The Sheffield Wednesday F.C. reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

Sheffield Wednesday emblem

Sheffield Wednesday are a football club in the English Football League.

Sheffield Wednesday currently play in the Second Division.

Table of contents
1 History
2 Names
3 Colours
4 Grounds
5 Honours
6 Managers and Players

History

The club was formed in Sheffield on Wednesday September 4, 1867. The club was initially a cricket team, with the football being established for the winter months to keep the team together.

However, football was quickly to eclipse the cricketing side of the club. In the summer of 1882 the two teams split permanently, and by the end of 1925 the cricket team had disbanded. The football club turned professional on April 22, 1887 following a threat by key players to walk out. The initial wages were five shillings for home fixtures, and seven shillings and sixpence for away games.

In 1889, when their first application to join the Football League was rejected, the club became founder members of the Football Alliance of which they were the first champions. Wednesday were eventually elected to the Football League in 1892.

Names

The Wednesday Football Club was known to fans simply as The Wednesday until 1929, when the club was officially renamed Sheffield Wednesday under the stewardship of manager Bob Brown.

Wednesday's original nickname was "the Blades" - now the nickname of their long-term rivals, Sheffield United - until the start of the 20th century when a player presented them with an owl mascot to honour their stadium at Owlerton. Since then, the club has simply been known as "the Owls".

They are the only English League club with a day of the week in their name. The club derives its name from its predecessor, The Wednesday Cricket Club, whose meetings were held on Wednesday afternoons. Wednesday was traditionally the day that the local craftsmen who formed the club took their half-day off to play sports.

Colours

Since its founding the club has played its home games in blue and white shirts, traditionally in vertical stripes.

The current home strip consists of blue and white vertical stripes with black shorts and blue socks. The change strip (used for away or cup fixtures where there is a clash of colours) is an eggshell shirt with black flashes, black shorts and black socks.

Grounds

Sheffield Wednesday's first permanent home ground was at Olive Grove, a site on Queen's Road originally leased from the Duke of Norfolk. Extensions to the adjacent railway forced the club to move in 1899, when work began on the famous Hillsborough Stadium at Owlerton, to the northwest of the city.

Honours

League Champions 1902/1903>03, 1903/04, 1928/29, 1929/30
Division 2 Champions 1899/1900, 1925/1926>26, 1951/52, 1955/56, 1958/59
FA Cup Winners 1896, 1907, 1935
League Cup Winners 1991

Managers and Players

Managers

1891-1920 Arthur Dickinson
1920-1933>33 Bob Brown
1933-1937>37 Billy Walker
1937-1942>42 Jimmy McMullen
1942-1958>58 Eric Taylor
1958-1961>61 Harry Catterick
1961-1964>64 Vic Buckingham
1964-1968>68 Alan Brown
1968-1969>69 Jack Marshall
1969-1971>71 Danny Williams
1971-1973>73 Derek Dooley
1973-1975>75 Steve Burtenshaw
1975-1977>77 Len Ashurst
1977-1983>83 Jack Charlton
1983-1988>88 Howard Wilkinson
1988-1989>89 Peter Eustace
1989-1991>91 Ron Atkinson
1991-1995>95 Trevor Francis
1995-1997>97 David Pleat
1997-1998>98 Ron Atkinson
1998-2000 Danny Wilson
2000 Peter Shreeves
2000-2001>01 Paul Jewell
2001 Peter Shreeves
2001-2002>02 Terry Yorath
2002- Chris Turner

Players

Famous former Sheffield Wednesday players include Paolo Di Canio, David Hirst, Carlton Palmer, Chris Waddle and Des Walker.

External link: Official Club Site


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