst was Rangers taking the lead. Meaker caused trouble down the left again and hit a low shot which Pressman did well to save. Unfortunately he could only palm it across goal where Ferdinand managed to turn the ball in from a tight angle. 

 

Having shown little going forward for once, a Wednesday win looked unlikely at this point, but a few minutes later everything changed following the double substitution of Pearce and Jemson for Bart-Williams and Sinton. First Roland Nilsson got in down the right and his driven cross was headed in powerfully at the near post by Mark Bright. No sooner had the dust settled on that goal than the Owls scored again, this time Jones was the provider with a lovely chipped pass over the top. Watson was in the clear and instinctively turned to fire the ball high past Jan Stejskal into the net.  

 

And so it was another 2-1 win at Loftus Road for the Owls and the Rs’ manager Gerry Francis perfectly summed up the Wednesday team of this vintage : “The only good thing I have to say is that you don’t have to play that lot too often”.

 

Final score : QPR 1-2 Wednesday

 

QPR : Stejskal, Bardsley, Brevett, Peacock, Yates, Sinclair, Meaker, Wilkins, Wilson, Ferdinand, Penrice. Unused subs : Impey, Witter, Roberts

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Palmer, Walker, Sinton (Jemson 75), Bart-Williams (Pearce 75), Hyde, Jones, Watson, Bright. Unused sub : Woods

 

Attendance : 16,858

[Owling_Wolf]

16 minutes ago, Chelters said:

Saturday 1 January 1994

FA Carling Premiership

Queens Park Rangers (away)

 

It can’t be 2024 surely. 2024 is the future, right? If, like me, you find New Year somewhat bittersweet as the festive period draws to a close and you are reminded of how quickly the years race by, join me for another dose of Owls related nostalgia as we see what happened when 1993 became 1994......

 

Wednesday had, of course, visited Loftus Road a few weeks earlier (exactly a month in fact) and triumphed 2-1 in the League Cup, so the Rs would no doubt be out for revenge here. The Owls were, as we know, on a good run or form, but the hosts were not doing too badly themselves and, in fact, were above Wednesday in the top half of the table. 

 

The Owls made a couple of changes after the frustrating draw against Swindon, with Chris Bart-Williams and Ryan Jones returning to the starting line-up in place of Andy Pearce – with Carlton Palmer reverting to a centre back role again - and the injured Chris Waddle. The QPR team looked solid, with names such as Trevor Sinclair, Ray Wilkins and Les Ferdinand standing out.

 

The first half was a fairly low-key affair, with a couple of half-chances for Jones and Gordon Watson the only events of note from a Wednesday perspective.

 

The second half saw the hosts get on top and Kevin Pressman (increasingly looking like a future England international at this point) had to show his mettle. First he saved from a Michael Meaker effort then turned aside a powerful effort from Ferdnand.

 

The real action of the match was squeezed into the final 20 minutes and the catalyst was Rangers taking the lead. Meaker caused trouble down the left again and hit a low shot which Pressman did well to save. Unfortunately he could only palm it across goal where Ferdinand managed to turn the ball in from a tight angle. 

 

Having shown little going forward for once, a Wednesday win looked unlikely at this point, but a few minutes later everything changed following the double substitution of Pearce and Jemson for Bart-Williams and Sinton. First Roland Nilsson got in down the right and his driven cross was headed in powerfully at the near post by Mark Bright. No sooner had the dust settled on that goal than the Owls scored again, this time Jones was the provider with a lovely chipped pass over the top. Watson was in the clear and instinctively turned to fire the ball high past Jan Stejskal into the net.  

 

And so it was another 2-1 win at Loftus Road for the Owls and the Rs’ manager Gerry Francis perfectly summed up the Wednesday team of this vintage : “The only good thing I have to say is that you don’t have to play that lot too often”.

 

Final score : QPR 1-2 Wednesday

 

QPR : Stejskal, Bardsley, Brevett, Peacock, Yates, Sinclair, Meaker, Wilkins, Wilson, Ferdinand, Penrice. Unused subs : Impey, Witter, Roberts

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Palmer, Walker, Sinton (Jemson 75), Bart-Williams (Pearce 75), Hyde, Jones, Watson, Bright. Unused sub : Woods

 

Attendance : 16,858

Great quote!   

[Chelters]

Monday 3 January 1994

FA Carling Premiership

Tottenham Hotspur (home)

 

Having played on New Year’s Day, another round of fixtures was set for the following Bank Holiday Monday just two days later. No doubt the pampered players and managers of today would stop it happening now, but the festive period fixtures of 4 games in 9 days was brilliant for the football fan back then.

 

The conditions were not helping either as the weather was strangely reminiscent of today with every match seeming to be played in wet conditions and, with Desso pitches very much a thing of the future, the pitches were getting heavy and more and more difficult to play football on. It may therefore seem somewhat surprising to the fan of today that Trevor Francis decided to name an unchanged line up from the team that had won at Loftus Road just two days earlier. No squad rotation back in these days.

