1997–98 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season

The 1997–98 season was Sheffield Wednesday F.C.'s 131st season. They competed in the twenty-team Premiership, the top tier of English football, finishing sixteenth.

Season summary

Having narrowly missed out on a UEFA Cup place in 1996–97, the club record £5.7 million signing of Italian striker Paolo Di Canio from Celtic gave Owls fans hopes of another challenge for Europe. But it was not to be, and by the time they lost 6–1 to Manchester United in November, relegation was looking a real possibility. Manager David Pleat was swiftly sacked, and Ron Atkinson – manager of the 1991 promotion and League Cup winning side – returned to the manager's seat on a short-term contract. He achieved safety in 16th place, and was disappointed on being told that his contract would not be renewed. He was succeeded by Danny Wilson, a former Owls player who played for them in the early, more successful part of the decade.

Final league table

Main article: 1997-98 FA Premier League


Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Arsenal (C)	38	23	9	6	68	33	+35	78	1998–99 UEFA Champions League Group stage
2	Manchester United	38	23	8	7	73	26	+47	77	1998–99 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round
3	Liverpool	38	18	11	9	68	42	+26	65	1998–99 UEFA Cup First round
4	Chelsea	38	20	3	15	71	43	+28	63	1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup First round ¹
5	Leeds United	38	17	8	13	57	46	+11	59	1998–99 UEFA Cup First round
6	Blackburn Rovers	38	16	10	12	57	52	+5	58
7	Aston Villa	38	17	6	15	49	48	+1	57
8	West Ham United	38	16	8	14	56	57	−1	56
9	Derby County	38	16	7	15	52	49	+3	55
10	Leicester City	38	13	14	11	51	41	+10	53
11	Coventry City	38	12	16	10	46	44	+2	52
12	Southampton	38	14	6	18	50	55	−5	48
13	Newcastle United	38	11	11	16	35	44	−9	44	1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup First round ²
14	Tottenham Hotspur	38	11	11	16	44	56	−12	44
15	Wimbledon	38	10	14	14	34	46	−12	44
16	Sheffield Wednesday	38	12	8	18	52	67	−15	44
17	Everton	38	9	13	16	41	56	−15	40
18	Bolton Wanderers (R)	38	9	13	16	41	61	−20	40	Relegation to 1998–99 Football League First Division
19	Barnsley (R)	38	10	5	23	37	82	−45	35	Relegation to 1998–99 Football League First Division
20	Crystal Palace (R)	38	8	9	21	37	71	–34	33	1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round ³
20	Crystal Palace (R)	38	8	9	21	37	71	–34	33	Relegation to the 1998–99 Football League First Division

Updated to games played on 10 May 1998.
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
¹ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions and were the League Cup winners.
² As Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their Cup Winners' Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the losing finalists.
³ Despite being relegated, Crystal Palace qualified for the 1998 Intertoto Cup.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

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	12	8	18	52	67	−15	44	9	5	5	30	26	+4	3	3	13	22	41	−19

Source: 1997-98 FA Premier League table

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A
Result	L	L	D	L	W	L	D	L	D	W	L	L	L	W	W	W	W	L	L	D	D	W	W	D	L	D	W	L	W	L	L	W	L	D	L	W	L	L
Position	17	18	16	18	15	19	19	19	18	16	17	18	20	19	16	14	13	13	14	14	15	12	11	10	14	12	12	13	12	13	13	13	14	14	14	13	14	16

Source: 11v11.com: 1997-98 Sheffield Wednesday results
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

Results

Sheffield Wednesday's score comes first^[1]

