Sheffield Wednesday will no doubt be feeling devastated having missed out on the Premier League by one game, losing narrowly in the Championship play-off final to Hull City on Saturday.
However, when the dust settles and preparations begin for the next campaign the Owls will be able to reflect on a season of great progress and one in which they improved their league standing for the 5th successive campaign.
In 2010/11, with the club in financial ruin and having suffered a second relegation to the 3rd tier inside a decade, Wednesday were in a sorry state and finished in 15th place in League One. During that season Milan Mandaric took over as chairman, saving the club from potential administration or worse and putting down a platform for continuous improvement.
The following season ended with automatic promotion back to the Championship and a period of stabilisation both on and off the field. Wednesday finished in 18th place in 2012/13 and 16th position in 2013/14.
Having managed to get the club back to some form of an even keel (Wednesday were making financial losses but these were comparatively low in relation to many other Championship clubs) it was no secret that Mandaric was looking to sell the club to a buyer who could provide more impetuous.
Towards the end of the 2014/15 season a buyer was found in the shape of Dejphon Chansiri. The campaign ended with yet another improved league position – 13th place but the style of football wasn't great to watch, especially at Hillsborough as Wednesday struggled for form in front of their own fans and were among the lowest goal scoring teams in the country.
Last summer Chansiri took the decision to relieve manager Stuart Gray of his duties and replaced him with Carlos Carvalhal, a Portuguese manager with a log and varied CV but no experience of English football. The jury was out on how the new look Owls would get on this season but Chansiri promised that his new staff would deliver attractive, exciting football and Carvalhal didn't disappoint as Wednesday finished in 6th place and were particularly impressive at Hillsborough where they lost just 2 games all season.
Wednesday may be disappointed with how the final game finished but they have plenty to be optimistic about.