Sheffield Wednesday break 24-year English football record as Sheffield United derby defeat confirms relegation

Sheffield Wednesday wrote an unwanted page of English football history on Sunday, as the Owls were relegated from the Championship by virtue of their 2-1 loss to Steel City derby rivals Sheffield United.

Henrik Pedersen's side travelled to Bramall Lane sat on -7 points in the Championship table, having been deducted a total of 18 points for entering administration and then further financial breaches.

Sheffield Wednesday's demotion was only a matter of time before Sunday's game kicked off, and the League One-bound Owls fell 2-0 down at Bramall Lane courtesy of Patrick Bamford and Harrison Burrows's efforts.

Kalvin Phillips's straight red card for a terrible challenge gave the visitors a slice of hope, though, and Charlie McNeill cut the deficit in half with a fine low finish not long after the Manchester City loanee's dismissal.

However, Gabriel Otegbayo was also made to take the walk of shame on the stroke of second-half injury time, all but killing any hopes of an improbable Sheffield Wednesday comeback.

Sheffield Wednesday suffer earliest relegation in English league history

Chris Wilder's men missed a couple of gilt-edged chances to put the game to bed, but they nevertheless ran out 2-1 winners to confirm their rivals' descent down the divisions with 13 games left to play.

Suffering relegation on February 22, Sheffield Wednesday have broken the record for the earliest demotion in English league football history, as the first club to go down in the second month of the year.

The Owls remain on -7 points with 39 left to fight for, while West Bromwich Albion - who lie just outside the relegation zone - sit 41 points better off than Pedersen's men.

In the absolute best-case scenario, Sheffield Wednesday could overtake Oxford United and avoid a bottom-placed finish, but the odds of that happening are wafer-thin given they are 36 points below the 23rd-placed U's.

Sheffield Wednesday's first match since their relegation was confirmed comes away to Norwich City on Wednesday, before they welcome Southampton to Hillsborough next Saturday.

What are the earliest relegations in English football history?

Sheffield Wednesday's crisis season means that the Owls have broken a 24-year record for the quickest post-war demotion in English football, previously held by Stockport County.

In the 2001-02 season, Stockport were relegated from the First Division on March 16, a couple of weeks earlier than the quickest Premier League relegation ever.

Derby County unsurprisingly hold that unwanted honour, as their 2007-08 fate was sealed on March 29, one day before Huddersfield Town in the 2018-19 season.

While Southampton last season set a new record for the earliest Premier League relegation in terms of games remaining, they made it to April 6 before they were officially confirmed as Championship returnees.