Sheffield Wednesday mark end of Dejphon Chansiri era at Hillsborough - It had Owls fans 'shedding tears' | OneFootball

A video shown on the big screen before the match between Sheffield Wednesday & Oxford United has led to an emotional response from Wednesday fans.

An emotional video shown on the big screen at Hillsborough before the match between Sheffield Wednesday & Oxford United has provoked an emotional response from Owls fans.

It was a cathartic afternoon at Hillsborough on Saturday, as a season-high crowd of over 27,000 descended on the famous old stadium for the Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United.

The club was placed into administration on Friday afternoon, marking the end of Dejphon Chansiri's stewardship of it, and Wednesday fans turned out in numbers to mark the occasion.

On the pitch, things didn't work out as they might have hoped.

Oxford won the match 2-1, meaning that Sheffield Wednesday remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship table, but this particular match was about far more than the result on the pitch, because arguably the biggest win of their season so far has been achieved with the confirmation that Chansiri's mismanagement of the club is coming to an end.

On the social media platform X, BBC Sheffield's Rob Staton posted a video of the club's pre-match message for fans.

The message starts humourously, likening Chansiri's presence within the club to a virus which needed to removed from the club: "A problem has been detected in your club and has been stopped to prevent further damage."

It then goes on to remove "Chansiri.exe" through the medium of "contacting administrator to begin recovery..."

This provokes cheers from the supporters, but what follows has brought a lump to the throat of all Sheffield Wednesday supporters, a montage of pictures from the club's past, concluding with the message, "By wisdom & courage we are on our way back."

This is a direct reference to the club's Latin motto, "Consilio et Animis", which translates as "by wisdom and courage", and it finishes with an owl flying down from one of the stands to land on the pitch. The message is a very simple and effective one: we are back.

"That must have been a proper lump in the throat moment" - fans react to Wednesday's emotional pre-match film

The social media reaction to the post was a little short of an outpouring of emotion. One post summed up the familial ties which cut to the chase of why football is such an emotional business in the first place.

"Went with my 86-year-old dad yesterday who I've watched so many of the moments shown in that. Got emotional then, and emotional again just watching it now - amazing vid!!," commented one Wednesday fan.

And many others were more than happy to admit the emotional effect that the short film had on them.

"Went from laughing to being completely choked up in the space of a few minutes. Will remember that for a long time! Absolutely brilliant!," said another emotional Owls supporter.

Indeed, there were plenty of Wednesday supporters for whom this juxtaposition was enough to reduce them to tears.

"Oh my God, highlight of the day by a country mile. Absolutely fabulous. The system reboot was hilarious, the film made several grown men around me shed a tear, including me!" commented another Wednesdayite.

"I asked for a conquest of paradise to return. I absolutely burst into tears hearing it start up today," wrote another.

But this reaction wasn't only limited to Sheffield Wednesday fans, and fans of many others were prepared to admit that the tone of the video had also struck a chord with them.

"Stoke City fan here; that must have been a proper lump in the throat moment for all the Wednesday fans that have endured Chansiri's tenure. You've finally got your club back! Wishing you all the very best for the rest of the season," wrote one Potters fan.

In particular, there were also supporters of other clubs for whom this video served as a reminder of the darker times that their clubs had been through, including Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

"(Nottingham) Forest fan here wishing SW (Sheffield Wednesday) all the best. I've been so sad to hear what's happend to your club in recent times, but hopefully you are now on the road back. Proper football club," wrote a Forest supporter.

"Leeds fan here, class vido, all the best, sad to see another Yorkshire club go through what you guys have. All Yorkshire Aren't We," penned a Leeds United supporter.

It is striking, the extent to which football fans understand this. Rivalries between clubs are very real, yet there is something intrinsic about the fact that the fans of so many other clubs understand these layers.

There was a huge amount of goodwill from across the entire EFL towards Sheffield Wednesday because there is often a shared acknowledgment of 'there but for the grace of God go I' from the fans of other clubs at such times.

In much the same way, the Oxford United match was a celebration, regardless of the result. The minimum twelve-point deduction that the club will incur as a result of entering into administration may well prove to torpedo any remaining hopes that the club have of avoiding relegation to League One at the end of this season.

The harsh reality of Wednesday's predicament on the pitch is that they still have a threadbare squad and are still under transfer embargo. Losing to Oxford - their fourth League defeat in a row - was a chastening reminder of this.

But this match was about more than that. It was about the return of hope. And after the year they've had, Sheffield Wednesday fans probably needed that yesterday more than anything else.