Owls ‘biggest club in League One’
FORMER Sunderland assistant boss Steve Cotterill says Sheffield Wednesday are ‘the biggest’ club in League One - though said it was nip and tuck with the Black Cats.
Cotterill currently manages Shrewsbury Town, who sit in the 21st spot in the division, and his side plays Sheffield Wednesday today needing to pick up points to move away from the relegation zone.
Ahead of Shrewsbury’s trip to Hillsborough, Cotterill described the Owls as the biggest club in League One.
He said: “Sheffield Wednesday are a huge club, arguably the biggest in the division, they and Sunderland are nip and tuck.”
Cotterill was Howard Wilkinson’s assistant at Sunderland in 2002-03.
The pair took over from Peter Reid and were tasked with keeping the Wearsiders in the top division.
However, they were sacked after steering the club to only two wins in 27 games, leaving the Black Cats seven points adrift at the bottom of the table.
With only nine games left to turn things around, Mick McCarthy took over but the Wearsiders were relegated, having registered just 19 points.
Comparing the two clubs, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light has a capacity of 49,000. The team have won the FA Cup twice, the League Cup twice, and the top division six times, albeit the last time was in 1936.
Sheffield Wednesday play at the 34,000-capacity Hillsborough, have won the FA Cup three times, the League Cup once, and the top division four times - most recently in 1930.
Sunderland also have a higher attendance by several thousand in recent seasons. Sheffield Wednesday currently sit 12th in table, while Sunderland hold the top spot.