Sheffield Wednesday’s manager has spoken out after his side’s drop to League One was confirmed on Saturday following a 2-1 loss against Sheffield United in the Steel City derby, making it the earliest relegation ever recorded in English Football League history.
Patrick Bamford opened the scoring within two minutes, with Harrison Burrows adding a second before the 20-minute mark.
Charlie McNeill pulled one back for the Owls early in the second half, shortly after United’s Kalvin Phillips received a straight red card.
Manager Henrik Pedersen described the campaign as a “tough, tough season.”
He said: “It was a tough day. We knew it would be a difficult game here but to give ourselves this beginning of the game to make the mountain even bigger, it was a tough beginning.
“But again, the boys show when it’s difficult, and with this start, that they stay together and they stand up together and they work very hard to come back.
“We run a lot after the ball. We invested a lot. And then we conceded to 2-0 in our right side with a double pass.
“Then we changed a few things at half-time and then I think we were very strong in the beginning of the second half. We were better on the ball to switch to create something to the side, but we were also stronger in the pressing and then we scored.”
Manager Henrik Pedersen described the campaign as a ‘tough, tough season’
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Pedersen added: “We all believed and hoped that we could get the second goal and the boys did everything.
“It’s painful to be relegated, of course. It has been a tough, tough season. There is a big, big job in front of us. We will do all we can to finish this season strong.”
The club’s collapse can be traced to the chaotic final period under owner Dejphon Chansiri, whose tenure ended with repeated failures to pay player wages last summer.
This turmoil sparked a mass departure of senior players, while manager Danny Rohl also left before the new campaign got underway.
Sheffield Wednesday made unwanted English Football League history on Sunday afternoon
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PAWednesday entered administration in October, which led to crippling points deductions that left their situation virtually hopeless.
The penalties left Pedersen’s side facing an insurmountable task to avoid the drop.
Despite a preferred buyer being identified in December, the takeover has yet to be finalised, leaving the club operating under significant financial restrictions.
These constraints have forced Pedersen to work with a bare-bones squad that simply lacks the quality required for second-tier football.
Referee Josh Smith shows a red card to Sheffield United’s Kalvin Phillips during the Sky Bet Championship match at Bramall Lane | PA
Wednesday’s on-pitch struggles have been stark, with just one win since August – a solitary away victory at Portsmouth in September.
Gabriel Otegbayo’s dismissal for a second yellow card in the final minute summed up a wretched afternoon at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder acknowledged they had to be “ruthless” and condemn their opponents to relegation.
Wilder said: “Glad to get the job done really. Team showed different qualities as well, especially after the sending-off.”
Wednesday’s on-pitch struggles have been stark
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He added: “Two goals, really well constructed, good qualities in terms of goals, in terms of getting the ball back straight away, not allowing them to breathe.
“We just needed to keep doing the right things and then the sending-off, obviously off the back of that and the goal straight away, changed the atmosphere of the game and then we had to dig in a little bit.
“That gave them a lift, gave them some energy, gave their supporters a load of energy without really, apart from a couple of forays down the left, without really troubling us off the back of that.
“We’re having a decent moment with our club at the moment, but it’ll swing back. It’s a ruthless business. I’ve got to look after my team. We have to be ruthless because that’s the nature of the business. And nobody would have it any other way.”