2017–18 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season explained

Club:Sheffield Wednesday
Season:2017–18
Manager:Carlos Carvalhal
(until 24 December 2017)
Lee Bullen
(caretaker; 24 December 2017 – 5 January 2018)
Jos Luhukay
(from 5 January 2018)
Chairman:Dejphon Chansiri
Stadium:Hillsborough, Owlerton
League:Championship
League Result:15th
Cup1:FA Cup
Cup1 Result:5th round (eliminated by Swansea City)
Cup2:EFL Cup
Cup2 Result:2nd round (eliminated by Bolton Wanderers)
League Topscorer:Atdhe Nuhiu (11)
Season Topscorer:Atdhe Nuhiu (14)
Highest Attendance:32,839 (vs. Sheffield United; Championship)
Lowest Attendance:11,682 (vs. Chesterfield; League Cup)
Average Attendance:25,995
Prevseason:2016–17
Nextseason:2018–19
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The 2017–18 season was Sheffield Wednesday's sixth consecutive season in the Championship.[1] Along with competing in the Championship, the club also participated in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

The season covers the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.

Overview

August

Sheffield Wednesday kicked off their 2017 - 18 campaign with an away game against Preston North End, which they lost 1 - 0. This was followed by a 4 - 1 win against Chesterfield in the first round of the EFL Cup, which was The Owls' first game of the season at Hillsborough. A few days later, Sheffield Wednesday's first home league game of the season ended in a 1 - 1 draw against Queens Park Rangers, with Sam Winnall scoring an equalising goal in the second half. Another 1 - 1 draw at home followed, with David Jones scoring his first goal for the club to equalise against the recently relegated Sunderland.

The Owls' first league win of the season came against Fulham, with Owls striker Steven Fletcher scoring the only goal of the game. The Owls' final game of the month was a disappointing 1 - 1 draw at the Pirelli Stadium against Burton Albion followed, leaving Wednesday in 16th place in the league with six points.

September

The Owls started September with a home game against Nottingham Forest, which they won 3 - 1 with goals from Steven Fletcher, Gary Hooper and Kieran Lee (his first game upon return from injury) respectively. A few days later, Wednesday defeated Brentford 2 - 1 at home, with Gary Hooper and Ross Wallace both scoring. Up next was an away game at Cardiff City, with The Owls denied a win after a last second equalising goal. A heavy 4 - 2 loss followed in the home fixture of the Steel City derby, and Wednesday would again lose in their next game away at struggling Birmingham City, who earned only their second win of the season by defeating Wednesday 1–0 to leave them 14th in the Championship.

October

At the start of October, Sheffield Wednesday beat local rivals Leeds United 3 - 0 at Hillsborough, thanks to a brace from Gary Hooper and a goal from Kieran Lee. Two successive away defeats to Bolton Wanderers and Derby County respectively followed, with the next home game resulting in a 1 - 1 draw against local rivals Barnsley. In their fifth and final game in October, Wednesday earned a 2 - 1 win at home against Millwall, with Adam Reach and Jordan Rhodes scoring for The Owls.

November

Wednesday started November with an away match at Villa Park, which ended in another 2 - 1 win for The Owls after winger Adam Reach and striker Jordan Rhodes both scored for the second game on the run. This match would ultimately prove to be the final victory at the club for manager Carlos Carvalhal, with Sheffield Wednesday failing to win another game during the rest of November, with three consecutive draws against Bristol City at Hillsborough and Ipswich Town and Reading away respectively.

December

December started with a 2 - 2 draw at Hillsborough against Hull City, with The Owls being denied the points in the very last minute of the game. Three consecutive losses followed to continue The Owls' disappointing run, losing 3 - 1 away at Norwich City away, 1 - 0 to Wolves and 2 - 1 to Middlesbrough at Hillsborough, with the latter being Carlos Carvalhal's final game in charge of the club. The Portuguese left the club by mutual consent on Christmas Eve, after two and a half seasons at the helm of the club.

Lee Bullen was appointed caretaker manager until a permanent appointment is made. Bullen's first came as caretaker resulted in a 3 - 0 victory over Nottingham Forest, with goals from Adam Reach, Jordan Rhodes and Lucas João. The Owls' final game of 2017 resulted in a 2 - 0 loss to Brentford at Griffin Park.

January

The Owls got off to a poor start in 2018, with a heavy 3 - 0 defeat at Hillsborough against Burton Albion.

