If you’re a Sheffield Wednesday fan at the moment, the future is looking very bright.
The Owls announced the double capture of Louie Barry and returning club legend Barry Bannan yesterday, as their pursuit of an immediate return to the Championship gathers speed. It’s a far cry from earlier this year, when fears over the club’s future were prevalent.
Even after that very real terror passed, the side from the blue half of the Steel City were fearing the worst ahead of their return to League One. However, the mood has completely shifted towards great excitement in the last couple of months.
Former head of the PGMOL, Keith Hackett, is one man who knows the very best and worst of Sheffield Wednesday. Speaking exclusively to Football Lowdown, he reminisced about the start of his love affair with the Owls.
“As a Wednesday fan, I can remember going to Hillsborough as a kid and watching Derek Dooley. Later on, I had his testimonial, which I always thought was great. In 1979, I was appointed to referee Liverpool versus Arsenal at Hillsborough.
“You can imagine that, as a kid growing up supporting Wednesday, going to Hillsborough was something special. So I drove my car to where I used to live in Springs, parked my car up, got out wearing my blazer with the FA badge on it, and walked about three miles to the stadium.
“On the way, people were saying, ‘Aren’t you refereeing the match?’ I went, ‘Yeah, what are you doing?’ Well, I’m going to the match.”
Hackett enjoyed a fantastic career in football and is regarded as one of the best match officials the sport has ever seen. From being a FIFA-listed official and working in the Premier League to writing his own book and fronting the PGMOL, there aren’t many things he hasn’t seen during his long and varied career in football.
As such, there are few better people to ask about their top moments in the game.
“There are several standout games in my career; I’ve been very fortunate,” Hackett said. “It was amazing at Concord Park, if the pitch was near the golf course at the bottom. You knew if somebody had a shot on goal, you were waiting a couple of minutes until the ball was recovered off the golf course.
“I can remember my first game as a referee in the Football League, Stockport County versus Northampton Town. I ran the line in an FA Cup final, Manchester United against Arsenal. Two years later, I refereed the FA Cup Final, Tottenham Hotspur versus Manchester City.
“That first game ended in a 1-1 draw, and the replay was won by Spurs. In almost every cup final on television, you will see the Ricky Villa goal as the lasting memory of that particular game. I had to make the decision before I blew the whistle whether I would accept a £35 match fee or the gold medal, because you can’t have both. And so I finished up with the gold medal and the £35 fee for the replay!”