[themaclad]

Sheffield Wednesday v Preston North End

Hillsborough 19/8/2023 ko 15.00 hrs

Hillsborough Stadium is a football stadium in Sheffield, England. It has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday since opening in 1899.[2]

The ground has been substantially re-developed, with new stands on each side and the original South Stand re-built for UEFA Euro 1996.[3] It has two large two-tiered stands and two large single-tiered stands, all of which are covered. All four stands are of a similar capacity, with the South Stand being the largest and the West Stand (usually housing the away supporters) being the smallest.

The ground was the scene of the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April 1989, in which 97 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. The subsequent Taylor Report into the disaster led to a series of long-overdue safety improvements at the ground and other large stadiums around the country, including the requirement for clubs in the top two divisions in England to have all-seater stadiums and the withdrawal of perimeter fencing around the pitch; the latter had only been installed a few years prior to the disaster.

The club's plans to renovate the stadium and expand the capacity to 44,825 have been approved by Sheffield City Council with the aim of hosting World Cup matches. The playing surface was upgraded in 2015 to the Desso GrassMaster system,[4] including a complete replacement of the under-soil heating and drainage systems, while the scoreboard was replaced by a modern 'big screen' prior to the 2015–16 season. The stadium previously played host to World Cup and European Championship football in 1966 and 1996, respectively.

The stadium's capacity has currently been temporarily reduced to 34,854 on safety grounds, although work is continuing to restore its maximum capacity.[5]

LAST TIME OUT





MANAGER

Francisco Javier Muñoz Llompart (born 5 September 1980), known as Xisco, is a Spanish football manager and former player who played mainly as a left winger. He is the current manager of EFL Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.

He played 194 matches and scored 20 goals over nine seasons in La Liga, spending four years at Betis, also representing Valencia, Tenerife, Recreativo and Levante and winning the 2004 UEFA Cup with Valencia. Starting in 2011, he played four seasons in Georgia with Dinamo Tbilisi.

In 2019, Xisco rejoined Dinamo Tbilisi as part of the technical team, and in 2020 became the head coach of the club. In December 2020, he was appointed at Watford, achieving promotion to the Premier League in his first season.

The joy of Ex

Bambo Diaby recently left us to join the Owls top bloke although prone to gaffs

MET BEFORE



The first one on the list had this epic that got me a free cup ticket against the Gunners



NEWBIES



https://www.swfc.co.uk/

http://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=59

https://www.owlstalk.co.uk/forums/

Other games



HISTORY

Forgemasters, founded in 1805, is the sole remaining independent steel works in the world and dominates the north-east of Sheffield around the Lower Don Valley.[113] The firm has a global reputation for producing the largest and most complex steel forgings and castings and is certified to produce critical nuclear components, with recent projects including the Royal Navy's Astute-class submarines.[114] The firm also has the capacity for pouring the largest single ingot (570 tonnes) in Europe and is currently in the process of expanding its capabilities.[115] In July 2021 Forgemasters was bought outright by the UK Ministry of Defence for £2.56 million, with the intention of investing a further £400 million over the next decade.[116] The decision was based on the important role Forgemasters plays in the construction of the UK nuclear submarine fleet as well other vessels for the Royal Navy.[116]

While iron and steel have long been the main industries of Sheffield, coal mining has also been a major industry, particularly in the outlying areas, and the Palace of Westminster in London was built using limestone from quarries in the nearby village of Anston.