On 5 January 2018, The Owls unveiled Jos Luhukay as the new manager of the club.[2] For The Owls' game in the FA Cup third round against Carlisle United, which ended as disappointing goalless draw, Luhukay watched from the crowd. Luhukay's first game in charge of the club was the reverse leg of the Steel City derby at Bramall Lane, which ended in a goalless draw and saw the dismissal of captain Glenn Loovens sent off after he received two yellow cards.

Sheffield Wednesday's first victory of 2018 came in their FA Cup third round replay at Hillsborough, which Wednesday won 2 - 0 after Marco Matias and Atdhe Nuhiu both found the target for The Owls. The reverse league fixture against Cardiff City ended in another goalless draw, despite Adam Reach, Jordan Rhodes and Lucas João all having opportunities to score. Wednesday then faced Reading at home in the fourth round of the FA Cup, which ended in a 3 - 1 victory for The Owls, thanks to a brace from striker Atdhe Nuhiu and winger George Boyd's first goal for the club.

January ended in another goalless draw in the league for The Owls, this time against Middlesbrough at The Riverside Stadium.

February

Wednesday lost their first league game of February, which was a 3 - 1 defeat at Hillsborough against Birmingham City. A 1 - 1 away draw against Barnsley followed, with The Owls picking up their only league win of the month, a 2 - 0 home win, against Derby County. The Owls then faced former manager Carlos Carvalhal's new team Swansea City in the fifth round of the FA Cup, earning a replay after a 0 - 0 draw at Hillsborough.

Two successive league defeats followed, 2 - 1 away against Millwall and 4 - 2 at home against Aston Villa, with The Owls being 2 - 1 at half time in the latter. The Owls then bowed out of the FA Cup after losing 2 - 0 in their FA Cup replay against Swansea City.

March

March saw Wednesday's poor form in the league continue, losing 4 - 0 to Bristol City and 2 - 1 to Ipswich Town, the former being The Owls' heaviest defeat of the season. A 1 - 1 draw against Bolton Wanderers at Hillsborough followed, before The Owls defeated fierce local rivals Leeds 2 - 1 thanks to a brace from Atdhe Nuhiu, who scored the winning goal in extra time. Sheffield Wednesday then won 4 - 1 at home against Preston North End, with Atdhe Nuhiu scoring twice and a goal each from Lucas João and Fernando Forestieri.

April

In Sheffield Wednesday's first league game of April, they won 3 - 1 at the Stadium of Light, with Lucas João, vice captain Tom Lees and Atdhe Nuhiu all scoring. Two successive losses followed, 1 - 0 against promotion challengers Fulham and 4 - 2 against Queens Park Rangers.

Wednesday then won their next two league games, with a rare Jordan Rhodes goal against Hull City enough to earn The Owls three points. In the next league fixture, which was against Reading at Hillsborough, Fernando Forestieri scored a brace with George Boyd also scoring in a 3 - 0 win. The final game of April was a 0 - 0 draw with Wolves.

May

Sheffield Wednesday ended the 2017/18 season with a 5 - 1 win over Norwich City at Hillsborough, with Atdhe Nuhiu scoring a hattrick and Fernando Forestieri and on-loan central defender Frederico Venâncio scoring a goal each. It was also Owls captain Glenn Loovens' final game for the club, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Player transfers & contracts

Transfers in

Date fromPositionNationalityNameFromFeeRef.
3 July 2017 Free [3]
30 August 2017 Undisclosed [4]
18 January 2018 Undisclosed [5]

Transfers out

Date fromPositionNationalityNameToFeeRef.
1 July 2017 Released
1 July 2017 Released
1 July 2017 Released
1 July 2017 Released
1 July 2017 Released
1 July 2017 Released
10 July 2017 Free transfer [6]
31 August 2017 Released [7]
3 March 2018 Undisclosed [8]

Loans in

Start datePositionNationalityNameFromEnd dateRef.
16 August 2017 End of season [9]
31 August 2017 End of season [10]

Loans out

Start datePositionNationalityNameToEnd dateRef.
31 August 2017 30 June 2018 [11]
6 December 2017 20 December 2017 [12]
5 January 2018 30 June 2018 [13]
31 January 2018 30 June 2018 [14]

