The latest installment in the blog is a famous fan interview with Great Britain Modern Pentathlete & Sheffield Wednesday fan Katy Livingston , I would like to thank Katy for taking the time out to conduct this interview in what must be a busy training period with the 2012 olympics just around the corner.
So then Katy your classed as a famous owls fan how did you come about to supporting the famous blue and white wizards ?
My dad grew up in Sheffield and is a lifelong fan so it was only natural to follow the same team that he did. Although I have never lived in Sheffield, all of my Dads side of the family still live there, so I am a regular visitor.
There is something quite breath taking about an evening game at hillsborough under the lights isn't there , What are your earliest memories of going to owls games ?
My first ever SWFC game was against Coventry and I was around 10 years old. I don't remember much about the match itself, only faint memories of walking to the ground, however my Dad assures me it was a 1-1 draw with the goal coming from Viv Anderson. He can remember most matches and goal scorers whereas Im a bit useless at that sort of thing.
I do remember going to Hillsborough on a Saturday afternoon with my Dad whenever we were staying with my Grandma for the weekend. He always parks at the top of Halifax Road and after the game he would make me run all the way up the hill to get to the car as quickly as possible to beat the traffic. I used to hate that.
One of the earliest games that does stick out in my memory was the 1-0 victory over Arsenal. It was the game where DiCanio pushed the ref over and never played for us again. A game full of drama, and of course a victory!
Wednesday over the years have had some top notch players but if you had to choose one who is your all time favorite player to have donned the stripes ?
I really loved Chris Brunt. His crosses into the box were awesome and you actually believed he may hit the target when he took a long shot. I saw him score a screamer at Leicester when we won 4-1. That was a brilliant game to be at!
What is your best memory in your lifetime watching the owls ?
Without a doubt, the League 1 Play off final against Hartlepool at the Millenium stadium. From the moment I stepped off the train in Cardiff and heard the hooters/sirens and joined the crowd of blue and white, it was an emotional rollercoaster but I loved every minute of it.
What is the best goal you have ever witnessed an owls player score ?
As mentioned already, Brunts goal against Leicester in the 4-1 win stands out for me. But another favourite of mine came from a game not too long after the Leicester one in the same season, the injury time equaliser from Mark Crossley to level the game against Southampton. I remember that goal because I turned to my sister as he ran up the pitch for a corner, and shouted at her 'Crossleys going to score, Crossleys going to score', she said 'No way, he's the keeper!' at which point he threw himself in the air and headed it in. Brilliant! Sometimes you can come away from a draw feeling like you had the victory and that was one of those days.
Mark Crossley scores against Southampton
Wednesday have had a mixed start to the season exiting both the league cup and JPT leaving us with the just the league to concentrate on how do you feel we will fair for the season ?
Im usually positive when it comes to how Wednesday will do, however having seen two games this season so far (Bournemouth and the televised Charlton) I wasnt too inspired. We didnt seem to create many goal chances and hence didnt really look like scoring in either games. I still think that we will grind out results though and probably end up in the top 6 at the end of the season.
Also what did you make of the signings made in the close season?
I have to confess that although I love Wednesday and follow them closely I don't really look at who is playing well etc for other teams, so I didn't know much about most of our signings. From seeing them play though, I think Ben Marshall looks promising, and I just hope Ryan Lowe isn't out for too long as he should have bags of confidence in front of goal with 7 goals to his name already with Bury. Wednesday need someone like that as quite often I feel our players look petrified when they get the ball in front of the goal.
Current manager Gary Megson still divides the fans opinions at the moment what are your thoughts on the " Ginger Mourinho " ?
From following some of the players on Twitter, it sounds like he whipped them into shape pre-season with alot of hill running etc. I like the sound of this as football players need to be tougher these days. i cant stand soft players who go down easily, so I would probably be a little hard on them too. At the end of the day though, any manager who brings the team success will be loved, so I guess I will hold out on forming any strong opinions on him until the end of the season.
Finally could you give me a prediction for the season on where you think we will finish who will top score and of course some derby day predictions for the games against the unwashed ?
Im going with top 6 finish, Madine or Lowe to be top scorer, and we will beat the Blades at home 2-1, and draw at the Sty.
Thanks once again for taking your time out to answer these questions Katy they are greatly appreciated & I wish you the best of luck with your career
Thanks
Tommy