 

This was not a Tottenham side that were challenging at the top of the table, in fact they were just below halfway under the managership of ex-player Ossie Ardiles. They certainly had some talent amongst the ranks, with names such as Nick Barmby, Darren Anderton, Teddy Sheringham, Sol Campbell and, er, Vinny Samways. They played in a style synonymous with Ardiles but their passing game did not really look suited to the conditions.

 

It was the perfect start for the Owls as they took the lead just 11 minutes into the game. Steve Sedgeley dallied on the edge of the box and was dispossessed by Mark Bright, the Wednesday striker then skipping past Erik Thorstvedt before knocking the ball into the empty net. 

 

Wednesday continued to press and the rest of the first half was pretty much one-way traffic. Bright went close but volleyed over from a Roland Nilsson chip then headed straight at Thorstvedt from a Gordon Watson cross. Just before half-time, Chris Bart-Williams went close with a shot that was dragged just wide, and it was a mystery how the Owls were just a goal up at the break.

 

The second half continued in much the same fashion as Spurs tried to persevere with their passing football as the conditions deteriorated and the pitch turned into a quagmire. Wednesday had realised that they needed to be more direct and the one-way traffic continued as Bright and Bart-Williams both missed further chances to increase the lead. The visitors did have a late rally but Wednesday stood firm and saw the game out for a fourth win in five games. 

 

After the poor start to the season, the recent run of form had seen Wednesday rise to sixth in the table following this win, something that seemed highly unlikely just a few weeks previously. The fixtures would continue to come thick and fast, with a couple of Cup fixtures on the way next.

 

Final score : Wednesday 1-0 Tottenham

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Palmer, Walker, Bart-Williams (Pearce 81), Sinton (Jemson 81), Hyde, Jones, Watson, Bright. Unused sub : Woods

 

Tottenham : Thorstvedt, Kerslake, Edinburgh, Calderwood, Sedgeley, Anderton, Caskey, Hazard, Samways, Dozzell, Barmby (Campbell 68). Unused subs : Austin, Walker

 

Attendance : 32,514

 

[Owling_Wolf]

Tottingham.   ☺️

Who's the Owl on the cover?  Andy Pearce?

[Andyben]

6 minutes ago, Owling_Wolf said:

Tottingham.   ☺️

Who's the Owl on the cover?  Andy Pearce?

Could be Barry Horne...😉

[Chelters]

Saturday 8 January 1994

FA Cup Third Round

Nottingham Forest (home)

 

Wednesday’s hectic schedule continued with a first outing of the season in the FA Cup, against relatively near neighbours Nottingham Forest. Forest were in the first season of the post-Brian Clough era, having been relegated the previous season as the great man’s powers (and health) began to wane. Frank Clark had taken on the task of getting them back into the Premier League, but he had a very strong squad at his disposal for a First Division (as it was then known) team. 

 

To start with, no less than the England captain was in their ranks as Stuart Pearce stayed loyal to the club. Add to that players such as Stan Collymore (who was not to feature in this game), Lars Bohinen, Steve Stone and David Phillips, and it was clear this was not going to be a walk in the park for the Owls.

 

These were, of course, the days when there was no question of resting players for an FA Cup fixture. In fact, if anything, this was a competition to take very seriously (as borne out by the attendance of over 32,000), particularly having come so close to actually winning it the previous season. As a result, Wednesday made just one change from the win over Spurs, with Nigel Jemson replacing Gordon Watson up front. 

 

It was to prove a difficult day for the Owls, as the visitors were keen to show what they could do against an established Premier League team and prove to themselves that they belonged back in the top flight. 

 

The game started well enough though as Wednesday took the lead after just nine minutes, Nigel Worthington flighted a free-kick into the area that was headed in by that man Mark Bright – scoring for the sixth consecutive game. A few minutes later Bright headed down for Jemson but he was off balance and off target. 

 

To be fair to the visitors, they caused Wednesday problems throughout. Kevin Pressman had to be sharp to save from Phillips in the 20th minute after a quick free-kick, then later in the half made a couple of decent stops from Lee Glover. In the meantime, Roland Nilsson had been forced to go off with what turned out to be ankle ligament damage.

 

To make matters worse, Worthington was then injured in the second half meaning Wednesday had lost both full backs, knee ligaments in his case. This did not help the cause at all and Forest continued to press, Pressman making a brilliant one-on-one stop from Glover, then Stone missing an unbelievable chance three minutes from time when it looked easier to score.

 

Just when it looked like the Owls would hold out for the win, Forest got their equaliser and there was a bit of luck about it as Colin Cooper’s header was deflected past Pressman. It was hard to argue that Forest didn’t deserve it though.

 

So this meant a very tricky looking replay at the City Ground, and more hard work for Wednesday in a packed fixture list with injuries still an issue. Next up was a trip to Selhurst Park to play Wimbledon in the quarter finals of the Coca Cola Cup, another tough looking game.....

