1996–97 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season

Sheffield Wednesday 1996–97 football season
Sheffield Wednesday
1996–97 season
ChairmanDave Richards
ManagerDavid Pleat
Premier League7th
FA CupQuarter-finals
League CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Booth (10)
All: Booth (13)
Highest home attendance38,943 (vs. Liverpool, Premiership)
Lowest home attendance7,499 (vs. Oxford United, League Cup)
Average home league attendance25,714 (league)

The 1996–97 season was Sheffield Wednesday F.C.'s 130th season in existence. They competed in the twenty-team Premiership, the top tier of English football, finishing seventh.

Season summary

A four-match winning start to the season saw Sheffield Wednesday top the Premiership and manager David Pleat receive Manager of the Month award for August, but they soon fell out of the title frame and in the end, despite losing just nine games in the league, they finished seventh in the final table - not even enough for UEFA Cup qualification; they could easily have finished higher had they not drawn as many as 15 games (making it 30 points they dropped).[1] In the close season, Pleat paid a club record £5.7 million for Celtic's Italian forward Paolo Di Canio,[2] giving his squad a much-needed boost to their hopes of challenging for honours.

Final league table

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
5 Aston Villa 38 17 10 11 47 34 +13 61 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
6 Chelsea 38 16 11 11 58 55 +3 59 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b]
7 Sheffield Wednesday 38 14 15 9 50 51 −1 57
8 Wimbledon 38 15 11 12 49 46 +3 56
9 Leicester City 38 12 11 15 46 54 −8 47 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[c]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
  2. ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.
  3. ^ Leicester City qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.
Results summary
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 14 15 9 50 51  −1 57 8 10 1 25 16  +9 6 5 8 25 35  −10

Source: Statto

Results by round
Source: Statto.com
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Sheffield Wednesday's score comes first[3]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

FA Premier League

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
17 August 1996 Aston Villa H 2–1 26,861 Humphreys, Whittingham
20 August 1996 Leeds United A 2–0 31,011 Humphreys, Booth
24 August 1996 Newcastle United A 2–1 36,452 Atherton, Whittingham
2 September 1996 Leicester City H 2–1 17,657 Booth, Humphreys
7 September 1996 Chelsea H 0–2 30,983
16 September 1996 Arsenal A 1–4 33,461 Booth
21 September 1996 Derby County H 0–0 23,934
28 September 1996 Everton A 0–2 34,160
12 October 1996 Wimbledon A 2–4 10,512 Booth, Hyde
19 October 1996 Blackburn Rovers H 1–1 22,191 Booth
26 October 1996 Coventry City A 0–0 17,267
2 November 1996 Southampton H 1–1 20,106 Newsome
18 November 1996 Nottingham Forest H 2–0 16,390 Trustfull, Carbone
23 November 1996 Sunderland A 1–1 20,644 Oakes
30 November 1996 West Ham United H 0–0 22,321
7 December 1996 Liverpool A 1–0 39,507 Whittingham
18 December 1996 Manchester United H 1–1 37,671 Carbone
21 December 1996 Tottenham Hotspur A 1–1 30,996 Nolan
26 December 1996 Arsenal H 0–0 23,245
28 December 1996 Chelsea A 2–2 27,467 Pembridge, Stefanović
11 January 1997 Everton H 2–1 24,175 Pembridge, Hirst
18 January 1997 Middlesbrough A 2–4 29,485 Pembridge (2)
29 January 1997 Aston Villa A 1–0 26,726 Booth
1 February 1997 Coventry City H 0–0 21,793
19 February 1997 Derby County A 2–2 18,060 Collins, Hirst
22 February 1997 Southampton A 3–2 15,062 Hirst (2), Booth
1 March 1997 Middlesbrough H 3–1 28,206 Booth, Hyde, Pembridge (pen)
5 March 1997 Nottingham Forest A 3–0 21,485 Carbone (2), Blinker
12 March 1997 Sunderland H 2–1 20,294 Hirst, Stefanović
15 March 1997 Manchester United A 0–2 55,267
22 March 1997 Leeds United H 2–2 30,373 Hirst, Booth
9 April 1997 Tottenham Hotspur H 2–1 22,667 Atherton, Booth
13 April 1997 Newcastle United H 1–1 33,798 Pembridge
19 April 1997 Wimbledon H 3–1 26,957 Donaldson, Trustfull (2)
22 April 1997 Blackburn Rovers A 1–4 20,845 Carbone (pen)
3 May 1997 West Ham United A 1–5 24,960 Carbone
7 May 1997 Leicester City A 0–1 20,793
11 May 1997 Liverpool H 1–1 38,943 Donaldson

