Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore has described the Owls’ promotion to the Championship as a “fairytale story” after his side defeated Barnsley 1-0 after extra time in the League One playoff final on Monday.
The game at Wembley was poised for penalties until Josh Windass popped up with the winner in added time of 120 minutes.
It follows the remarkable comeback Wednesday made in the playoff semi-finals, going down 4-0 to Peterborough United in the first leg before overturning the deficit by winning the second leg at Hillsborough 5-1 to level the tie and ultimately win 5-3 on penalties.
Moore asserted that such a feat was not written down and is an illustration of feats that seem impossible becoming possible.
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— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) May 29, 2023
“It’s the stuff dreams are made of,” Moore said.
“You couldn’t write it. It finished a titanic game that ebbed and flowed both ways.
“This is a special moment for me because it means so many people in Sheffield are happy and positive. When a football club does well you see the knock-on it has in the city, in the community.
“It goes to show that the impossible can be achieved. It’s a fairytale story.”
Sheffield Wednesday finished third in League One during the regular season and will be heading back to the Championship along with Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town.
The smile says it all! #EFLPlayOffs | @swfc pic.twitter.com/tQHICE6kgv
— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) May 29, 2023
Moore is the second black manager to achieve promotion for a team with the English Football League (EFL) system this season after Belgian-Congolese Vincent Kompany led Burnley back to the Premier League by winning the Championship.