 

Final score : Wednesday 1-1 Forest

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson (Pearce 32), Worthington (Watson 68), Palmer, Walker, Bart-Williams, Sinton, Hyde, Jones, Jemson, Bright. Unused sub : Woods

 

Forest : Crossley, Lyttle, Pearce, Cooper, Chettle, Stone, Phillips, Webb (Bull 76), Bohinen, Glover, Woan. Unused subs : Black, Wright

 

Attendance : 32,488

[KrolMong]

It was an odd game that.

We ended the first half with Des at full back and lashing a shot over the bar. And then started the second half with Palmer at right back and Des back at centre half.

[Chelters]

Tuesday 11 January 1994

Coca-Cola Cup Quarter Finals

Wimbledon (away)

 

After the somewhat disappointing FA Cup game against Forest at the weekend, the Owls travelled down to London to take on the tenants of Selhurst Park, Wimbledon, in the quarter finals of the League Cup. Wednesday had, of course, had some recent success in the competition, with the win in 1991 and being losing finalists in 1993. This looked like a tricky draw though, particularly for a Wednesday team that was still struggling with injuries.

 

The newest additions to the physio’s table were full backs Roland Nilsson and Nigel Worthington, who had both gone off with ligament damage in the Forest game. This led to the Owls fielding a somewhat unfamiliar line-up in defence, with centre back Simon Coleman in at left back and debutant Brian Linighan on the right. Brian was the younger brother of Arsenal’s Andy (boo) and Ipswich’s David, as well as being the older brother of John, a regular in the Wednesday reserves who never managed to break into the first team.

 

Wimbledon were managed by the delightful Joe Kinnear and still retained the Crazy Gang spirit, with ringleaders John Fashanu and Vinnie Jones still very much prominent. Easy to see why this was not a nice draw.

 

Not for the first time this season there was a bit of an oddity on the kit front as the Dons appeared in their away kit of white shirts and black shorts, while Wednesday lined up in the new all gold strip that had been worn at QPR in the previous round.

 

The first half was mostly dictated by the home side, with the best chance coming just before the break when Kevin Pressman was alert to make a decent save from a Dean Holdsworth header.

 

However, just after half time, it was the Owls who got themselves in front as Mark Bright’s flick-on was chased down by the in-form Gordon Watson, who beat Gary Elkins to the ball and fired an angled shot in past Hans Segers. 

 

The goal got Wednesday in front but it didn’t swing the game in their favour as Wimbledon continued to have chances. Pressman saved from John Scales and Gary Blissett, Coleman did well to hook a clearance off the line and Andy Pearce made a great saving tackle on Fashanu to stop him getting clear on goal. With 13 minutes left though the goal arrived. It was a typically scrappy Wimbledon effort as a bit of penalty area pinball ended with a Blissett header being forced over the line from close range by Holdsworth.

 

In these days, a replay was on the cards rather than extra-time and penalties so yet another game in the already hectic schedule was looking likely. Not for Bright though as, with a few minutes to go, he won a header in the Wimbledon half then, as the ball dropped, hit a cracking volley from outside the area that flew past the stranded Segers. It was a rare long-ranger from the Owls striker, probably the best goal of his Wednesday career.

 

As the Dons pushed for an equaliser, it was actually Wednesday who had the chances. Graham Hyde hit the bar and Carlton Palmer missed a chance in the final few minutes. But the Owls had done enough, and saw out the game to set up a two-legged semi-final against either Manchester United or Portsmouth. 

 

Wednesday had just a few days to recover for another trip to London at the weekend to play, er, Wimbledon. 

 

Final score : Wimbledon 1-2 Wednesday

 

Wimbledon : Segers, Barton, Elkins, Scales, Fitzgerald, Ardley, Clarke (Blissett 74), Jones, Earle, Holdsworth, Fashanu. Unused subs : Blackwell, Sullivan

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Linighan, Coleman, Pearce, Walker, Palmer, Sinton, Hyde, Jones, Watson, Bright. Unused subs : Poric, Bart-Williams, Woods

 

Attendance : 8,784

 

[Chelters]

Saturday 15 January 1994

FA Carling Premiership

Wimbledon (away)

 

Having achieved an impressive League Cup quarter-final win at Selhurst Park in midweek, the Owls went back to the same venue to take on the same opponents. Wednesday were on a great run of form, whilst their hosts were a few places below in midtable, and no doubt keen on revenge for that Cup reverse in the week.

 

Interestingly both teams lined up in different kits to the midweek game (FFS Chelters will you stop going on about kits.....), with Wimbledon reverting to their dark blue home kit and Wednesday sporting the lesser seen white and black third kit previously worn in the Newcastle game.

 

Trevor Francis decided to stick with the same team that had won in midweek, meaning the somewhat unlikely full back partnership of Brian Linighan and Simon Coleman continued, with Gordon Watson keeping his place up front. The Dons made one change, with the experienced Lawrie Sanchez coming in for Andy Clarke.

 

That change seemed to work as the home side took the initiative in the first half, with the opening goal coming after just 12 minutes. John Fashanu did well to set up midfielder Neal Ardley, who smashed a low shot into the corner. Wimbledon continued to have the better of the play, meaning a somewhat scrappy and tetchy game, with Kevin Pressman the busier of the two keepers. But, a few minutes before the break, he was beaten again as Fashanu headed home a Gary Elkins free-kick to crown a successful first half for the Dons.

