Sturrock Signs 'Til 2010

Owls boss Paul Sturrock has agreed to extend his stay at Hillsborough until 2010 after an announcement by the Owls this afternoon.

Sturrock's contract was due to expire at the end of the current campaign and fans feared the former Plymouth Argyle boss's days were numbered at S6 after Chairman Dave Allen announced he wouldn't enter into discussions until Christmas.

But it appears Allen has had a U-turn over his decision and has penned Sturrock in for a further three-years - which will see Sturrock remain at the club until at least 2010.

Sturrock told the official SWFC site: 'This has come after several weeks of negotiations and I'm absolutely delighted. I've always said I was totally committed to Sheffield Wednesday and its supporters, and that I wanted to extend my stay here. I hope this news shows the extent of the solidarity between the chairman and myself, and that we can get back to talking about football, starting with tomorrow's game at Hull.'

Chairman Dave Allen said: 'There has never been any question in my mind about Paul's contract. As I've previously said, we had both decided that Christmas would be the right time to finalise the details. However, I am fed up with all the scurrilous rumours in the media concerning the managerial situation. Paul and I have been discussing his new contract for a number of weeks now and it's time these rumours were all brought to an end.

'A little stress is the salt of life; however I think you get the best out of people when they are comfortable in the job. Having settled the contract, the only pressure on Paul now is to win football matches on a regular basis!'

Sturrock has been a major success story since his arrival at S6 after leaving then-Premiership club Southampton. He took the Owls to an 'early' promotion from League One via the play-offs and achieved his target of survival in the Championship at the first attempt. He will be hoping to take the Owls one step further this season as the club looks towards a return to the top flight.

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