Legend

Win	Draw	Loss

FA Premier League

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
9 August 1997	Newcastle United	A	1–2	36,711	Carbone
13 August 1997	Leeds United	H	1–3	31,520	Hyde
23 August 1997	Wimbledon	A	1–1	11,503	Di Canio
27 August 1997	Blackburn Rovers	A	2–7	19,618	Carbone (2)
30 August 1997	Leicester City	H	1–0	24,851	Carbone (pen)
13 September 1997	Liverpool	A	1–2	34,705	Collins
20 September 1997	Coventry City	H	0–0	21,087
24 September 1997	Derby County	H	2–5	22,391	Di Canio, Carbone (pen)
27 September 1997	Aston Villa	A	2–2	32,044	Collins, Whittingham
4 October 1997	Everton	H	3–1	24,486	Carbone (2, 1 pen), Di Canio
19 October 1997	Tottenham Hotspur	A	2–3	25,097	Collins, Di Canio
25 October 1997	Crystal Palace	H	1–3	22,072	Collins
1 November 1997	Manchester United	A	1–6	55,259	Whittingham
8 November 1997	Bolton Wanderers	H	5–0	25,027	Di Canio, Whittingham, Booth (3)
22 November 1997	Arsenal	H	2–0	34,373	Booth, Whittingham
29 November 1997	Southampton	A	3–2	15,244	Atherton, Collins, Di Canio
8 December 1997	Barnsley	H	2–1	29,086	Stefanović, Di Canio
13 December 1997	West Ham United	A	0–1	24,344
20 December 1997	Chelsea	H	1–4	28,334	Pembridge
26 December 1997	Blackburn Rovers	H	0–0	33,502
28 December 1997	Leicester City	A	1–1	20,800	Booth
10 January 1998	Newcastle United	H	2–1	29,446	Di Canio, Newsome
17 January 1998	Leeds United	A	2–1	33,166	Newsome, Booth
31 January 1998	Wimbledon	H	1–1	22,655	Mark Pembridge
7 February 1998	Coventry City	A	0–1	18,375
14 February 1998	Liverpool	H	3–3	35,405	Carbone, Di Canio, Hinchcliffe
21 February 1998	Tottenham Hotspur	H	1–0	29,871	Di Canio
28 February 1998	Derby County	A	0–3	30,203
7 March 1998	Manchester United	H	2–0	39,427	Atherton, Di Canio
14 March 1998	Bolton Wanderers	A	2–3	24,847	Booth, Atherton
28 March 1998	Arsenal	A	0–1	38,087
4 April 1998	Southampton	H	1–0	29,677	Carbone
11 April 1998	Barnsley	A	1–2	18,692	Stefanović
13 April 1998	West Ham United	H	1–1	28,036	Magilton
19 April 1998	Chelsea	A	0–1	29,075
25 April 1998	Everton	A	3–1	35,497	Pembridge (2), Di Canio
2 May 1998	Aston Villa	H	1–3	34,177	Sanetti
10 May 1998	Crystal Palace	A	0–1	16,876

FA Cup

Main article: 1997–98 FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	3 January 1998	Watford	A	1–1	18,306	Alexandersson
R3R	14 January 1998	Watford	H	0–0 (won 5–3 on pens)	18,707
R4	26 January 1998	Blackburn Rovers	H	0–3	15,940

League Cup

Main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R2 1st Leg	17 September 1997	Grimsby Town	A	0–2	6,429
R2 2nd Leg	1 October 1997	Grimsby Town	H	3–2 (lost 3–4 on agg)	11,120	Davison (own goal), Di Canio (2)

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[2]

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

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Kevin Pressman
2	DF	Peter Atherton
3	DF	Ian Nolan
4	MF	Mark Pembridge
5	DF	Jon Newsome
6	DF	Des Walker
7	FW	Guy Whittingham
8	FW	Benito Carbone
10	FW	Andy Booth
11	FW	Paolo Di Canio
12	MF	Graham Hyde
13	GK	Matt Clarke
14	DF	Steve Nicol
15	FW	Christian Mayrleb
16	FW	Ritchie Humphreys

No.	Position	Player
17	MF	Lee Briscoe
18	DF	Dejan Stefanović
19	MF	Scott Oakes
20	DF	Andy Hinchcliffe
21	DF	Goce Sedloski
22	DF	Emerson Thome
23	FW	Junior Agogo
24	MF	Jim Magilton
25	MF	Petter Rudi
26	MF	Niclas Alexandersson
27	DF	Earl Barrett
28	MF	Alan Quinn
29	MF	Krystof Kotylo
30	FW	Francesco Sanetti

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.	Position	Player
9	FW	David Hirst (to Southampton)
15	DF	Patrick Blondeau (to Bordeaux)
20	MF	Wayne Collins (to Fulham)
21	MF	Adem Poric (to Notts County)

No.	Position	Player
22	FW	O'Neill Donaldson (to Stoke City)
26	GK	Bruce Grobbelaar (to Oldham Athletic)
27	FW	Nigel Clough (on loan from Manchester City)

Reserve squad

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

No.	Position	Player
-	GK	Stuart Jones
-	DF	Derek Geary
-	DF	Steve Haslam
-	DF	Kevin Nicholson
-	DF	Michael Simpkins

No.	Position	Player
-	DF	Simon Weaver
-	MF	Peter Holmes
-	MF	Ryan Jones
-	MF	Mark McKeever
-	MF	Mark Platts