 

It had been some time since Wednesday were two goals down, and indeed had struggled so much in a game, so Francis reorganised at half time with Chris Bart-Williams replacing Linighan. As a result, the Owls looked a lot better in the second half and started to make some chances, with Ryan Jones and Carlton Palmer both having decent efforts.

 

Midway through the second half a deserved goal back arrived, and it was a first Wednesday goal for defender Andy Pearce. Andy Sinton’s corner was initially cleared,  but as the same man swung the ball in Pearce was there to power a header into the net. The big ex-hod carrier had come close a few times in previous games and it was perhaps a surprise that it had taken him this long to get off the mark.

 

The Owls kept pressing, with Watson going through from a Mark Bright through ball, only to see his effort blocked by Hans Segers and Bright head the rebound wide. Segers saved again from Watson later in the game, even Des Walker got a shot in at one point and the hosts survived a goalmouth scramble in injury time. It was one of those games where it was just not to be, and Wimbledon stood firm. The damage had been done in the first half and Wednesday had just left themselves too much to do.

 

It was only the second defeat in 22 games for the Owls and also marked the end of impressive run for Bright, who scored in the previous seven games, becoming only the second Wednesday player in 40 years to do so (Paul Warhurst the other of course). Next up was the FA Cup replay at the City Ground, before the Blades were due to visit Hillsborough the following weekend.

 

Final score : Wimbledon 2-1 Wednesday

 

Wimbledon : Segers, Barton, Elkins, Fitzgerald, Scales, Ardley, Sanchez, Jones, Earle, Holdsworth, Fashanu (Blissett 83). Unused subs : Blackwell, Sullivan

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Linighan (Bart-Williams 45), Coleman, Pearce, Walker, Palmer, Sinton, Hyde, Jones, Watson, Bright. Unused subs : Jemson, Key

 

Attendance : 5,536 (wow)

[mkowl]

Be interesting how many Wednesday fans were in that attendance.

There was a reason why the owners of Wimbledon sought to move the Club elsewhere

[EastCraigsOwl]

6 hours ago, Chelters said:

Interestingly both teams lined up in different kits to the midweek game (FFS Chelters will you stop going on about kits.....)

😀

6 hours ago, mkowl said:

Be interesting how many Wednesday fans were in that attendance.

There was a reason why the owners of Wimbledon sought to move the Club elsewhere

They still average around 8K nowadays. I wonder how many are the same fans as in yesteryear!

[mkowl]

Wrong thread by 10 years but just to note it is now 40 fucking years since we drew 2 -2 in front of 47k v the Scousers.

At least we half decent in 1984 and in 1994. 

Less said about 2004, 2014 and well let's reserve judgement on 2024.

Apologies Chelts for the brief interlude

 

[HoylandOwl]

On 15/01/2024 at 07:04, mkowl said:

Be interesting how many Wednesday fans were in that attendance.

There was a reason why the owners of Wimbledon sought to move the Club elsewhere

I was at the cup game. Not the league game. 

[Chelters]

Wednesday 19 January 1994

FA Cup Third Round Replay

Nottingham Forest (away)

 

Having turned in a somewhat disappointing – albeit injury affected – performance in the first game, Wednesday had given themselves a tough task if they wanted to progress to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Nottingham Forest were riding high in the First Division with a Premier League quality squad and would be fancying their chances of causing an upset, especially as they were probably the better side in the game at Hillsborough and were on a 14 match unbeaten run.

 

Wednesday were still having trouble in the full back positions, with Brian Linighan continuing at right back and Andy Sinton replacing Simon Coleman as a makeshift left back (but not the first time this season he had played that position). Sinton’s move back allowed Chris Bart-Williams to regain a place in midfield. Forest made just the one change from the first game with one-time Wednesday target Kingsley Black replacing Lars Bohinen.

 

Forest started the game on the front foot and gave the Owls a rough ride in the first half. In fact it was bad enough for Trevor Francis to claim afterwards that it was ‘the worst 45 minutes since I became manager of the club’.  Not for the first time this season the Owls were grateful for Kevin Pressman’s fine form, as he denied both Ian Woan and Steve Stone. The home side would have been scratching their heads as to how the first half ended goalless.

 

Wednesday needed the half-time break to settle down, and then gave Forest a lesson in taking chances. A few minutes after the restart, Sinton swung in a cross after his initial free-kick was cleared, it fell to Andy Pearce who swept it home for his second goal in two games after previously having failed to hit the target (surely the chances of him making it three in three must have been tiny.....).

 

Just a few minutes later, the Owls effectively put the game to bed, as Sinton’s cross was diverted to the recalled Bart-Williams, and his low drive found the bottom corner with a little help from a deflection. Future Owl Mark Crossley probably deserved the bad luck for sporting a pair of joggers.

