Nakamba’s Sheffield Wednesday relegated to English League One football
By Auther Chimbgwa
Warriors skipper Marvelous Nakamba’s new paymasters, Sheffield Wednesday have been relegated from the English Championship to League One with 13 games still to play after suffering a 2-1 defeat to neighbours Sheffield United on Sunday.
Wednesday were two goals down in the first half after conceding to strikes by Patrick Bamford and Harrison Burrow.
A goal by the Owl’s Charlie McNeill was not enough to overturn the victory.
Wednesday are sitting on -7 points, and are rooted to the foot of the Championship table. The league has 24 teams.
They have recorded only one away victory and drawn eight games, whose 11 points have been wiped out by points deduction.
The troubled English professional football club have played 33 matches with the league race left with 13 more fixtures to fulfil to play.
It means even if they win their remaining 13 games, they will end up with 32 points and cannot eclipse West Brom Albion, who lie fourth from bottom with 34 points to their name.
The three lowest-finishing teams in the Championship are relegated to League One.
The other teams that lie directly above Sheffield Wednesday are Oxford United (with 29 points) and Leicester City (with 33 points).
Nakamba, who was not on the team sheet on Sunday, moved to the Owls last month from League One side Luton Town on a free transfer.
But after spending part of the season with Luton, Nakamba is back to the less glamourous League One.
Sheffield Wednesday got into deeper trouble when a massive 18 points were deducted from them for various breaches during the course of this season, including the team’s failure to pay players on time,
Sheffield Wednesday’s relegation marks another inglorious turn of fortune in the former Aston Villa’s linkman’s career after being a role model to many young Zimbabwean footballers still dreaming of featuring in one of the world’s most glamorous football leagues.
Nakamba made history in Zimbabwe in 2019 when he was snatched by Aston Villa to play in the English Premiership from Belgian side Club Brugge for a reported fee of £11 million when he was 25 years old.
He was later to fall out of favour with his manager Unai Emery – who had just moved to the club – who deemed him surplus to requirements, openly telling him to leave the club in January 2023.
This led to Nakamba’s loan move to Luton Town, where he helped them secure promotion to the Premier League before later making the move permanent.
But Luton played in the Premier League for one season before it was to be relegated to the Championship and later to League One.