Transfers

In

Date	Pos	Name	From	Fee
24 June 1997	DF	Patrick Blondeau	AS Monaco	£1,800,000
6 August 1997	FW	Paolo Di Canio	Celtic	£3,000,000
9 September 1997	MF	Jim Magilton	Southampton	£1,600,000
22 September 1997	GK	Bruce Grobbelaar	Oxford United	Nominal
2 October 1997	MF	Petter Rudi	Molde	£800,000
17 November 1997	DF	Derek Geary	Rivermount Boys	Signed
5 December 1997	MF	Niclas Alexandersson	IFK Göteborg	£750,000
6 December 1997	MF	Alan Quinn	Cherry Orchard	Nominal
30 January 1998	DF	Andy Hinchcliffe	Everton	£3,000,000
19 February 1998	DF	Goce Sedloski	Hajduk Split	£750,000
24 February 1998	DF	Earl Barrett	Everton	Free transfer
26 March 1998	GK	Stuart Jones	Weston-super-Mare	£20,000
26 March 1998	DF	Emerson Thome	Benfica	Signed
30 April 1998	FW	Francesco Sanetti	Genoa	Free transfer

Out

Date	Pos	Name	To	Fee
1 August 1997	DF	Dave Hercock	Kettering Town	Undisclosed
5 August 1997	MF	Orlando Trustfull	Vitesse Arnhem	£800,000
6 August 1997	MF	Regi Blinker	Celtic	£1,500,000
17 October 1997	FW	David Hirst	Southampton	£2,000,000
1 November 1997	DF	Steven Lenagh	Chesterfield	Monthly
1 January 1998	MF	James Simpkins	Chesterfield	Non-contract
14 January 1998	DF	Patrick Blondeau	Bordeaux	£1,200,000
22 January 1998	MF	Wayne Collins	Fulham	£400,000
13 March 1998	FW	O'Neill Donaldson	Stoke City	Free transfer
27 March 1998	MF	Adem Poric	Notts County	Free transfer

Transfers in:

£11,720,000

Transfers out:

£5,900,000

Total spending:

£5,820,000

Statistics

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions^[3]

GK: #1, Kevin Pressman, 41
RB: #2, Peter Atherton, 31
CB: #5, Jon Newsome, 29
CB: #6, Des Walker, 43
LB: #3, Ian Nolan, 32
CM: #25, Petter Rudi, 22
CM: #24, Jim Magilton, 16 (#7, Guy Whittingham, and #18, Dejan Stefanović, both have 20 starts)
CM: #4, Mark Pembridge, 36
AM: #8, Benito Carbone, 31
CF: #10, Andy Booth, 23
CF: #11, Paolo Di Canio, 39

References

Dickinson, Jason (1999). One Hundred Years at Hillsborough. Sheffield: The Hallamshire Press/Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. pp. 244–245, 386. ISBN 978-1-874718-29-1.
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 978-0-9547264-9-2.
Drake, A. "1997–98 Players". The Owl Football Historian. Retrieved 5 August 2008. External link in |work= (help)

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1997–98 in English football

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FA competitions

Premier League and
Football League

Football Conference

Football Conference
Conference League Cup

Lower leagues

European competitions

Related to national team

Club seasons

Premier League	Arsenal Aston Villa Barnsley Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers Chelsea Coventry City Crystal Palace Derby County Everton Leeds United Leicester City Liverpool Manchester United Newcastle United Sheffield Wednesday Southampton Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United Wimbledon

First Division	Birmingham City Bradford City Bury Charlton Athletic Crewe Alexandra Huddersfield Town Ipswich Town Manchester City Middlesbrough Norwich City Nottingham Forest Oxford United Portsmouth Port Vale Queens Park Rangers Reading Sheffield United Stockport County Stoke City Sunderland Swindon Town Tranmere Rovers West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers

Second Division	Blackpool Bournemouth Brentford Bristol City Bristol Rovers Burnley Carlisle United Chesterfield Fulham Gillingham Grimsby Town Luton Town Millwall Northampton Town Oldham Athletic Plymouth Argyle Preston North End Southend United Walsall Watford Wigan Athletic Wrexham Wycombe Wanderers York City

Third Division	Barnet Brighton & Hove Albion Cambridge United Cardiff City Chester City Colchester United Darlington Doncaster Rovers Exeter City Hartlepool United Hull City Leyton Orient Lincoln City Macclesfield Town Mansfield Town Notts County Peterborough United Rochdale Rotherham United Scarborough Scunthorpe United Shrewsbury Town Swansea City Torquay United

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Others	Newport

Summer 1997 transfers
Winter 1997–98 transfers

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