Sheffield Wednesday's relegation record: The five earliest drops in English football history

Sheffield Wednesday set an unwanted English football record on 22 February, 2026, when their relegation from the Championship was mathematically confirmed.

The February demotion marks the earliest in the calendar year a team has ever had their relegation confirmed, as well as becoming the first team to ever suffer the drop in the second month of the year in both English Football League and English football history.

Following Sheffield Wednesday's remarkable relegation record, Sports Mole take a look back at the five earliest confirmed demotions in English football history.

Sheffield Wednesday - Championship (February 22, 2026)

Sheffield Wednesday's relegation from the Championship to League One was confirmed on February 22, 2026, with the Owls mathematically unable to survive even with 13 games still to play.

Henrik Pedersen's side had little chance of survival this season after the club were handed an 18-point deduction earlier in the campaign, receiving a 12-point deduction in October and a further six-point deduction in December, with both due to financial breaches and entering administration.

In rather cruel fashion, Sheffield Wednesday's relegation was confirmed following the 2-1 loss to arch rivals Sheffield United, which left the Owls 41 points adrift from safety, sitting bottom of the standings with a -7 points tally.

The February relegation breaks the record for the earliest demotion in both English Football League and English football history, becoming the first team to suffer the drop in just the second month of the year.

Stockport County - First Division (March 16, 2002)

Sheffield Wednesday's new unwanted record broke Stockport County's previous earliest relegation, when they were demoted from the First Division in March 2002.

The Hatters managed just 26 points from 46 games by the end of the season, picking up just six wins, eight draws and 32 defeats during that time, including conceding a staggering 102 goals.

Due to their lack of victories and failure to pick up consistent points, Stockport County's relegation was confirmed on March 16, becoming the earliest confirmed demotion in English football history - a record that stood for nearly a quarter of a century.

Derby County - Premier League (March 29, 2008)

Unsurprisingly, Derby County's record-setting 2007-08 Premier League season features on the list, with the Rams having their relegation confirmed on March 29, 2008.

Derby County's demotion is the earliest in the Premier League, while their overall campaign remains the record for the least points in the league's history, ending the season with a miserable 11 points from 38 fixtures.

Their relegation was actually confirmed following a 2-2 draw with Fulham, which left them mathematically unable to survive, and they ended up finishing a significant 25 points adrift from safety.

Just under 20 years later, Derby's 11-point total remains the record low in the Premier League, and there are no signs of this record being broken any time soon.

Huddersfield Town - Premier League (March 30, 2019)

Huddersfield Town are one of several teams that have come close to Derby's record, with the Terriers finishing at the bottom of the Premier League standings with 16 points in 2018-19.

Eventually ending the campaign with just three wins, seven draws and 28 defeats, Huddersfield Town's early relegation had been confirmed months before the season's end.

The Terriers were deemed mathematically unable to survive on March 30, 2019, just a day later than Derby County suffered their relegation 11 years earlier.

Southampton - Premier League (April 6, 2025)

Southampton may not have been relegated in either February or March like the other teams on this list, but the Saints did set their own unwanted record in the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Southampton did manage to narrowly avoid Derby County's point record, finishing with 12 points, but the Saints did set a new record for the earliest Premier League relegation in terms of games remaining.

The Saints had their early demotion confirmed on April 6, 2025, with a record-breaking seven Premier League fixtures still to play - managing to pick up two points in that time to avoid also breaking the Rams' point record.