Sheffield Wednesday fan action v Grimsby Town divides opinion online | OneFootball

Many Sheffield Wednesday supporters were split about whether fans should have attended their EFL Cup tie against Grimsby Town in midweek.

Sheffield Wednesday's poor start to the season reached a new low as they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two side Grimsby Town on Tuesday night, but events on the pitch were not the main talking point among supporters.

After a nightmare summer of off-field issues and financial problems that resulted in the departure of a number of their stars, Wednesday have been left with a threadbare squad of just 17 senior players, and as expected, it is shaping up to be a season of struggle for the troubled club.

The Owls have picked up just one point from their first five league games, and they currently sit 23rd in the Championship table, with only Steel City rivals Sheffield United keeping them off the bottom, but that is unlikely to remain the case for much longer after Chris Wilder's return to Bramall Lane.

The EFL Cup has provided some brief respite for Wednesday this season, and after getting past League One side Bolton Wanderers in the first round, they caused a big upset as they knocked out Premier League outfit Leeds United in the second round following a penalty shootout victory at Hillsborough.

However, the Owls' run in the competition came to an end as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Grimsby on Tuesday night, with Jaze Kabia's 49th-minute header sealing a deserved victory for David Artell's men.

Grimsby Town attendance causes big Sheffield Wednesday supporter divide

With many buying season tickets long before the club's summer of turmoil began, Wednesday supporters have been unable to boycott Championship games in protest against owner Dejphon Chansiri this season, although attendances are still down on the previous campaign.

However, the EFL Cup has provided the Owls faithful with an opportunity to send a message to Chansiri by staying away from Hillsborough, and the attendance of 7,801 against Leeds in the second round was way lower than what would typically be expected for such a high-profile fixture.

While supporters were always likely to be keen to attend a Yorkshire derby, it was widely assumed there would be significantly fewer home fans present for the visit of Grimsby, with many believing that a virtually empty home stand would be a powerful image as the battle against Chansiri continues.

As the Mariners brought an impressive following of around 6,000 fans with them to South Yorkshire, the total attendance for Tuesday night's game was 9,424, meaning that there were still over 3,000 Wednesday supporters in the ground, despite the pleas from protest groups to avoid purchasing tickets.

Although the humiliating exit at the hands of a side from two divisions below did generate some headlines, much of the discussion among Owls fans on social media was about the attendance, and it is fair to say that opinion was split on the matter.

After it was revealed that over 3,000 tickets had been sold in the South Stand for the Grimsby game, one Wednesday supporter took to social media to vent his frustration, claiming that Chansiri will not feel pressure to sell unless fans are willing to boycott matches.

It seems those sentiments were shared by many Owls supporters, with some even claiming that those attending the Grimsby game were contributing to the club's problems by continuing to put money in Chansiri's pockets.

Another Wednesday fan took aim at those who entered Hillsborough on Tuesday night, questioning how those supporters can demand Chansiri's departure while still buying tickets and food and drink in the stadium.

However, there is clearly still a divide among the Owls fanbase about whether staying away from games is the right way to protest, with one supporter insisting that such action is pointless and expressing his desire to continue to give backing to the team on the pitch.