It is fair to say things haven’t gone swimmingly since I last visited Hillsborough in the spring of 2023. Sheffield Wednesday were top of League One back then, on a 22-game unbeaten run under Darren Moore, the best form of any side in the country. There was tangible excitement, and promotion to the Championship followed that summer. Then came a downward spiral: Wednesday went through three managers, stopped paying players and staff, closed a crumbling North Stand and were plunged into administration.
The club are now bottom of the Championship with -4 points and more deductions likely. They have barely a dozen senior players and some kids filling in, who keep getting injured under the strain of playing professional football twice a week. The stadium is decaying, having barely been touched since its redevelopment before Euro 1996. A much-needed new training complex is a distant dream.
