Matt Hamshaw will lead Sheffield Wednesday against Cambridge tomorrow night as the Owls begin life after Henrik Pedersen.

A midweek defeat to Notts County piled the pressure on Pedersen, and a defeat to fellow South Yorkshire outfit Doncaster Rovers on Saturday made his position completely untenable.

Now, Hamshaw has stepped up for tomorrow’s game and he has a long-standing association with the Owls following his time at the club as a player. Once upon a time, they actually left him completely heartbroken…

How Sheffield Wednesday broke Matt Hamshaw’s heart

Hamshaw was a quality player for Wednesday. He came through the academy ranks at Middlewood Road and made 88 appearances for the Owls, scoring four goals for the club.

In 2005, Paul Sturrock decided that the time was right for him to depart South Yorkshire – much to his dismay. As a proud Yorkshireman, Hamshaw never wanted to leave, and although he enjoyed a good career with Stockport, Mansfield and Notts County, Hamshaw admitted to the Sheffield Star in 2020 that he was heartbroken by the Owls.

He said: “I didn’t make any plans at all. I didn’t speak to any other club, and I didn’t want to speak to any other club. I had my agent ringing me saying, ‘We should speak to people.’ I said no. I didn’t want to leave; I was happy there, and even if they’d offered me reduced wages, I’d have taken it.”

“I didn’t think for one minute it was going to happen… To get told the next day was just heartbreaking; I was on my knees, to be honest.”

“I came out of the meeting with Paul [Sturrock] and saw the laundry lady. She said, ‘Oh, see you in a few weeks.’ I told her what had happened, and she started crying; she’d known me for seven or eight years. Well, that set me off! All the guys behind the scenes that you don’t see – I went round and said goodbye to them all. I’d known them for years; it was the toughest bit.”

“I almost felt a little bit used, really… I understand now as a coach you have to make those calls. You have to plan and prepare, but I was disappointed with how it all turned out really.”

Wednesday can still enjoy a very good season with the right managerial appointment. Hamshaw looks unlikely to get the job permanently, and a big name looks set to be appointed by the new owners.

If the Owls can get the decision right, they could race up the League One table. Wednesday have comfortably the best support in the division, and few would put it past the club to win promotion back to the Championship this season.