FA Cup

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 4 January 1997 Grimsby Town H 7–1 20,590 Humphreys (2), Booth (2), Fickling (own goal), Hyde, Pembridge
R4 25 January 1997 Carlisle United A 2–0 16,104 Whittingham, Booth
R5 16 February 1997 Bradford City A 1–0 17,830 Humphreys
QF 9 March 1997 Wimbledon H 0–2 25,032

League Cup

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R2 1st Leg 18 September 1996 Oxford United H 1–1 7,499 Whittingham
R2 2nd Leg 24 September 1996 Oxford United A 0–1 (lost 1–2 on agg) 6,863

Players

First-team squad

Squad at end of season[4][5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Kevin Pressman
2 DF England ENG Peter Atherton
3 DF Northern Ireland NIR Ian Nolan[notes 1]
4 MF Wales WAL Mark Pembridge
5 DF England ENG Jon Newsome
6 DF England ENG Des Walker
7 FW England ENG Guy Whittingham
8 FW Italy ITA Benito Carbone
9 FW England ENG David Hirst
10 FW England ENG Andy Booth
11 MF Netherlands NED Regi Blinker[notes 2]
12 MF England ENG Graham Hyde
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK England ENG Matt Clarke
14 DF Scotland SCO Steve Nicol
17 DF England ENG Lee Briscoe
18 DF Federal Republic of Yugoslavia YUG Dejan Stefanović
19 MF England ENG Scott Oakes
20 MF England ENG Wayne Collins
21 MF Wales WAL Ryan Jones[notes 3]
22 FW England ENG O'Neill Donaldson
23 FW England ENG Mike Williams
24 DF England ENG Brian Linighan
25 MF England ENG Ritchie Humphreys
26 MF Netherlands NED Orlando Trustfull

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
8 FW England ENG Mark Bright (to FC Sion)
15 MF England ENG Chris Waddle (to Falkirk)
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF Republic of Ireland IRL John Sheridan[notes 4] (to Bolton Wanderers)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF England ENG Matthew Daly
— DF England ENG David Billington
— DF England ENG Steve Haslam
— DF England ENG Simon Weaver
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Republic of Ireland IRL Mark McKeever[notes 5]
— MF Australia AUS Adem Poric[notes 6]
— FW England ENG Mark Platts
— FW Ghana GHA Junior Agogo

Transfers

In

Date Pos. Name From Fee
8 July 1996 FW Andy Booth Huddersfield Town £2,700,000
11 July 1996 GK Matt Clarke Rotherham United £325,000
7 August 1996 MF Scott Oakes Luton Town £425,000
9 August 1996 MF Wayne Collins Crewe Alexandra £600,000
20 August 1996 MF Orlando Trustfull Feyenoord £750,000
1 September 1996 DF Dave Hercock Cambridge City Free transfer
14 October 1996 FW Benito Carbone Inter Milan £3,000,000
3 April 1997 DF David Billington Peterborough United £500,000
15 April 1997 MF Mark McKeever Peterborough United £500,000

Out

Date Pos. Name To Fee
1 June 1996 GK Chris Woods Colorado Rapids Free transfer
17 June 1996 DF Simon Stewart Fulham Free transfer
1 July 1996 FW Darko Kovačević Real Sociedad Signed
26 July 1996 GK Lance Key Dundee United Free transfer
1 August 1996 FW Marc Degryse PSV Eindhoven Signed
15 August 1996 DF David Faulkner Darlington Free transfer
12 September 1996 MF Chris Waddle Falkirk Free transfer
19 December 1996 MF John Sheridan Bolton Wanderers £180,000
1 January 1997 FW Mark Bright FC Sion £70,000
11 March 1997 DF Sam Sharman Hull City Free transfer
30 August 1997 DF Matthew Daly Sligo Rovers Free
Transfers in: Decrease £8,800,000
Transfers out: Increase £250,000
Total spending: Decrease £8,550,000

