Sheffield Wednesday's staggering resurrection showcases play-offs' gripping drama
Thursday night's extraordinary encounter at Hillsborough proved once again that the EFL play-offs produce some of the most magical sights and sounds in the English game.
A last-gasp equaliser, extra-time, penalties, mass pitch invasion: Sheffield Wednesday’s dramatic League One play-off semi-final, second leg win over Peterborough United had it all.
For sheer drama the match showcased the end-of-season lottery at its very finest. Manchester City are within touching distance of pipping Arsenal to the Premier League title but has the top flight, at the top end at least, really produced anything as gripping this season as the events which unfolded at Hillsborough?
The play-offs have seen endless drama down the years, with Derby memorably winning at Leeds in 2019 to avenge the ‘Spygate’ saga.
Who could forget Troy Deeney’s last-minute winner for Watford against Leicester in 2013 and Charlton’s victory over Sunderland on penalties in the 1998 Division One final after the match had finished 4-4?
Even the watching neutrals can feel the strain and the journalists who packed into the Hillsborough press box certainly did. Not that the ranks of frantic scribblers did not appreciate the enthralling story which unfolded before them, merely that the timing of key events proved a little inconvenient with deadlines looming.
Still, it was all for a good cause. The win for Darren Moore’s Owls was as compelling as anything witnessed since the play-offs were introduced in the English game in 1987.
Who knows if, one day, the Premier League could introduce play-off matches to decide European and relegation places? Certainly the thousands of Wednesday fans who floated out of Hillsborough last night will never forget what they witnessed.
For Wednesday, one of English football’s grand old clubs, victory was something pure, a footballing fairytale, and something to savour on a truly magical night. They will talk of the ‘Miracle of Hillsborough’, the night a sleeping giant of English football rose from the dead to complete a quite staggering resurrection, for a century.
Wednesday had been thumped 4-0 at Peterborough in the first leg last Friday. Darren Moore, their affable, media-friendly manager, was even subjected to appalling racist abuse on social media by someone purporting to be a Wednesday fan.
The tie appeared over and no team had ever overturned a four-goal first-leg deficit to win a play-off semi-final.
Wednesday couldn’t do it, could they? Well, actually, it turns out they could. They were 2-0 up at half-time, scored again in the second half and then deep into added time to make it 4-0 on the night before the sides traded goals in extra-time. That saw Moore’s battlers win the match 5-1 after 120 minutes and levelled the tie at 5-5 on aggregate, sending it to penalties where the hosts prevailed 5-3.
Wednesday have been out of the Premier League since 2000 and not much has gone right since. Numerous relegations, years of stagnation and at times abject failure have left deep scars on their legions of followers.
But this was their night and led to a mass pitch invasion from thousands of delirious home fans, the messages from stadium announcer to ‘please leave the pitch’ ignored.
Former Owls manager Brian Laws, who covered the game for local radio, told Telegraph Sport: “It was one of the most remarkable turnarounds I have ever seen in my life.
“I don’t think I will ever see something like that again.
“The manner in which Wednesday did it has galvanised the players, the management staff and the fans into a real unit.
“Darren stayed focused and got his players up for the second on while also getting his tactics spot on. He went old school, getting the ball in the box, recycle and keep the ball alive. It worked and that’s what got them the win.”
On Monday week, Moore’s team will look to finish the job against Barnsley or Bolton Wanderers at Wembley.
Laws added: “There’s a story to be written here – the team who got 96 points, went 23 games unbeaten and still didn’t go up automatically.
“But promotion is there for them at Wembley now and Sheffield Wednesday supporters alone could probably fill the place.”
Moore summed it up when he said: “They’ll be showing this one for years to come.”
And that was the truth. Once again the play-offs emphatically delivered.
Wednesday pull off the greatest play-off comeback in Football League history
By Telegraph Sport
Sheffield Wednesday pulled off the most incredible comeback in the history of the English Football League to reach the Sky Bet League One play-off final, ultimately defeating Peterborough United 5-3 on penalties after overturning a four-goal first-leg deficit to earn a 5-1 victory after extra time.
Hillsborough needed early goals to give the home fans hope after five days of bitter recriminations following their trouncing at London Road and bagged two in the first 25 minutes by virtue of a Michael Smith penalty and Lee Gregory's left-foot finish. Even so Peterborough still had chances through Ephron Mason-Clarke and Kwame Poku to put the tie to bed but Cameron Dawson stood strong to deny them.
Reece James pushed the hosts to within one of Peterborough's aggregate lead with 20 minutes to go and Liam Palmer raised Hillsborough's roof when he made it four with the last kick in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Peterborough nudged ahead once again in extra time after Gregory nodded into his own net and Wednesday extraordinarily pulled level through Calum Paterson, resulting in penalties.
Wednesday's sensational comeback was sealed when Jack Hunt converted after Dan Butler hit the crossbar with the only miss of the shootout.
"It's the best game I've ever played in," said the Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan. "I'm so happy because all these lads deserve it. I give everything for this club to get us promoted. Everybody wrote us off but we showed we're made of strong stuff. We're only halfway there.
"Those who were booing us last week, saying we're not fit to wear the shirt, have a look at this."
After Friday's defeat, the Wednesday manager Darren Moore was racially abused on social media and Bannan dedicated the victory to him. "What he has done is unbelievable, to turn around the mindset of the players," he said. "I'm so proud of him how he's handled this week after the racism he's experienced. That one's for him."
"I've never seen anything like it," said Moore. "To score at the end and keep going was magic for me."
Wednesday's wish for an early goal was granted after Marvin Johnson was brought down by Joe Ward inside the area. Smith sent Will Norris the wrong way to cut the deficit to three only eight minutes in and breathed life into the encounter.
Peterborough had a chance to restore their advantage 10 minutes later when Poku found himself in space inside the area but rifled an effort straight at Dawson.
The away side were catching Wednesday on the break as they went looking for an early second, and had another chance but Mason-Clarke's effort from outside the area was thwarted by Dawson again.
The Owls halved Peterborough's aggregate advantage after 25 minutes when Paterson found himself out wide with the ball again, his low cross was turned home by Gregory with goalkeeper Norris stranded.
Peterborough remained a threat on the counter-attack and almost got their much needed goal when Mason-Clarke latched on to Jack Taylor's through ball but was denied by Dawson for the second time in the half to keep the score at 2-0.
The hosts started the second half in similar fashion to the first and Norris made an outstanding save to palm away Gregory's goalbound bicycle kick.
Wave after wave of Wednesday attacks were thrown at the visitors' defence, who were seemingly stumbling their way through the tie and Josh Windass's first-time strike was met by Norris to deny another goal.
It seemed only a matter of time before Moore's side struck again, and they did just that when James found himself one-on-one with Norris and coolly slotted home to set up a nervy last 20 minutes.
The hosts thought they had their fourth but Dominic Iorfa's free header from inside the area flew straight into the grateful grasp of Norris.
Peterborough seemed to have booked their place at Wembley but Wednesday had other ideas as the clock went into the 98th minute, a long ball into the box was met by the head of Aden Flint and Palmer bundled home to send the game into extra time.
The visitors edged ahead in this remarkable play-off meeting when Butler's free-kick was nodded into his own net by Gregory under pressure from Nathan Thompson.
Wednesday looked down and out again but roared back with another equaliser in the 112th minute when Paterson stabbed home and sent the game to a penalty shootout and Butler's miss miss proved crucial as Hunt's winning kick triggered a delirious pitch invasion.
Wednesday will play the winners of the second semi-final between Bolton or Barnsley in the final at Wembley Stadium on Monday, May 29.
