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Tomorrow my (our) football club Sheffield Wednesday become 150 years old. They're the love of my life, other than my family. The one constant for me, through growing up, attending away games on my own as a teenager, through marriage, the birth of my children, divorce, relationship ups and downs, numerous jobs, house moves, lots of turmoil, the loss of loved ones...

 

Theres been ups, and downs. Lots of downs. I was introduced by my parents, but mostly by my Grandad. He was the commissionaire at Hillsborough for over 40 years - heres a pic of him at the side of Big Jack.
image.png.d2061b5f03274091e287593db6efdb20.png
 
And my Nan too, she went home and away watching Wednesday with her friend Nellie Moore on the Swallownest Supporters Club buses.. I was sat with Grandad at a match at Hillsborough when he received the news that my Nan had had a heart attack at home - and he rushed home to spend his last few hours with her.

 

Grandad put Wednesday first all the time. He'd miss a family wedding if Wednesday had a reserve game. When he hit 80, and the pneumoconiosis he'd contracted from a life on the coal face meant his breathing was so bad he couldnt get up the stairs to see Wednesday, a little part of him had already left us when he passed away later that year. He lived and breathed Wednesday, and he instilled that into me.
 

Like any relationship its not always been easy. The love has been tested, many times, but it just seems to grow stronger. The highs of seeing us promoted back to Division One under Howard Wilkinson, beating Liverpool at Anfield the following season after we'd chanted 'We'll Be Back' as they beat us in the Cup during the promotion season, the semi final at Highbury v Brighton (and spending most of the game behind a huge Zico Sterland banner), beating Utd at Wembley in the Steel City Semi Final, the John Sheridan goal in the League Cup Final, the elation of beating Brighton in the Play Off Semi Final and holding my son incredibly tight with tears rolling down my cheeks knowing that he would finally get to Wembley for the first time, as he had done just as I'd done and waited until he could do it watching his own team for his first trip...

 

I won't list the lows - because tonight they don't matter. Tonight I'm going to enjoy a quiet drink, and toast the club to whom I've devoted my life. And to my Grandad, and my Nan.

 

And tomorrow night I will celebrate with friends at the celebratory dinner. And Guest of Honour on our table will be my Mum, who at 80 years old has been attending Hillsborough since before she could walk, as just like me she was carried to the games as a baby. And shes still there, week in, week out now, along with my sister Louise. And how I wish Dad could have been there with her.
 

Happy 150th Sheffield Wednesday. A true family club

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1 minute ago, Grandad said:

Tomorrow my (our) football club Sheffield Wednesday become 150 years old. They're the love of my life, other than my family. The one constant for me, through growing up, attending away games on my own as a teenager, through marriage, the birth of my children, divorce, relationship ups and downs, numerous jobs, house moves, lots of turmoil, the loss of loved ones...

 

Theres been ups, and downs. Lots of downs. I was introduced by my parents, but mostly by my Grandad. He was the commissionaire at Hillsborough for over 40 years - heres a pic of him at the side of Big Jack.
image.png.d2061b5f03274091e287593db6efdb20.png
 
And my Nan too, she went home and away watching Wednesday with her friend Nellie Moore on the Swallownest Supporters Club buses.. I was sat with Grandad at a match at Hillsborough when he received the news that my Nan had had a heart attack at home - and he rushed home to spend his last few hours with her.

 

Grandad put Wednesday first all the time. He'd miss a family wedding if Wednesday had a reserve game. When he hit 80, and the pneumoconiosis he'd contracted from a life on the coal face meant his breathing was so bad he couldnt get up the stairs to see Wednesday, a little part of him had already left us when he passed away later that year. He lived and breathed Wednesday, and he instilled that into me.
 

Like any relationship its not always been easy. The love has been tested, many times, but it just seems to grow stronger. The highs of seeing us promoted back to Division One under Howard Wilkinson, beating Liverpool at Anfield the following season after we'd chanted 'We'll Be Back' as they beat us in the Cup during the promotion season, the semi final at Highbury v Brighton (and spending most of the game behind a huge Zico Sterland banner), beating Utd at Wembley in the Steel City Semi Final, the John Sheridan goal in the League Cup Final, the elation of beating Brighton in the Play Off Semi Final and holding my son incredibly tight with tears rolling down my cheeks knowing that he would finally get to Wembley for the first time, as he had done just as I'd done and waited until he could do it watching his own team for his first trip...

 

I won't list the lows - because tonight they don't matter. Tonight I'm going to enjoy a quiet drink, and toast the club to whom I've devoted my life. And to my Grandad, and my Nan.

 

And tomorrow night I will celebrate with friends at the celebratory dinner. And Guest of Honour on our table will be my Mum, who at 80 years old has been attending Hillsborough since before she could walk, as just like me she was carried to the games as a baby. And shes still there, week in, week out now, along with my sister Louise. And how I wish Dad could have been there with her.
 

Happy 150th Sheffield Wednesday. A true family club

Incredible post.