New contracts

Date fromPositionNationalityNameLengthExpiryRef.
28 June 2017 GK 3 years June 2020 [15]
9 August 2017 GK 5 years June 2022 [16]
18 December 2017 DF 1 1⁄2 years June 2019 [17]
4 January 2018 MF 1 1⁄2 years June 2019 [18]
2 February 2018 MF 2 1⁄2 years June 2020 [19]
15 February 2018 DF 3 1⁄2 years June 2021 [20]
16 February 2018 DF 1 1⁄2 years June 2019 [21]
16 February 2018 MF 2 1⁄2 years June 2020 [22]
5 March 2018 MF 2 1⁄2 years June 2020 [23]
25 April 2018 DF 2 1⁄2 years June 2020 [24]
1 May 2018 DF 1 years June 2019 [25]
2 May 2018 MF Warren Clark 1 years June 2019 [26]
2 May 2018 MF 2 years June 2020 [27]
3 May 2018 DF [28]
4 May 2018 DF Joe West 1 year June 2019 [29]
10 May 2018 FW 2 years June 2020 [30]
11 May 2018 GKDan Wallis 1 year June 2019 [31]
11 May 2018 MFBen Hughes 1 year June 2019 [32]
25 June 2018 FW Preslav Borukov2 yearsJune 2020[33]

Competitions

Friendlies

As of 12 July 2017, Sheffield Wednesday have announced seven pre-season friendlies against Alfreton Town, Mansfield Town, Doncaster Rovers,[34] Portimonense,[35] Vitória de Setúbal[36] Farense[37] and Rangers.[38]

Championship

See main article: 2017–18 EFL Championship.

Matches

On 21 June 2017, the league fixtures were announced.[39] [40]

FA Cup

In the FA Cup, Sheffield Wednesday entered the competition in the third round and were drawn away to Carlisle United.[41] The first game ended in a goalless draw, with the replay taking place at Hillsborough on 16 January. In the fourth round, The Owls were drawn against Reading at home.

On 29 January 2018, Sheffield Wednesday were drawn against either Notts County or Swansea City in the fifth round draw.

EFL Cup

On 16 June 2017, Sheffield Wednesday were drawn at home to Chesterfield in the first round.[42] After winning their first-round game, The Owls were drawn against fellow EFL Championship side Bolton Wanderers on 10 August 2017.[43]

Squad statistics

Appearances

|-|colspan="12" style="text-align:center;" |Players currently out on loan|}

Goalscorers

Includes all competitive matches.

PlayerChampionshipFA CupLeague CupTotal
1FW17Atdhe Nuhiu113 - 14
2FW14Gary Hooper100111
3FW18Lucas João90 - 9
4FW7Jordan Rhodes5027
5FW45Fernando Forestieri40 - 4
MF20Adam Reach40 - 4
7MF21George Boyd21 - 3
FW9Steven Fletcher2013
MF5Kieran Lee30 - 3
10MF33Ross Wallace20 - 2
11MF10Barry Bannan0011
MF38Sean Clare10 - 1
DF23Sam Hutchinson0011
MF3David Jones10 - 1
DF15Tom Lees1001
MF19Marco Matias01 - 1
MF32Joey Pelupessy10 - 1
FW11Sam Winnall10 - 1
Own Goals00 - 0
Total485659

Disciplinary record

No.Pos.NameChampionshipFA CupLeague CupTotal
12 3 2 0 0 0 0 3 2
36 8 1 0 0 1 0 8 1
6 3 1 0 0 0 0 3 1
19 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
33 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
17 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
20 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
2 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
10 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
5 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
4 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
8 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
4 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
16 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
32 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 0
21 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
14 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
3 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
39 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
46 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
45 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
7 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
28 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Clean sheets

width=10No.width=10Nat.PlayerMatches PlayedClean Sheet %width=150Leaguewidth=150FA Cupwidth=150EFL Cupwidth=150TOTAL
25 6 66.66% 2 20 4
28 29 24.13% 6 1 0 7
1 18 20.83% 4 0 0 4
34 0 0.00% 0 0 0 0

Awards

Player of the Month

Player of the Month awards for the 2017–18 season.

MonthFirst%Second%Third%Ref
AugustNot awarded
September Gary Hooper89% Barry Bannan4%3%[44]
October Adam Reach42% Barry Bannan33%10%[45]
November Barry Bannan55% Adam Reach20% Atdhe Nuhiu and
Keiren Westwood
7%[46]
DecemberNot awarded
January Joe Wildsmith40% Atdhe Nuhiu28%15%[47]
February Lucas Joao34% Adam Reach21%20%[48]
March Atdhe Nuhiu85% -align="center"- -align="center"-[49]