 

Forest’s race was run, and they probably still felt somewhat deflated that they had failed to progress despite arguably being the better side for three-quarters of the tie. Wednesday were not complaining though as they progressed to the next round where they would face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

 

Never mind that though, there were only three days to prepare for the big one as the Blades were due to trot into S6 looking to take advantage of Wednesday’s injury issues to help them bridge the clear gap in quality. Would they be successful?.....find out in a few days time (even though you already know the answer)

 

Full time : Forest 0-2 Wednesday

 

Forest : Crossley, Lyttle, Pearce, Cooper, Chettle, Stone (Crosby 73), Phillips, Webb, Black (Bull 65), Glover, Woan. Unused sub : Wright

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Linighan, Sinton, Pearce, Walker, Bart-Williams, Jones, Palmer, Hyde, Watson (Jemson 73), Bright. Unused subs : Poric, Woods

 

Attendance : 25,268

[Tylluan]

I'm sure I remember us going 3-5-2 in the second half to get Sinton further forward. 

 

[Chelters]

Saturday 22 January 1994

FA Carling Premiership

Sheffield United (home)

 

We all know what happened with this one, right? Do you really want me to talk you through it? Oh, go on then.....

 

Wednesday arrived at the big game with the Blades on the back of a busy schedule and a frustrating injury list. The form had been good, with just 2 defeats in 23 games in all competitions, including recent advancements in both the FA and League Cups. 

 

Our visitors were not in the greatest of form and were struggling at the wrong end of the table. Their style of football under Dave Bassett was, er, pragmatic, but had had the better of recent League encounters, with the Owls failing to register a win in 5 meetings since being promoted back to the top flight in 1991. In all those games Wednesday had struggled to make their clear footballing superiority count and let United make it a scrap. Thankfully, of course, in the big game at Wembley in 1993 the quality had shone through, and a repeat of this was definitely needed if the Owls wanted to continue their push up the table.

 

There was good news on the teamsheet as Roland Nilsson returned at right back, replacing Brian Linighan. Simon Coleman came back in at left back, allowing Andy Sinton to play further forward as Chris Bart-Williams dropped to the bench.

 

A bumper crowd of nearly 35,000 included Wednesdayites in the Lower Lepp, and it was they who would need to suck the ball in the net in the second half as the Owls were ‘turned’ at kick-off, playing towards the Kop in the first half.

 

The opening interval was typical harum-scarum stuff with both sides having half chances but a goal not forthcoming. Wednesday’s best effort was probably a low drive from Graham Hyde that bounced awkwardly in front of Alan Kelly but was palmed away. United’s closest effort arose when Andy Scott latched onto a short back pass and lobbed Kevin Pressman, but Andy Pearce was there to clear away. 

 

With no goals in the first half, Wednesday were hoping it was not going to be another inspired display from Kelly, but the second half was to prove a different story.

 

Just before the hour mark the deadlock was finally broken. Carlton Palmer chased down a loose ball into the right hand corner. His low cross was controlled by Gordon Watson with his back to goal. He laid it back to Nilsson whose left foot shot was parried by Kelly, but only straight to Mark Bright who had the simple task of tapping into the empty net as the Blades defenders appealed in vain for offside.

 

The goal finally opened the floodgates, and a 12 minute spell followed to live long in the hearts and minds of Wednesdayites. First Sinton’s deep corner was headed emphatically in by goal-machine Pearce for his third in three games. A few minutes later, Pressman’s long ball forward caught out the Blades defence as Watson chased it down, knocked the ball over Kelly and headed into the empty net before the ball could bounce out. He just managed to stop himself from going over the hoardings and was treated to a firm handshake from a fan in reward.

 

The home fans were now getting the rare chance to actually enjoy a derby game and were understandably hoping for at least a repeat of the Boxing Day massacre as the Owls threatened to run riot. Watson had the best chance to make it four as but Kelly saved one-on-one.

 

Annoyingly it was the Blades who were to get the final goal of the game as Dane Whitehouse smashed home a penalty after Scott was fouled in the box. Even more annoyingly this means that Whitehouse still holds the honour of being the last player to score in a top flight Sheffield derby.

 

No one really cared on the day though, as Wednesday lifted themselves to seventh in the table and, having once again shown their quality with a scoreline to match, there could be no doubt as to which team held the bragging rights – and for several years to come too as we all know what happened to the Blades at the end of the season.

 

Final score : Wednesday 3-1 United

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Coleman, Pearce, Walker, Sinton (Bart-Williams 84), Jones, Hyde, Palmer, Watson, Bright. Unused subs : Jemson, Woods

 

United : Kelly, Bradshaw, Beesley, Tuttle, Hoyland (Nilsen 85), Ward, Whitehouse, Hodges, Kamara, Scott, Flo. Unused subs : Cork, Bibbo (yep, our current goalkeeping coach)

 

Attendance : 34,959

 

 

 

 

[HoylandOwl]

How can you not enjoy reading that. 😁

[JBO]

When you realise it was your 21st birthday and it's now 30 years ago😬

[mkowl]

1 hour ago, JBO said:

When you realise it was your 21st birthday and it's now 30 years ago😬

It could be worse if you were 25 like some of us.

I actually recall this was the first time I had actually seen us play that lot at Hillsborough. Various reasons had conspired to miss the previous games in the top flight, so I decided I was the lucky charm for once !

The overriding memory was the long continuing chant of Andy Andy Pearce. 

[HoylandOwl]

I was in the bottom of the Lepp that day. As we had it. We used to go over there from time to time just for a change.

Remember they got the pen and I said, oh anyone but that **** when he stepped up to take it. Turns out, a pig was sat in front of us, as he said, why the **** not him, he’s quality. Don’t think he remembered he was in our end…

I laughed, the bloke sat behind us didn’t. And stepped over our seats, and clumped said pig. 

[Andyben]

33 minutes ago, HoylandOwl said:

Remember they got the pen and I said, oh anyone but that **** when he stepped up to take it. Turns out, a pig was sat in front of us, as he said, why the **** not him, he’s quality. Don’t think he remembered he was in our end…

I suppose his sheffield accent was a dead giveaway to you Barnsley lads...

[Tank_Owl2,0]

Will we ever see a Sheffield derby in the top flight.

Im not asking as a pessimist, just as a realist.

It appears to have over time got less frequent but now we are talking about 30years since it happened. Something significant would have to change for both teams to be in the top flight at the same time.

I hope it could happen but based on the recent past it seems unlikely statistically.

[Andyben]

44 minutes ago, Tank_Owl2,0 said:

Will we ever see a Sheffield derby in the top flight.

Im not asking as a pessimist, just as a realist.

It appears to have over time got less frequent but now we are talking about 30years since it happened. Something significant would have to change for both teams to be in the top flight at the same time.

I hope it could happen but based on the recent past it seems unlikely statistically.

No

[EastCraigsOwl]

We're only 21 points off the play-offs.

Everton, Forest and one other could suffer major points deductions in the Prem.

Result = there could be a Sheffield derby in the top flight next season.

Honest.

[HoylandOwl]

8 hours ago, Andyben said:

I suppose his sheffield accent was a dead giveaway to you Barnsley lads...

While yours as a Frenchman wouldn’t stick out. 

[Chelters]

Saturday 29 January 1994

FA Cup Fourth Round

Chelsea (away)

 

Having successfully navigated a tricky Third Round tie against Nottingham Forest, the Owls found themselves facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. FA Cup Fourth Round day was still an exciting time, with the vast majority of games kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday and the Fifth Round a very enticing prospect. 

 

Wednesday had already visited this particular part of West London earlier in the season, picking up their first goal of the campaign in a 1-1 draw (the pull of the FA Cup saw an increase in attendance of nearly 10,000 on that game). In fact, Stamford Bridge had been a decent place to visit in recent times, with three consecutive wins prior to that early September outing.

 

This was not a vintage Chelsea side, as they were struggling towards the wrong end of the table under the managership of Glenn Hoddle. These were the days, of course, before the, ahem, questionably sourced Russian money had found its way in and the stadium itself was not exactly the modern football tourist trap that it is today. With Wednesday in form and progressing well on all fronts, an away win seemed a distinctly possible outcome – despite a disappointing defeat at Wimbledon last time the Owls had visited the capital.

 

Wednesday, lining up once again in the white and black third strip for no particular reason, made a couple of changes to the team that had stuffed the Blades last time out. With Andy Sinton and Mark Bright missing through injury – the latter having injured his groin whilst celebrating his goal against United with Gordon Watson (I kid you not) – Chris Bart-Williams and Nigel Jemson returned to the starting line-up. There was a big surprise on the bench as David Hirst returned from his extended layoff with a heel injury, and Julian Watts also appeared for the first time this season.

 

For their part Chelsea started with future Owls legend Mark Stein up front, partnering a young Neil Shipperley. However, it was the now Scotland manager Steve Clarke who inspired his side to the opening goal after just 14 minutes, rampaging down the right before playing in Gavin Peacock to finish past Kevin Pressman.

 

Wednesday were not really at their best, and could have fallen further behind when Pressman had to be sharp to save from Shipperley. But they did manage to get into the game a bit before half time with a couple of chances for Gordon Watson. In fact, the closest the Owls came to scoring in the half occurred when Dimitri Kharine had to head an Andy Myers back-pass off his own line.

 

Into the second half, Wednesday were starting to see more of the ball but just didn’t look like making a breakthrough. Trevor Francis decided on the hour mark it was time to reintroduce Hirsty to the action, but it was Ryan Jones who went off rather than Watson or Jemson, meaning a front three was the order of the day. 

 

It took just three minutes after the substitution for the equaliser to arrive, and it arrived from the shin of Graham Hyde. Again a right back was the provider as Roland Nilsson sent in a low cross which Hyde met as Nigel Spackman closed in, not the greatest connection but the ball ended up in the back of the net. At this point there looked to be only one winner, and Hirst almost scored with a typical turn and shot that was blocked by Kharine.

 

There was to be no further change in the scoreline though, so it was another 1-1 draw as Wednesday took the Londoners back to Hillsborough for the replay, and were probably the happier of the two sides with the result.

 

Final score : Chelsea 1-1 Wednesday

 

Chelsea : Kharine, Clarke, Myers, Johnsen, Sinclair, Burley, Hopkin, Peacock, Spackman, Stein, Shipperley (Spencer 65). Unused subs : Donaghy, Hitchcock

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Coleman, Pearce, Walker, Bart-Williams, Jones (Hirst 60), Hyde, Palmer, Jemson, Watson. Unused subs : Watts, Woods

 

Attendance : 26,094

[mkowl]

It's daft but 30 years ago we had become quite blasé and would have been slightly disappointed with a draw away at Chelsea.

It's an achievement to even play them these days - luck of a cup draw.

The more depressing aspect of this thread is its probably where the peak had just passed - well plateaud perhaps

Edited January 29 by mkowl

[Owling_Wolf]

On 29/01/2024 at 07:01, mkowl said:

It's daft but 30 years ago we had become quite blasé and would have been slightly disappointed with a draw away at Chelsea.

It's an achievement to even play them these days - luck of a cup draw.

The more depressing aspect of this thread is its probably where the peak had just passed - well plateaud perhaps

Oi!  Don't give away the plot of the next thirty years!   

[Andyben]

3 hours ago, Owling_Wolf said:

Oi!  Don't give away the plot of the next one hundred and thirty years!   

 

[Owling_Wolf]

1 hour ago, holmesfield_owl said:

Going to be some really grim reading around 2030 onwards 🤣

We lose in the Champions League final AGAIN?   

[Owling_Wolf]

16 minutes ago, holmesfield_owl said:

I meant looking backwards, not forward 😁

Really?  🤪

[Chelters]

Well if I’m still doing this in 2070 I’ll have had a pretty good innings. I’ll barely be able to see the laptop by then, let alone prepare a legible post.

[Tank_Owl2,0]

4 hours ago, holmesfield_owl said:

Going to be some really grim reading around 2030 onwards 🤣

On our present gradual declining trajectory you mean?

[Chelters]

Feels like we need this after yesterday so posting a day early……

 

Saturday 5 February 1994

FA Carling Premiership

Tottenham Hotspur (away)

 

For the fifth time in just over a month, Wednesday travelled down to the capital, this time to take on a struggling Tottenham side that was on a poor run and had sunk to 16th in the table. The return fixture had been played only a month earlier, with the Owls edging it 1-0 in tricky conditions but Spurs showing a willingness to play attacking football. Could we complete the double?

 

It was a gruelling schedule for Wednesday, this being their ninth game of 1994 already, and with injuries still restricting Trevor Francis’s options, there was not much scope for shuffling the pack – not that that was really the done thing back in the 90s anyway. There was some positive news on the injury front though as top scorer Mark Bright returned to the side from his celebratory groin injury. Nigel Jemson was the player to drop out as Gordon Watson kept his place up front and, with David Hirst on the bench for the second game running, Jemmo missed out entirely. There was also a new name on the bench in youngster Lee Briscoe.

 

The hosts had brought in a couple of players to try and improve their declining form : Israeli striker Ronny Rosenthal arrived from Liverpool and experienced defender Kevin Scott made the move south after over 200 games for Newcastle. Unfortunately for Scott, he was to come up against one of the division’s in-form strikers….

 

Wednesday took the lead after just 17 minutes. Chris Bart-Williams swung in a free kick from the left, and the ball was flicked on to Simon Coleman who crashed in a close range volley for his first (and, as it turned out, only) goal for the club. 

 

After a relatively quiet first period, the game burst into life in the second half. 9 minutes after the restart the Owls doubled their lead from a controversial moment. Graham Hyde was given plenty of time to float a ball into the box towards Bright and, as he challenged for the ball, Ian Walker came to catch it and collided with Dean Austin. The future England keeper spilled the ball as a result and Bright prodded into the empty net. The home players and fans were not happy but, in truth, it seemed that Walker’s ambitious attempt to get the ball had caused the problem as Austin lied injured in the area and the away fans celebrated.

 

Eight minutes later and another goal arrived. Tottenham gave the ball away with a slack pass which allowed Carlton Palmer to burst into the box but his shot was blocked. Vinny Samways then carelessly gave it away in his own area to Bart-Williams, he burst through and squared low for Bright to tap in from close range (his 17th of the season already). It was a farcical goal from a Spurs perspective and led to Samways being booed by his own fans. He fully deserved it as well after crocking Ryan Jones with an awful tackle that led to Briscoe coming on for his debut. Jones, who had been in great form, sadly never really recovered and joined the list of ‘what might have been’ Wednesday players whilst Samways joined the likes of Gary Bennett and Steve Bould in the list of villains.

 

Anyway, back to the game, and at 3-0 down Spurs suddenly decided to wake up. Whether this was a reaction to their owns fans getting on their back, or a bit of freedom when the game seemed lost was up for debate but they got a goal back within five minutes. Kevin Pressman had already made a smart save from the debutant Rosenthal but was powerless to stop his firm header into the top corner from Darren Anderton’s corner.

