96 points is a more than sufficient tally to earn automatic promotion in any Football League season, bar one — Sheffield Wednesday’s 2022/23 Sky Bet League One campaign. The unfortunate Owls missed the cut and dropped into the play-off lottery, which was toughened further after a heavy beating to Peterborough United in the Semi-Final First-Leg, making the return affair on Thursday 18 May 2023 such a momentous day in the club's 155-year history.
Whilst the South Yorkshire club had cleared the qualification threshold by 20 points, the Posh narrowly secured their place by just one, however, it was the latter who drew first blood, securing overwhelming control of the play-off tie. Any points difference from the regular season was rendered insignificant when coming head-to-head at the Western Homes Stadium. First-half goals from Jack Taylor and Joe Ward accompanied by Kwame Poku and Jonson Clarke-Harris strikes in the following 45, steamrolled Peterborough to an unexpected 4-0 advantage.
You could excuse anyone for assuming the contest was over, with Wednesday leaving themselves a seemingly insurmountable task to overcome when the teams met again six days later. No club had ever reversed more than a two-goal first-leg deficit in the English play-offs to reach the final, let alone four. Prior to the game, captain Barry Bannan, in a bid to inspire his comrades, highlighted how they had beaten three teams by five goals that campaign. What transpired was one of English football’s greatest comebacks.
Hillsborough required early goals to light the spark and got two in the first 25 minutes in front of an elated Spinion Kop end. Michael Smith launched the resurgence from the spot after Marvin Johnson was chopped down. Gregory doubled the lead after angling Callum Paterson's low cross-shot past goalkeeper Will Norris, as Wednesday fans raised the decibels with growing belief. Seeing their unassailable lead quickly halved, the Posh formed a responsive huddle in search of order and composure, before Ephron Mason-Clark and Ward tested Cameron Dawson’s resolve between the Sheffield sticks.
But when the teams returned from the break, the home side continued their assault. Gregory attempted an audacious overhead kick, only to be denied by a first-class save from diving Norris. Wednesday’s pressure was awarded 20 minutes from time, when Reece James, who had snuck behind the visitors' backline, poked the ball between Norris’ legs to put his team within one goal of equalising. Manager Darren Moore matched the energy amongst the Owl’s support, bouncing with joy on the touchline as were well and truly back in the contest. It looked like a fourth goal might have been a stretch too far for Wednesday as the clock ticked past the 90, but the introduction of centre-back Aden Flint as a striker in the final knocking proved crucial when the towering defender climbed high at the back post. He headed the ball down to Liam Palmer who forced the ball over the line with just seconds to spare, sending the stadium into an eruption with emotion. Wednesday had completed the comeback of all play-off comebacks to take the tie to extra time.
Peterborough may have failed to register a shot throughout the whole of the second half but countered Wednesday’s attacking ferocity in the 105th minute when Nathan Thompson’s free-kick diverted in off Gregory, undoing the home side’s hard-fought revival. The Posh looked to have booked their place at Wembley, only for a rebuttal once more, this time Paterson hauled his side level to 5-5 on aggregate.
A penalty shootout was needed to decide the fate of this epic thriller. Spot kicks from Smith, Will Vaulks, Bannan, Josh Windass and Jack Hunt completed a perfect five, trumping Posh’s three successful attempts. Hunt’s decisive top-corner finish was greeted by a sea of blue-and-white striped supporters racing onto the field, rounding off a fairy-tale fightback that no doubt fuelled a performance under the arch 11 days later, where they went on to beat county rivals Barnsley 1-0 courtesy of Windass' 123rd-minute winner, the closing of a chapter in one of the most extraordinary play-off journeys.
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