Suddenly The JPT Gets Interesting

So, go on, admit it, who was expecting a spectacle like THAT last night at Hillsborough? Not many of you, I bet...

It was probably the best £5 I've ever spent as a Wednesday fan - and well done to the club for reducing the prices the way they did - and it's probably the best £5 I may ever spend as a Wednesday supporter.

It wasn't the best of games from an SWFC point of view. The performance was, shall we say, not the best.

But it's not the performance I want to talk about or to rip apart, it was the event which unfolded at S6 last night.

People reading this will remember the Premier League days of Manchester United and Arsenal visiting Hillsborough, the European nights, the big FA Cup matches and the Steel City derby matches.

Last night's match may not be remembered quite as long as some of those, but it was certainly a match where Wednesday fans took to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for all the right reasons.

It had everything, passion, attacking football, a good atmosphere, missed chances, late equalisers, and an emphatic penalty shoot-out.

We didn't care about the competition before tonight's match, but we do now.

If the competition can produce matches like that on a regular basis then it's a competition that shouldn't be laughed at, no matter how far a club can fall.

We all fancied a day out at Wembley if we managed to reach the final, no matter how far it is from the Wembley appearances of the early 90's.

Now, dare I say it, some of us are actually looking forward to the next round, no matter who we play.

I'd have taken three points this weekend over a win in the Trophy, no question, but the match provided something which many Owls home matches have failed to provide, not just this season, but over the last few seasons - entertainment in abundance.

I'd have happily paid the usual ticket price for that match, and I'm sure many others would have, too.

It's the draw for the quarter-final of the Trophy on Soccer AM from 10am on Saturday, and I'm actually looking forward to it - I'll probably even wake up for it.

Let's not get carried away, the league is still the huge priority to get things right, and a departure from the JPT before Wembley would be no big blow, but last night's match with the Spireites at least shone a positive light on a competition which has been so heavily frowned upon by some supporters in recent seasons.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.