 

Anderton started causing Wednesday no end of problems as more chances arrived for the home side. Pressman made another great save from Rosenthal, this time a close range header, then made possibly the save of the season as he turned Steve Sedgley’s powerful close range effort over the bar.  There was also time for another cracking save from Nick Barmby’s header before Des Walker cleared off the line from Anderton. It was a hectic period for the Owls to survive but they rode it out and held on for a decent win, even it wasn’t a vintage performance.

 

It was a win that lifted the Owls to 6th in the table, pretty impressive considering they were struggling in the bottom three just three months earlier. It was now time to focus attention on the Cup competitions next, with an FA Cup replay against Chelsea to be followed by the two-legged League Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

 

Final score : Tottenham 1-3 Wednesday

 

Tottenham : Walker, Austin, Edinburgh, Nethercott, Scott, Anderton, Caskey (Gray 60), Sedgley, Samways, Barmby, Rosenthal. Unused subs : Campbell, Day

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Coleman, Pearce, Walker, Bart-Williams, Jones (Briscoe 46), Hyde, Palmer, Watson (Hirst 58), Bright. Unused sub : Woods

 

Attendance : 23,078

 

[owl71]

I was at that one.  Always quite liked White Hart Lane as an away game, proper football ground.

[bradowl]

I was there too, not the greatest performance and like mentioned we were hanging on towards end, had Spurs pulled it back to 2-3 I reckon we could have thrown it away. 

One thing I do remember about this trip to Tottenham was how strict stewards were on not allowing fans to stand up during game. 

[Otto_Man]

I went on the ICO and they walked us miles to the ground. Worth it though.

[Chelters]

1 hour ago, Bronco said:

I'm looking at this thread and it seems like we won nearly every game. Away to Spurs and Everton, no problems. Did we take it all for granted, fools that we were?

As with all good times, it seemed like it would last forever. But the first signs of decline were arguably already creeping in with players like Hirsr, Waddle, Worthington, Pearson and Sheridan all struggling with injuries.

[Chelters]

Wednesday 9 February 1994

FA Cup Fourth Round Replay

Chelsea (home)

 

After a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the original tie, Wednesday would have been fancying their chances in the replay at Hillsborough 11 days later. The visitors were not exactly pulling up any trees in the Premiership, being as near to the bottom as in-form Wednesday were to the top. There was certainly a distinct feeling that the hard work had already been done and – coupled with the fact that they had reached both cup-finals the previous season and were still progressing well in the League Cup - a place in the Fifth Round seemed somewhat of a formality. 

 

The Owls were without the injured Ryan Jones, but were able to welcome back Andy Sinton to compensate. There was some even better news on the bench where Chris Waddle returned after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Other than that, it was an unchanged side from the team that had won at White Hart Lane at the weekend.

 

The start of the game did not exactly go to plan however. After just 7 minutes Gavin Peacock cleverly controlled a high ball and then bicycle kicked an assist to John Spencer to sweep the ball home. 

 

Thankfully, this spurred Wednesday into some sort of action after a sluggish start. Firstly Andy Pearce was somewhat surprisingly chosen to take a free kick on the edge of the area, but was closer than anyone would have expected with a fierce drive that flew just over. Further chances were created for Gordon Watson and Mark Bright with no reward but it was the latter who was to get the Owls level before half time. A corner from Sinton caused chaos in the visitors’ defence and, after Chris Bart-Williams had beaten Chelsea keeper Dimitri Kharine to the ball, Bright was on hand to shoot low left-footed through the crowd of bodes and into the net.

 

Wednesdayites would now have felt confident that their side could go on and win the tie with ease, but the second half proved to be a lot of huff and puff with not much to show for it. There were a couple of penalty shouts but the game got to 90 minutes with the scores still level.

 

Extra time proved to be a massive disappointment as Chelsea’s energetic side picked Wednesday off with surprising ease. The Owls’ tormentor on the night was Peacock, who was on hand to calmly slot home from a Mark Stein knock-down. And, with 5 minutes to go, Peacock was again the provider as Wednesday were caught on the break, his run and pass being finished by Craig Burley, who celebrated in front of the away fans with David Hopkin, the two of them looking like they had been smashed in the mouth by the same scaffolding pole.

 

Thus ended a surprisingly disappointing night as Wednesday lost a Cup game away from Wembley for the first time in two years. It wasn’t exactly time to concentrate on the League though as next up were the two legs of the League Cup semi final against a certain Manchester United.

 

Final score : Wednesday 1-3 Chelsea

 

Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Coleman, Pearce, Walker, Bart-Williams, Sinton, Hyde, Palmer, Watson (Waddle 74), Bright. Unused subs : Poric, Woods

 

Chelsea : Kharine, Clarke, Myers (Hopkin 97), Johnsen, Sinclair, Burley, Barnard, Newton, Peacock, Spencer (Kjeldbjerg 113), Stein. Unused sub : Hitchcock

 

Attendance : 26,114