Sheffield Wednesday failed to progress beyond the third round of the F.A. Cup yet again on Saturday, losing out 2-1 to Championship rivals Crystal Palace at Hillsborough.
Since reaching the 5th round of the most prestigious domestic cup competition back in the Premier League relegation season of 1999/2000 the Owls have only managed two victories, one against Norwich in 2000/01 and the other over Salisbury City in 2003/04.
Wednesday’s sixth consecutive failure at the first hurdle was sealed thanks to yet another lacklustre home display, riddled with defensive errors and a lack of attacking threat and the visitors fully merited their place in the fourth round with a tie against Premier League side Wolves to come.
The defeat will no doubt be accompanied by the old adage that states it gives the club the opportunity to concentrate on the league but concentrating on their form in the Championship is what they been supposed to be doing for the previous few months and this has brought very little success.
A cup run could have been seen as a distraction to a few negative minded supporters but the opportunity to generate some much needed revenue with the prospect of a decent draw in the next round would have come in handy. Furthermore success breeds confidence and for a team that hasn’t won a match since 17th October a victory in any competition would be a bonus.
With matches against fellow strugglers Peterborough, Scunthorpe and Plymouth as well as a trip to local rivals Barnsley coming up in January the Owls desperately need to buck their ideas up if they are to maintain Championship status.