Dan Walker says his kids have ‘fallen in love with football’ after watching Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley

Dan Walker was one of 40,000 people who made the 165 mile trip down to Wembley to watch Sheffield Wednesday on Monday (29 May). The Owls faced Barnsley in the EFL League 1 play-off final, with the winner attaining promotion to the Championship.

With both teams creating chances early on, the first half ended 0-0. The second half saw a potential penalty for Barnsley, but VAR decided it would not be given, much to the dismay of the red half of the stadium. Things soon got worse for the Tykes as midfielder Adam Phillips was handed a red card just minutes later.

Barry Bannan continued to pile on the pressure for Wednesday deep into the second half, with several dangerous looking strikes. The midfielder also completed 55 passes in the game. 

The match remained scoreless after 90 minutes, and looked set for a penalty shoot-out, as three minutes of injury time were added to finish off extra time. With just seven seconds left of the three added minutes, Lee Gregory crossed the ball into the centre of the box. A trailing Josh Windass found himself in acres of space, leaping forward onto the ball - powering a stunning header into the back of the net. 

Windass’s effort secured promotion for the Owls, who will return to the Championship after a two year spell in League One. 

Former Football Focus presenter and proud Sheffield resident, Dan Walker, was at Wembley for the monumental match with his family. He shared a clip of the scenes after the full time whistle had been blown to Twitter. Writing in the caption, Dan said: “There is something magical about watching your kids fall in love with football. They have seen their team come from 4-0 down in the SF to win with virtually the final touch at Wembley. I’ve told them it’s not always like this but… there isn’t much like it #SWFC #PlayoffFinal.” 

The Channel 5 newsreader also commended Darren Moore, saying he was ‘delighted’ for the gaffer. He added: “I haven’t seen the game back yet so I don’t know whether Barnsley should have had a penalty but… what a climax to the season ”.