Sheffield Wednesday relegated to League One - 2 players might be secretly happy | OneFootball

These two Wednesday players may welcome the drop down to the third tier

Sheffield Wednesday have become the earliest team in EFL history to be relegated, after their League One fate was sealed in the Steel City derby on Sunday against Sheffield United.

The Owls put in a defiant display, especially in the second half when they had the man advantage, but were unable to get the three points needed to keep their necks above water for another week, or even a point to end their ongoing 11-game losing run in all competitions.

It's been a more than unfortunate campaign on the field, with a thin squad of senior players being flogged week by week, but one positive that has come from that has been the emergence of some youngsters who have been thrown in at the deep end in the Championship.

Relegation is never positive, but for these two players, who have gotten the majority of their senior reps this season in the Championship, the drop-down to League One could see them explode into life next term.

Charlie McNeill

Charlie McNeill, a product of both the Manchester City and Manchester United academies, is enjoying his best scoring season in senior football so far this year, with his deficit-halver in the Steel City derby yesterday taking his tally to four for the year.

The 22-year-old is in his second season at Sheffield Wednesday, but he was only afforded 55 minutes of Championship action in four different substitute appearances last year. Now, understandably, those appearance numbers have increased.

McNeill has shown flashes of why he was brought up in two of the best academies in the country this season, leading the scoring ranks at Hillsborough, and was a missed penalty away from scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 defeat against Preston North End in November.

His only previous experience in League One came by way of a three-game stint for Stevenage in the 2023/24 campaign, where he was largely unfavoured, despite netting on his debut against Leyton Orient.

Three seasons on from that year, McNeill will be primed and ready to better that scoring tally and help Sheffield Wednesday back to the Championship.

Sean Fusire

Before this season, Sean Fusire had made just six senior appearances for Sheffield Wednesday, five of which had come in the EFL Cup, and none had been made in league action.

However, the 20-year-old Zimbabwe international has emerged as a useful option on the right side this season, and had started nine of 10 games leading into his period out of the side when he represented his country in the African Cup of Nations in December.

His ventures into the squad this season for league games have come under extremely difficult circumstances. Having said that, though, he's still shown glimpses of quality that could blossom into a lot more next season.

The Sheffield-born academy man may have some suitors in the second tier looking to bolster their squad with some exciting, youthful additions, but it would be wise for Fusire to remain at Hillsborough ahead of next season's League One campaign.

There, he could mould himself into a dependable option for the Owls, and earn even more senior appearances en route to a Championship return in the future, whether that be with his current club or elsewhere.