Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
Fans witnessed a thrilling Carabao Cup tie between Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday this week which ended in a 3-3 draw and a penalty shootout, but something off the pitch was really special.
Sheffield Wednesday got a much-needed lift in midweek thanks to a spirited display from a number of young players making their debuts.
At a time when the club is going through a financial crisis, the Sheffield Wednesday youngsters stepped up and delivered a top performance to get the Owls through to the next round of the cup.
Henrik Pedersen will have enjoyed the win over his former team Bolton Wanderers, but ultimately, everyone can come away from the game with their heads held high thanks to a really touching gesture made by the Trotters fans ahead of the match.
- READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday striker is ‘back’ as he ‘finally’ ends his goal drought in Carabao Cup win
What Bolton Wanderers did for Sheffield Wednesday fans this week
Given what Wednesday are going through right now, it’s safe to say that most football fans throughout the EFL are feeling at least some semblance of sympathy for long-suffering Owls fans.
With this in mind, Bolton supporters took it upon themselves to let their opponents know that they are thinking of them and want their misery to end, by leaving a lovely message on cards for the travelling fans to find in the stadium.
On the cards, they wrote: “As Bolton Wanderers fans we understand how it feels to be a club in crisis. Whilst those days are behind us now, we wish for better days ahead for you all. Enjoy the game!”
The Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ Trust shared the following message, too: “No Club should have to go through what Sheffield Wednesday are going through now, and what we all went through pre 2019. Their Club is a proud club, rich in history. They deserve better; their fans deserve better.”
At moments like these, it’s inspiring to see football unite against a far too common problem with rogue owners destroying historic clubs.
We are all hoping Sheffield Wednesday get the takeover they need and deserve sooner rather than later to bring these ongoing issues to an end.
- READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday fans will love Chris Powell’s heartfelt comments on ‘special’ Owls after exit
Bolton Wanderers went through a crisis and came through the other side
Bolton may be one of the teams we’re tipping for promotion in our League One predictions for 2025/26, but they’ve had a rough time of it until not so long ago.
After being relegated from the Premier League in 2012, the company behind the club, Burnden Leisure, reported a record £50.7 million loss in the year ending June 2013, leaving the club to deal with debts amounting to £163.8 million (as per The Guardian).
Former owner Eddie Davies put enough money into the club to keep Bolton operational, but little more than that, before Dean Holdsworth led a consortium to take over the club in 2016. That was ill-fated, though, with mismanagement leading to more ownership changes, winding-up orders from HMRC, and eventually, administration.
In 2019, the crisis reached its lowest point. Players went on strike, the Bolton training ground was closed, and fixtures were at risk. After players refused to fulfil a fixture against Brentford, the Trotters were deducted 12 points.
This all sounds scarily familiar for Owls fans. Thankfully, Wednesday players are not intending to strike as things stand, but with the EFL failing to step in and do much to change the situation, we could still see the situation descend into more chaos.