Paul Heckingbottom speaks out on sad Sheffield Wednesday situation - "They can't go out of existence" | OneFootball

Former Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom as had his say on Sheffield Wednesday’s current situation after his Preston side battled with the Owls last week

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has expressed sympathy towards Sheffield Wednesday for the situation they find themselves in, outlining the club ‘can’t go out of existence’ and can hopefully think towards ‘bigger things’ under a different ownership.

This came after Heckingbottom’s Preston side battled with the Owls at Hillsborough last Saturday afternoon, triumphing in a pulsating 3-2 victory after twice falling behind in Yorkshire.

Ben Whiteman, Lewis Dobbin and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen all got on the scoresheet for the Lilywhites to overturn an early 14-minute brace by Wednesday man Charlie McNeill.

From a Wednesday perspective, it was an excellent showing of fight, passion and determination, but they just fell short to a team that has aspirations of competing for a place in the Premier League.

One thing is for sure with the Owls though, is that they are going down fighting.

Relegation is very likely to arrive given the club currently sits 21 points from safety with 28 games left of the season, but all the team can do is grind it out to the bitter end, secure a change of ownership and then focus on the task of getting back to the second-tier as quickly as possible.

As of yet, though, Wednesday are still seeking to find a replacement at the top of the club after Dejphon Chansiri placed the club into administration towards the end of October.

There’s been many twists and turns in the takeover race throughout this last month, with former Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor and US billionaire John McEvoy linked in recent weeks, while an unnamed Middle Eastern group has ruled itself out of the race.

Another candidate has fallen in the shape of Midtylland owner Anders Holch Povlsen, while ex-Newcastle United chief Mike Ashley has reportedly submitted a £20m bid to buy the football club.

With talks ramping up, it appears the ownership race is coming to its conclusion, but it needs to happen as soon as possible to ensure the club has much-needed stability to work off moving forward.

Paul Heckingbottom shares sympathy towards Sheffield Wednesday situation

Meanwhile, Preston boss Heckingbottom - who has sat on both sides of the Steel City, having played for Wednesday in the 2000's, as well as managing Sheffield United more recently, gave his thoughts on the situation involving the Owls.

In a video posted on X by The Star, Heckingbottom admitted it’s unsavoury to have had to witness the issues at Hillsborough this year, but believes the club will be working towards “bigger things” when the change in ownership arrives.

When asked about Wednesday’s situation, Heckingbottom replied: “Yeah, it’s not nice. I live next door to a Wednesday season ticket holder, across the road is a Blade and next door is Leeds, so there’s been a bit of fun there.

“But it’s not nice, you don’t want it. I think the size of Wednesday has brought it home to roost.

"I think the importance of fans at a football club has been shown to everyone at Wednesday as well, due to the size of the club. Again, no disrespect to the League Two clubs who have gone through it, but Sheffield Wednesday can’t go out of existence, everyone knows Wednesday in the 80s and 90s.

“I think it’s shone a spotlight on it, and it’s not often administration is a good thing, but it was celebrated, and hopefully they’re thinking towards bigger things.

"Who knows what they do this season with the league and the points because it isn’t the most important thing, it’s the ownership that’s the most important thing.”

Sheffield Wednesday situation has united the footballing community

The words from Paul Heckingbottom were both classy and a reflection of how most football supporters feel about what is going on at Hillsborough right now.

Some may be surprised given his past connections to Bramall Lane, but this goes to show how some things in football extend beyond rivalry, particularly when a club has been at such risk of dropping out of existence.

As Heckingbottom alluded to, it simply can’t happen given the sheer size of Wednesday and its illustrious history, with the club possessing features of a Premier League club with its iconic stadium and immensely loyal fanbase.

While relegation is almost certain from the Championship this term due to their points deduction, there is still a hope that the club will go from strength to strength under fresh guidance, securing significant investment and having a strong enough squad to gain promotion out of League One at the first attempt.

While it is unknown whether the change of ownership will have the desired impact, there’s a hope with all connected to Wednesday that it’s the catalyst for one day getting the club back among England’s elite in the top-flight.