1998–99 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season

Danny Wilson's return to Hillsborough as manager^[1] saw them begin the season among the favourites for relegation of many pundits. But they performed reasonably well throughout the season, being one of just three sides to beat treble winners Manchester United in addition to being one of just four sides to beat second-placed Arsenal, who would finish just one point behind Manchester United. Up to 27 February 1999 – their 3–1 home win over Middlesbrough – they were boasting somewhat inconsistent yet very stable, promising mid-table form: 10th in the table, winning ten, drawing five and losing 11 of their first 26 games with an impressive goal difference of +9 and were looking like good bets for a UEFA Cup slot. However, they couldn't quite keep up the momentum and would lose their next five games which ultimately ended such hopes. However, winning three of their final seven matches ensured that they would finish 12th at the end of a campaign during which they had never faced any serious threat of relegation; a significant improvement to the previous season. The only major concern at the club was a growing mountain of debts which would have been even more of a worry had the Owls suffered relegation. An expensively assembled squad including Paolo Di Canio, Benito Carbone and Wim Jonk failed to live up to the massive wage bill the club was paying and things eventually came to a head when Italian firebrand Di Canio was sent off in a match against Arsenal and infamously proceeded to push the referee Paul Alcock on his way off, which resulted in an extended ban of 11 matches^[2] and him being fined £10,000.^[3]

Results summary

Results by round

Sheffield Wednesday's score comes first^[4]

Squad at end of season^[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   ENG Kevin Pressman 2 DF   ENG Peter Atherton (captain) 3 DF   NIR Ian Nolan[notes 1] 4 MF   NED Wim Jonk 5 DF   ENG Jon Newsome 6 DF   ENG Des Walker 7 FW   ENG Guy Whittingham 8 FW   ITA Benito Carbone 10 FW   ENG Andy Booth 12 MF   SCO Philip Scott 13 GK   ENG Matt Clarke 14 FW   ITA Francesco Sanetti 15 DF   ARG Juan Cobián 16 MF   ENG Ritchie Humphreys 17 MF   ENG Lee Briscoe 18 DF   YUG Dejan Stefanović 19 MF   ENG Scott Oakes

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 DF   ENG Andy Hinchcliffe 21 FW   ENG Richard Cresswell 22 DF   BRA Emerson Thome 23 FW   GHA Junior Agogo 25 MF   NOR Petter Rudi 26 MF   SWE Niclas Alexandersson 27 DF   ENG Earl Barrett 28 MF   IRL Alan Quinn 29 MF   ENG Krystof Kotylo 30 FW   ENG Andrew Douglas 31 MF   IRL Mark McKeever[notes 2] 32 MF   NIR Danny Sonner[notes 3] 33 GK   CZE Pavel Srníček 34 MF   NIR Owen Morrison 35 DF   ENG Steve Haslam 36 MF   ENG Alex Higgins

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 DF   MKD Goce Sedloski (to Dinamo Zagreb) 11 FW   ITA Paolo Di Canio (to West Ham United) 12 MF   ENG Graham Hyde (to Birmingham City)

No. Pos. Nation Player 25 MF   NIR Jim Magilton (to Ipswich Town) — MF   ENG Mark Platts (to Torquay United)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   ENG Stuart Jones — DF   ENG Leigh Bromby — DF   IRL Derek Geary

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   ENG Kevin Nicholson — MF   ENG Peter Holmes

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	ENG	Kevin Pressman	18	0	14+1	0	1	0	2	0
33	GK	CZE	Pavel Srníček	26	0	24	0	2	0	0	0
Defenders
2	DF	ENG	Peter Atherton	43	2	38	2	3	0	2	0
5	DF	ENG	Jon Newsome	7	0	2+3	0	0+1	0	1	0
6	DF	ENG	Des Walker	42	0	37	0	3	0	2	0
15	DF	ARG	Juan Cobián	10	0	7+2	0	0	0	1	0
18	DF	SCG	Dejan Stefanović	13	1	8+3	0	2	1	0	0
20	DF	ENG	Andy Hinchcliffe	36	3	32	3	2	0	2	0
22	DF	BRA	Emerson Thome	43	2	38	1	3	1	2	0
27	DF	ENG	Earl Barrett	6	0	0+5	0	0	0	0+1	0
35	DF	ENG	Steve Haslam	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Midfielders
4	MF	NED	Wim Jonk	43	2	38	2	3	0	2	0
12	MF	SCO	Phillip Scott	4	1	0+4	1	0	0	0	0
16	MF	ENG	Richie Humphreys	21	3	10+9	1	2	2	0	0
17	MF	ENG	Lee Briscoe	19	1	5+11	1	0+2	0	1	0
19	MF	ENG	Scott Oakes	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
25	MF	NOR	Petter Rudi	38	7	33+1	6	3	1	1	0
26	MF	SWE	Niclas Alexandersson	36	3	31+1	3	3	0	0+1	0
28	MF	IRL	Alan Quinn	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
31	MF	IRL	Mark McKeever	3	0	1+2	0	0	0	0	0
32	MF	NIR	Danny Sonner	29	3	24+2	3	2+1	0	0	0
34	MF	NIR	Owen Morrison	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
Forwards
7	FW	ENG	Guy Whittingham	3	0	1+1	0	0	0	0+1	0
8	FW	ITA	Benito Carbone	36	9	31	8	3	1	2	0
10	FW	ENG	Andy Booth	38	6	34	6	1+1	0	2	0
14	FW	ITA	Francesco Sanetti	5	0	0+3	0	0	0	0+2	0
21	FW	ENG	Richard Cresswell	7	1	1+6	1	0	0	0	0
23	FW	GHA	Junior Agogo	2	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	0	0
Players transferred out during the season
11	FW	ITA	Paolo Di Canio	8	3	5+1	3	0	0	2	0
12	MF	ENG	Graham Hyde	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
25	MF	NIR	Jim Magilton	6	0	1+5	0	0	0	0	0

Considering starts in all competitions^[6]

• GK: #33,   Pavel Srnicek, 26
• RB: #2,   Peter Atherton, 43
• CB: #22,   Emerson Thome, 43
• CB: #6,   Des Walker, 42
• LB: #20,   Andy Hinchcliffe, 36
• RM: #26,   Niclas Alexandersson, 34
• CM: #4,   Wim Jonk, 43
• CM: #25,   Petter Rudi, 37
• LM: #32,   Danny Sonner, 26
• CF: #10,   Andy Booth, 25
• CF: #8,   Benito Carbone, 36

Transfers in:   £3,600,000

Transfers out:   £2,432,500

Total spending:   £1,167,500

• Dickinson, Jason (1999). One Hundred Years at Hillsborough. Sheffield: The Hallamshire Press/Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. pp. 246–247, 387. ISBN 978-1-874718-29-1.
• Dickinson, Jason; Brodie, John (2005). The Wednesday Boys: A Definitive Who's Who of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club 1880–2005. Sheffield: Pickard Communication. pp. 347, 350. ISBN 978-0-9547264-9-2.
• Drake, A. "1998–99 Players". The Owl Football Historian. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2008.