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK England ENG Kevin Pressman 44 0 38 0 4 0 2 0
13 GK England ENG Matt Clarke 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
Defenders
2 DF England ENG Peter Atherton 43 2 37 2 4 0 2 0
3 DF Northern Ireland NIR Ian Nolan 44 1 38 1 4 0 2 0
5 DF England ENG Jon Newsome 14 1 10 1 3 0 1 0
6 DF England ENG Des Walker 41 0 36 0 4 0 1 0
14 DF Scotland SCO Steve Nicol 28 0 19+4 0 2+1 0 0+2 0
17 DF England ENG Lee Briscoe 6 0 5+1 0 0 0 0 0
18 DF Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia YUG Dejan Stefanović 31 2 27+2 2 1 0 1 0
Midfielders
4 MF Wales WAL Mark Pembridge 39 7 33+1 6 4 1 1 0
11 MF Netherlands NED Regi Blinker 36 1 15+18 1 1 0 2 0
12 MF England ENG Graham Hyde 24 3 15+4 2 4 1 1 0
19 MF England ENG Scott Oakes 19 1 7+11 1 0 0 0+1 0
20 MF England ENG Wayne Collins 13 1 8+4 1 1 0 0 0
25 MF England ENG Ritchie Humphreys 35 6 14+15 3 3+1 3 1+1 0
26 MF Netherlands NED Orlando Trustfull 22 3 9+10 3 0+1 0 2 0
Forwards
7 FW England ENG Guy Whittingham 37 5 29+3 3 3 1 2 1
8 FW Italy ITA Benito Carbone 27 6 24+1 6 2 0 0 0
9 FW England ENG David Hirst 28 6 20+5 6 0+2 0 1 0
10 FW England ENG Andy Booth 41 13 32+3 10 4 3 2 0
22 FW England ENG O'Neill Donaldson 5 2 2+3 2 0 0 0 0
23 FW England ENG Mike Williams 2 0 0+1 0 0 0 1 0
Players who left the club during the season
8 FW England ENG Mark Bright 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
16 MF Republic of Ireland IRL John Sheridan 2 0 0+2 0 0 0 0 0

Notes

  1. ^ Nolan was born in Liverpool, England, but also qualified to represent Northern Ireland internationally and made his international debut for Northern Ireland in 1996.
  2. ^ Blinker was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, but also qualified to represent the Netherlands internationally and made his international debut for the Netherlands in March 1993.
  3. ^ Jones was born in Sheffield, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally and made his international debut for Wales in May 1994.
  4. ^ Sheridan was born in Stretford, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and represented them at U-21 level before making his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1988.
  5. ^ McKeever was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and represented them at U-19 and U-21 level.
  6. ^ Poric was born in London, England, but also qualified to represent Australia internationally and represented them at U-20 level.

References

  1. ^ "Golden Goal: Ritchie Humphreys for Sheffield Wednesday v Leicester (1996)". The Guardian. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  2. ^ Alan, Nixon (7 August 1997). "Wednesday sign pounds 4.5m Di Canio". The Independent. FA Carling Premiership. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Sheffield Wednesday 1996-1997 : Results". Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  4. ^ "FootballSquads - Sheffield Wednesday - 1996/97". www.footballsquads.co.uk.
  5. ^ "All Sheffield Wednesday players: 1997". www.11v11.com.
  • Dickinson, Jason (1999). One Hundred Years at Hillsborough. Sheffield: The Hallamshire Press/Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. pp. 242–243, 385. ISBN 1-874718-29-6.
  • Dickinson, Jason; Brodie, John (2005). The Wednesday Boys: A Definitive Who's Who of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club 1880–2005. Sheffield: Pickard Communication. pp. 346–347, 350. ISBN 0-9547264-9-9.
  • Drake, A. "1996–97 Players". The Owl Football Historian. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
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