# 1996–97 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season

The 1996–97 season was Sheffield Wednesday F.C.'s 130th season in existence. They competed in the twenty-team Premiership, the top tier of English football, finishing seventh.

## Season summary

A four-match winning start to the season saw Sheffield Wednesday top the Premiership and manager David Pleat receive Manager of the Month award for August, but they soon fell out of the title frame and in the end, despite losing just nine games in the league, they finished seventh in the final table - not even enough for UEFA Cup qualification; they could easily have finished higher had they not drawn as many as 15 games (making it 30 points they dropped). In the close season, Pleat paid a club record £5.7 million for Celtic's Italian forward Paolo Di Canio, giving his squad a much-needed boost to their hopes of challenging for honours.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 61 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Chelsea | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 59 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 57 | |
| 8 | Wimbledon | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 56 | |
| 9 | Leicester City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 47 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
* ↑ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
* ↑ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.
* ↑ Leicester City qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: Statto

### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Result | W | W | W | W | L | L | D | L | L | D | D | D | W | D | D | W | D | D | D | D | W | L | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | L | D | W | D | W | L | L | L | D |
| Position | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |

## Results

Sheffield Wednesday's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 17 August 1996 | Aston Villa | H | 2–1 | 26,861 | Humphreys, Whittingham |
| 20 August 1996 | Leeds United | A | 2–0 | 31,011 | Humphreys, Booth |
| 24 August 1996 | Newcastle United | A | 2–1 | 36,452 | Atherton, Whittingham |
| 2 September 1996 | Leicester City | H | 2–1 | 17,657 | Booth, Humphreys |
| 7 September 1996 | Chelsea | H | 0–2 | 30,983 | |
| 16 September 1996 | Arsenal | A | 1–4 | 33,461 | Booth |
| 21 September 1996 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 23,934 | |
| 28 September 1996 | Everton | A | 0–2 | 34,160 | |
| 12 October 1996 | Wimbledon | A | 2–4 | 10,512 | Booth, Hyde |
| 19 October 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–1 | 22,191 | Booth |
| 26 October 1996 | Coventry City | A | 0–0 | 17,267 | |
| 2 November 1996 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | 20,106 | Newsome |
| 18 November 1996 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2–0 | 16,390 | Trustfull, Carbone |
| 23 November 1996 | Sunderland | A | 1–1 | 20,644 | Oakes |
| 30 November 1996 | West Ham United | H | 0–0 | 22,321 | |
| 7 December 1996 | Liverpool | A | 1–0 | 39,507 | Whittingham |
| 18 December 1996 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | 37,671 | Carbone |
| 21 December 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 30,996 | Nolan |
| 26 December 1996 | Arsenal | H | 0–0 | 23,245 | |
| 28 December 1996 | Chelsea | A | 2–2 | 27,467 | Pembridge, Stefanović |
| 11 January 1997 | Everton | H | 2–1 | 24,175 | Pembridge, Hirst |
| 18 January 1997 | Middlesbrough | A | 2–4 | 29,485 | Pembridge (2) |
| 29 January 1997 | Aston Villa | A | 1–0 | 26,726 | Booth |
| 1 February 1997 | Coventry City | H | 0–0 | 21,793 | |
| 19 February 1997 | Derby County | A | 2–2 | 18,060 | Collins, Hirst |
| 22 February 1997 | Southampton | A | 3–2 | 15,062 | Hirst (2), Booth |
| 1 March 1997 | Middlesbrough | H | 3–1 | 28,206 | Booth, Hyde, Pembridge (pen) |
| 5 March 1997 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3–0 | 21,485 | Carbone (2), Blinker |
| 12 March 1997 | Sunderland | H | 2–1 | 20,294 | Hirst, Stefanović |
| 15 March 1997 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 55,267 | |
| 22 March 1997 | Leeds United | H | 2–2 | 30,373 | Hirst, Booth |
| 9 April 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 22,667 | Atherton, Booth |
| 13 April 1997 | Newcastle United | H | 1–1 | 33,798 | Pembridge |
| 19 April 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 3–1 | 26,957 | Donaldson, Trustfull (2) |
| 22 April 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–4 | 20,845 | Carbone (pen) |
| 3 May 1997 | West Ham United | A | 1–5 | 24,960 | Carbone |
| 7 May 1997 | Leicester City | A | 0–1 | 20,793 | |
| 11 May 1997 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | 38,943 | Donaldson |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 4 January 1997 | Grimsby Town | H | 7–1 | 20,590 | Humphreys (2), Booth (2), Fickling (own goal), Hyde, Pembridge |
| R4 | 25 January 1997 | Carlisle United | A | 2–0 | 16,104 | Whittingham, Booth |
| R5 | 16 February 1997 | Bradford City | A | 1–0 | 17,830 | Humphreys |
| QF | 9 March 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 0–2 | 25,032 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st Leg | 18 September 1996 | Oxford United | H | 1–1 | 7,499 | Whittingham |
| R2 2nd Leg | 24 September 1996 | Oxford United | A | 0–1 (lost 1–2 on agg) | 6,863 | |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Kevin Pressman |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Peter Atherton |
| 3 | DF | NIR | Ian Nolan |
| 4 | MF | WAL | Mark Pembridge |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Jon Newsome |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Des Walker |
| 7 | FW | ENG | Guy Whittingham |
| 8 | FW | ITA | Benito Carbone |
| 9 | FW | ENG | David Hirst |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Andy Booth |
| 11 | MF | NED | Regi Blinker |
| 12 | MF | ENG | Graham Hyde |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Matt Clarke |
| 14 | DF | SCO | Steve Nicol |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Lee Briscoe |
| 18 | DF | YUG | Dejan Stefanović |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Scott Oakes |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Wayne Collins |
| 21 | MF | WAL | Ryan Jones |
| 22 | FW | ENG | O'Neill Donaldson |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Mike Williams |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Brian Linighan |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Ritchie Humphreys |
| 26 | MF | NED | Orlando Trustfull |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Mark Bright (to FC Sion) |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Chris Waddle (to Falkirk) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | MF | IRL | John Sheridan (to Bolton Wanderers) |

### Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Matthew Daly |
| — | DF | ENG | David Billington |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Haslam |
| — | DF | ENG | Simon Weaver |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | IRL | Mark McKeever |
| — | MF | AUS | Adem Poric |
| — | FW | ENG | Mark Platts |
| — | FW | GHA | Junior Agogo |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
| 8 July 1996 | FW | Andy Booth | Huddersfield Town | £2,700,000 |
| 11 July 1996 | GK | Matt Clarke | Rotherham United | £325,000 |
| 7 August 1996 | MF | Scott Oakes | Luton Town | £425,000 |
| 9 August 1996 | MF | Wayne Collins | Crewe Alexandra | £600,000 |
| 20 August 1996 | MF | Orlando Trustfull | Feyenoord | £750,000 |
| 1 September 1996 | DF | Dave Hercock | Cambridge City | Free transfer |
| 14 October 1996 | FW | Benito Carbone | Inter Milan | £3,000,000 |
| 3 April 1997 | DF | David Billington | Peterborough United | £500,000 |
| 15 April 1997 | MF | Mark McKeever | Peterborough United | £500,000 |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 June 1996 | GK | Chris Woods | Colorado Rapids | Free transfer |
| 17 June 1996 | DF | Simon Stewart | Fulham | Free transfer |
| 1 July 1996 | FW | Darko Kovačević | Real Sociedad | Signed |
| 26 July 1996 | GK | Lance Key | Dundee United | Free transfer |
| 1 August 1996 | FW | Marc Degryse | PSV Eindhoven | Signed |
| 15 August 1996 | DF | David Faulkner | Darlington | Free transfer |
| 12 September 1996 | MF | Chris Waddle | Falkirk | Free transfer |
| 19 December 1996 | MF | John Sheridan | Bolton Wanderers | £180,000 |
| 1 January 1997 | FW | Mark Bright | FC Sion | £70,000 |
| 11 March 1997 | DF | Sam Sharman | Hull City | Free transfer |
| 30 August 1997 | DF | Matthew Daly | Sligo Rovers | Free |
    Transfers in: £8,800,000
    Transfers out: £250,000
    Total spending: £8,550,000

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG | Kevin Pressman | 44 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Matt Clarke | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Peter Atherton | 43 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | NIR | Ian Nolan | 44 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Jon Newsome | 14 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Des Walker | 41 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | SCO | Steve Nicol | 28 | 0 | 19+4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Lee Briscoe | 6 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | YUG | Dejan Stefanović | 31 | 2 | 27+2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | WAL | Mark Pembridge | 39 | 7 | 33+1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | NED | Regi Blinker | 36 | 1 | 15+18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | ENG | Graham Hyde | 24 | 3 | 15+4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Scott Oakes | 19 | 1 | 7+11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Wayne Collins | 13 | 1 | 8+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Ritchie Humphreys | 35 | 6 | 14+15 | 3 | 3+1 | 3 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | NED | Orlando Trustfull | 22 | 3 | 9+10 | 3 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | ENG | Guy Whittingham | 37 | 5 | 29+3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | ITA | Benito Carbone | 27 | 6 | 24+1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | David Hirst | 28 | 6 | 20+5 | 6 | 0+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Andy Booth | 41 | 13 | 32+3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | ENG | O'Neill Donaldson | 5 | 2 | 2+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Mike Williams | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who left the club during the season ||||||||||||
| 8 | FW | ENG | Mark Bright | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | IRL | John Sheridan | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |