OWLS v DALE v Fields

Big evening out later, to the magnificent Hillsborough, Leppings Lane end, with my 5 year old grandson to see The Owls take on Rochdale. The Dale, in the English Football League Cup Second Round take on Sheffield Wednesday. Past contests between the two clubs are limited:

11 Sep 2002	Sheffield Wednesday v Rochdale	W	1-0	League Cup
11 Aug 2009	Sheffield Wednesday v Rochdale	W	3-0	League Cup
13 Nov 2010	Sheffield Wednesday v Rochdale	W	2-0	League One
12 Feb 2011	Rochdale v Sheffield Wednesday	L	2-1	League One
06 Aug 2011	Sheffield Wednesday v Rochdale	W	2-0	League One
03 Mar 2012	Rochdale v Sheffield Wednesday	D	0-0	League One
25 Jan 2014	Rochdale v Sheffield Wednesday	W	1-2	FA Cup
15 Sep 2020	Rochdale v Sheffield Wednesday	W	0-2	League Cup

Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of The Wednesday Cricket Club (itself formed in 1820),  a club that played on "half day closing", Wednesday, they were known as The Wednesday Football Club until 1929.

Wednesday is one of the oldest football clubs in the world of any code, and the second-oldest professional association football club in England. In 1868, its team won the Cromwell Cup,a cup played for in the local area and only the second tournament of its kind. The Owls were founding members and inaugural champions of the Football Alliance in 1889, before joining The Football League, three years later. In 1992, they became founder members of the Premier League. The team has spent most of its league history in English football's top flight, but they have not played at that level since being relegated in 2000.

The 2022–23 English Football League Cup is the 63rd season of the EFL Cup (known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons). The competition is open to all clubs participating in the PL and the EFL.

The winner of the competition qualifies for the play-off round of the 2023-4 UEFA Europa Conference League. 

Liverpool are the defending champions, having beaten Chelsea on penalties to secure a record 9th title in the previous season's Final.

Rochdale's next matches are v Crawley and v Accrington Stanley in the Football League Trophy (note; not the Cup!). Wednesday's next FL Trophy games are v Forest Green and v Bradford City.

The English Football League Trophy, for sponsorship known as the Papa John's Trophy, is an annual EFA knockout competition open to the 48 clubs in EFL League One and Two, the third and fourth tiers of the EFL system and, since the 2016-17, 16 under-21 sides from Premier league and EFL Championship clubs. It is the third most prestigious knockout competition in English football after the FA Cup and EF League Cup.

Leppings Lane, of course, was the scene of the Hillsborough disaster. in 1989, when the Stadium hosted the FA Cup Semi-Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. 97 perished. It's a sad story and memorials are abundant.

Rochdale, a mill town from Lancashire, takes it's name from the River Roch and is probably best known for its Co-op, the beginning of the co-operative movement, which today still includes the well known national supermarket chain. Rochdale is also well known for its textile industries including cotton and of course for singer, Gracie Fields! What? You don't know who she is! Shame on you.