 

For all the negatives at the minute, our time will come, who knows when, just enjoy the ride until it does come.

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3 minutes ago, Grandad said:

Tomorrow my (our) football club Sheffield Wednesday become 150 years old. They're the love of my life, other than my family. The one constant for me, through growing up, attending away games on my own as a teenager, through marriage, the birth of my children, divorce, relationship ups and downs, numerous jobs, house moves, lots of turmoil, the loss of loved ones...

 

Theres been ups, and downs. Lots of downs. I was introduced by my parents, but mostly by my Grandad. He was the commissionaire at Hillsborough for over 40 years - heres a pic of him at the side of Big Jack.
image.png.d2061b5f03274091e287593db6efdb20.png
 
And my Nan too, she went home and away watching Wednesday with her friend Nellie Moore on the Swallownest Supporters Club buses.. I was sat with Grandad at a match at Hillsborough when he received the news that my Nan had had a heart attack at home - and he rushed home to spend his last few hours with her.

 

Grandad put Wednesday first all the time. He'd miss a family wedding if Wednesday had a reserve game. When he hit 80, and the pneumoconiosis he'd contracted from a life on the coal face meant his breathing was so bad he couldnt get up the stairs to see Wednesday, a little part of him had already left us when he passed away later that year. He lived and breathed Wednesday, and he instilled that into me.
 

Like any relationship its not always been easy. The love has been tested, many times, but it just seems to grow stronger. The highs of seeing us promoted back to Division One under Howard Wilkinson, beating Liverpool at Anfield the following season after we'd chanted 'We'll Be Back' as they beat us in the Cup during the promotion season, the semi final at Highbury v Brighton (and spending most of the game behind a huge Zico Sterland banner), beating Utd at Wembley in the Steel City Semi Final, the John Sheridan goal in the League Cup Final, the elation of beating Brighton in the Play Off Semi Final and holding my son incredibly tight with tears rolling down my cheeks knowing that he would finally get to Wembley for the first time, as he had done just as I'd done and waited until he could do it watching his own team for his first trip...

 

I won't list the lows - because tonight they don't matter. Tonight I'm going to enjoy a quiet drink, and toast the club to whom I've devoted my life. And to my Grandad, and my Nan.

 

And tomorrow night I will celebrate with friends at the celebratory dinner. And Guest of Honour on our table will be my Mum, who at 80 years old has been attending Hillsborough since before she could walk, as just like me she was carried to the games as a baby. And shes still there, week in, week out now, along with my sister Louise. And how I wish Dad could have been there with her.
 

Happy 150th Sheffield Wednesday. A true family club

What a beautiful post. I also have similar experiences, I suppose we all do. Once introduced at a young age our wonderful club has you in its clutches doesn't it. I remember seeing your Grandad many times at Hillsborough. You must be very proud, he's part of our history.

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6 minutes ago, WalthamOwl said:

That was beautiful Grandad. 

 

It was the fireworks tonight that did it. Very emotional. garymegson

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Just now, @owlstalk said:

Great post Nigel

 

Sheffield Wednesday.

We are a bit rubbish

 

We're bloody awful mate - for the absolute majority of the time.


But every now and then - you just get the bit of magic that keeps you going back for more.

we could all have been glory hunters at school and had a Man Utd shirt instead, and watched them on Sky, never really understanding the true passion

Its a bit like marrying your Missus instead of just flicking through the pages of Playboy

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1 minute ago, vulva said:

Quality post but no mention of the cake. 

My bad

 

Thing is - cake is one of my major food groups too

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3 minutes ago, BRADDO said:

What a beautiful post. I also have similar experiences, I suppose we all do. Once introduced at a young age our wonderful club has you in its clutches doesn't it. I remember seeing your Grandad many times at Hillsborough. You must be very proud, he's part of our history.

 

we all have similar experiences - please share them! Its what makes us a big family. We all fall out from time to time - but if anybody crosses us, we stick together

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Excellent post and sums up what supporting a football club is all about. When players have come and gone, when owners have bought and sold, when our team is relegated or promoted what is left is us, the true supporters. Without us, football is nothing and big businesses and investors (and television companies) do well to remember that

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Excellent post.

 

Maybe rather than looking at the club for gestures of what the 150 yrs anniversary should mean, we all such just take a moment to reflect on what it means to us as individuals to love and care for this great club of ours.

 

Happy birthday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club F.C.

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I think the highest of highs for me was us being genuinely one of the very best and most entertaining footballing sides i've ever had the pleasure to watch - generally under Big Ron

 

In typical Wednesday fashion we didn't always win no matter how much we outplayed our opponents - we flew by the seat of our pants at times too - but bloody hell it was magnificent

 

I remember wearing my Owls shirt in a pub in a relatively small town/village near Watford after the Blackburn away semi - and a random guy came up to me and shook my hand then said it was the best half of football he had ever seen from any team ever!

 

But this is Wednesday and those moments aren't the norm - and that's kinda what makes it so special

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