Back in the Big Time!

Sheffield Wednesday's Return to Division One, 1984-86

John Dyson

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• eBook ISBN:
  9781801503297
• Year: 2022

Back in the Big Time! Sheffield Wednesday's Return to Division One, 1984-86 tells the story of the Owls' return to the top flight after 14 years in the wilderness. In the 1970s, the club had been a footballing byword for underachievement. After flirting with relegation to Division Four in 1976, it began its slow climb back to the top table under Jack Charlton and then Howard Wilkinson. It was Wilkinson's team that gained promotion to the highest league in 1984. They attacked Division One with gusto - within two years finishing fifth in the league and embarking on cup campaigns that took them heartbreakingly close to Wembley. Drawing on detailed research, John Dyson shines new light on the period, combining exclusive interviews with key players, management and club officials with the perspective of supporters and others to piece together a new history. Here is the unfiltered story of a team that did not give up. This is the Owls back in the big time!

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Foreword by Alan Smith
• Introduction
• The Cast
• 1. Context
• 2. 1984: August to December
• 3. An Interview with Mike Lyons
• 4. The Players
• 5. An Interview with John Pearson
• 6. 1985: January to May
• 7. An Interview with Lawrie Madden
• 8. The Reserves and Youth Team
• 9. An Interview with Mark Smith
• 10. Cup Runs
• 11. An Interview with Andy Blair
• 12. 1985: August to December
• 13. An Interview with Peter Shirtliff
• 14. The Boardroom and Finances
• 15. An Interview with Gary Shelton
• 16. 1986: January to May
• 17. An Interview with Tony Gregory
• 18. Behind the Scenes
• 19. An Interview with Ian Knight
• 20. Management and Tactics
• 21. An Interview with Garry Thompson
• 22. The Fans’ Perspective
• 23. Snippets
• 24. Conclusions
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography
• Appendix One: Player Statistics
• Appendix Two: League Tables
• Photos