Sheffield Wednesday’s future is uncertain after being relegated by arch rivals

24 February – For any club as steeped in English football history as Sheffield Wednesday, relegation would be devastating. But their three-year stay in the Championship ended with a derby defeat away to Sheffield United giving this moment a particularly brutal edge.

Relegation before February ends is quite rare. That it was sealed by the Sword only sharpened the sense of humiliation. This is the earliest relegation in the history of the English Football League.

The administration in October triggered a 12-point reduction, then an increase of six more points for repeated payment violations. From then on, survival became almost impossible.

“It hurts that a club like Sheffield Wednesday was relegated in February but the players we have in the squad and the coach have done everything we can. We were not relegated today,” said their manager, Henrik Pedersen. “There have been a lot of lows. It’s been a very difficult season and how we’ve all been able to stay together has been incredible.”

With four league titles, three FA Cups, a League Cup and a Community Shield, the Owls have a history that few clubs can match. Can one of England’s most famous football institutions recover?

The preferred bidder for the club was announced in December to take over from Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri, whose failure to pay wages on time initially caused problems on Wednesday. However, no progress has been made towards changing ownership.