Player of the Year

Notes and References

  1. News: History . Statto . 27 May 2017 . 6 May 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170506171527/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/sheffield-wednesday/history . dead .
  2. News: Sheffield Wednesday name Jos Luhukay as new manager. 5 January 2018 . BBC Sport. 5 January 2018.
  3. Web site: Owls land George Boyd. Sheffield Wednesday F.C.. 3 July 2017.
  4. Web site: Owls land Dutch defender. Sheffield Wednesday F.C.. 30 August 2017.
  5. Web site: Joey Pelupessy completes Owls switch. Sheffield Wednesday F.C.. 18 January 2018.
  6. Web site: Melo leaves Owls. Sheffield Wednesday FC. 10 July 2017.
  7. Web site: McGugan leaves Owls. Sheffield Wednesday FC. 31 August 2017.
  8. Web site: Murphy joins Los Angeles FC. Sheffield Wednesday FC. 3 March 2018.
  9. Web site: Owls complete Frederico Venancio loan capture. Sheffield Wednesday F.C.. 16 August 2017. 16 August 2017.
  10. Web site: Butterfield joins Owls on loan. Sheffield Wednesday F.C.. 31 August 2017. 31 August 2017.
  11. News: Winnall makes Owls loan exit. 31 August 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 31 August 2017.
  12. News: Dawson joins Chesterfield on loan. 7 December 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 5 December 2017.
  13. News: Town Sign Championship Goalkeeper On Loan. 5 January 2018. Grimsby Town Official Site. 5 January 2018.
  14. Web site: Penney moves to Mansfield. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 31 January 2018.
  15. News: Dawson Signs New Wednesday Deal . Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club . 28 June 2017.
  16. Web site: Wildsmith signs new Owls contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 9 August 2017.
  17. Web site: Nielsen extends Wednesday stay. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 18 December 2017.
  18. Web site: Matt Penney extends Owls contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 4 January 2018.
  19. Web site: Alex Hunt pens professional contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 2 February 2018.
  20. Web site: Jordan Thorniley signs new owls contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 15 February 2018.
  21. Web site: O'Grady extends Owls contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 16 February 2018.
  22. Web site: Stobbs pens new Owls deal. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 16 February 2018.
  23. Web site: Kirby extends Owls contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 5 March 2018.
  24. Web site: Baker extends Owls Stay. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 25 April 2018.
  25. Web site: Owls announce 2017/18 retained list. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 1 May 2018.
  26. Web site: New deals for Owls duo. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 2 May 2018.
  27. Web site: New deals for Owls duo. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 2 May 2018.
  28. Web site: Ciaran Brennan signs pro Owls deal. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 3 May 2018.
  29. Web site: Joe West signs pro Owls contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 4 May 2018.
  30. Web site: Atdhe Nuhiu signs new Owls deal. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 10 May 2018.
  31. Web site: Dan Wallis extends Wednesday stay. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 11 May 2018.
  32. Web site: Ben Hughes signs pro Owls deal. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 11 May 2018.
  33. Web site: Borukov signs Owls contract. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 25 June 2018.
  34. News: Owls' 2017/18 pre-season schedule. 5 June 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 5 June 2017.
  35. News: Portugal pre-season friendly confirmed. 6 June 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 6 June 2017.
  36. News: Owls to face Vitória de Setúbal. 14 June 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 14 June 2017.
  37. News: Third game added to Portugal tour. 6 July 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 6 July 2017.
  38. Web site: Owls to host Rangers in pre-season friendly. Sheffield Wednesday F.C.. 12 July 2017.
  39. News: Fixtures revealed!. 28 June 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 21 June 2017.
  40. News: Fixture List. 28 June 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. June 2017.
  41. News: Owls to face Gillingham or Carlisle. 7 December 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 5 December 2017.
  42. News: Owls draw Chesterfield in Carabao Cup. 16 June 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 16 June 2017.
  43. News: Second round Carabao Cup date set. 16 August 2017. Sheffield Wednesday Official Site. 14 August 2017.
  44. Web site: Gary Hooper is your Player of the Month!. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 4 October 2017.
  45. Web site: Adam Reach voted Owls' Player of the Month. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 3 November 2017.
  46. Web site: Bannan voted Owls Player of the Month. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 4 December 2017.
  47. Web site: Joe Wildsmith is your Player of the Month. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 1 February 2018.
  48. Web site: Lucas Joao voted owls player of the month. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 6 March 2018.
  49. Web site: Atdhe Nuhiu voted Owls Player of the Month. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 3 April 2018.
  50. Web site: Reach bags Owls Player of the Year award. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. 4 May 2018.