Sheffield Wednesday face historic early relegation from Championship
Sheffield Wednesday are on the brink of becoming the first team in English Football League history to be relegated in February following a tumultuous campaign of financial crisis.
The Owls could see their fate sealed as early as Sunday, barring a highly unlikely sequence of results elsewhere and in their own fixtures.
The foundations for this decline were laid last summer during the chaotic final months of Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership.
Missed wage payments led to a mass exodus of the senior squad and the departure of manager Danny Rohl, before the club was placed into administration in October.
Permutations for the drop
Two separate penalties totalling 18 points have left the Hillsborough club rooted to the bottom of the table.
Currently sitting on -7 points, the South Yorkshire side will be relegated before they even play on Sunday if Blackburn Rovers avoid defeat and West Bromwich Albion secure a victory on Saturday.
Should results elsewhere fall in their favour, Wednesday must then defeat bitter rivals Sheffield United at Bramall Lane to delay the inevitable.
Winning a Steel City derby away from home represents a significant challenge for a team that has lost nine consecutive Championship matches.
The struggling outfit have secured only one league win all season – against Portsmouth in September – and have failed to score in their last six meetings with the Blades.
Pedersen calls for fight
Despite a preferred bidder being selected in December, the club remains in administration and under strict operating restrictions.
Manager Henrik Pedersen admits the situation is dire but has urged his threadbare squad to show resilience for the supporters.
“We will do everything to bring a top, top performance to compete with them,” Pedersen told BBC Radio Sheffield.
“Of course, we know it will happen some day. Nobody understands what this group has been through in the past many months.”
“I have a group with a big belief and big motivation, and a group of senior players who are ready to do everything for our fans and stand up and perform.”
The 18-point penalty imposed on Wednesday is the third-highest deduction in a single Football League season, ranking alongside historic sanctions against Derby County and Luton Town.