Sheffield Wednesday legend Chris Waddle backs Owls in Barnsley showdown

The Owls and Reds go head to head at Wembley at 3pm, and with a place in next year’s Championship on the line it was one of the highest-stakes South Yorkshire derbies for years.

Waddle, a hero at Hillsborough during his playing days, says that he thinks Darren Moore’s side can get the job done – also adding that he thinks the club could maintain a spot in the top-flight if they eventually get back there.

Speaking to i news, the Owls legend said, “I’m very confident. If you can’t take something from that win against Peterborough then don’t bother turning up… People will say Barnsley beat them twice but this is a one-off, it’s at Wembley. It finishes that day, someone will be crying and I hope it’s Barnsley…

“Wednesday are a club that could maintain Premier League status, they’re one of the clubs that could go into that league and survive. They’re a long way from it at the moment but potentially they could do it.

“I’m very surprised that no-one has come in over the years and thought, like they have done with Newcastle and other teams like that, ‘this is a project and we could end up with a lot of rewards’.”

The Tykes won 2-0 at Hillsborough and 4-2 at Oakwell - but the Owls will be hoping for a better result on neutral turf on Monday.